Winners

About Winners

Winners tells the stories of championship sports teams through the decisions, strategies, performances, and lucky bounces required to win it all. Every episode is a deep dive into a single champion, exploring the people involved, the make-or-break moments, and the lessons we can learn from the most successful teams across sports.

Publisher

Tim Steggall, Graham Tyler, and Andrew Ball

Category

sports

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

25 Aug 2026

Latest episode

26 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

5 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   26 Oct 2026

   2021 Los Angeles Rams

   Looking back, the Los Angeles Rams' victory in Super Bowl LVI feels like it was inevitable. After all, they were led by a star-studded crew including Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford, and Aaron Donald. But the road to a championship was anything but smooth. They cycled through quarterbacks before making the bold decision to trade for Stafford, a talented passer who had never won a playoff game. They took a chance on the youngest head coach in modern NFL history to transform their culture and offense. They reached — and lost — Super Bowl LIII before learning to adapt their in-game tactics. And they embraced a new approach to team-building that challenged conventional thinking about the value of draft picks. Join us as we discuss the Rams' move to Los Angeles, the improbable trade that changed the course of the franchise, and how they managed to go all-in without sacrificing their ability to stay competitive! Our favorite links NFL Teams Know How to Draft – Why Don't They? – Michael MacKelvie, YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Kdb2b0em-I) The Loser's Curse: Decision Making and Market Efficiency in the National Football League Draft – Cade Massey and Richard Thaler, Management Science (July 2013) (https://faculty.wharton.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/massey---thaler---losers-curse---management-science-july-2013.pdf) The Playcallers – Ep 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5 with Jordan Rodrigue, Podcast (https://open.spotify.com/show/0Oauhc66d31RUpiOzTfOSk) The Rams are the Most Fascinating Team-Building Experiment in the NFL – Riley McAtee, The Ringer (https://www.theringer.com/2021/01/31/nfl/los-angeles-rams-trading-picks-team-building-matthew-stafford-jared-goff-trade) Inside the Rams' major changes to their draft process, and why they won't go back to 'normal' – Jordan Rodrigue, The Athletic (https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/2507342/2021/04/12/inside-the-rams-major-changes-to-their-draft-process-and-why-they-wont-go-back-to-normal/) The Franchise: A Better Way to Understand Matthew Stafford's Decade in the NFL – Kevin Clark, The Ringer (https://www.theringer.com/2019/09/04/nfl/matthew-stafford-unique-quarterback-nfl-detroit-lions) The incredible origin stories of young Aaron Donald – Ryan Hockensmith, ESPN (https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34488139/aaron-donald-los-angeles-rams) Show credits Theme music by Paul Hinkes Graphic design and logo by Kai Takahashi Connect with Winners X – @WinnersShowPod (https://x.com/WinnersShowPod) Bluesky – @winnersshowpod.bsky.social (https://bsky.app/profile/winnersshowpod.bsky.social) Substack – Winners (https://winnersshowpod.substack.com/) Email – winnersshowpod@gmail.com (mailto: winnersshowpod@gmail.com)

2. 

   28 Sept 2026

   1995 UConn Women's Basketball

   The most dominant sports team of the last 35 years isn't the New England Patriots, Golden State Warriors, or Tampa Bay Lightning. It's the UConn Women's Basketball team. The Huskies have reached the Final Four 25 times and captured an astonishing 12 championships. Between 2008 and 2010, they won 90 consecutive games — a mark that's only been topped by their own 111-game winning streak. But UConn wasn't always the powerhouse we know today. When Geno Auriemma arrived in 1985, the program had just one winning season in its history. This is the story of UConn's rise to prominence, and the team that won the first of those 12 championships. Did they benefit from luck and good timing? Or did they have some secret sauce no other program could match? Join us as we dive into the 1995 UConn Huskies! Our favorite links Geno: In Pursuit of Perfection – Geno Auriemma and Jackie MacMullan, Book (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0446577642?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback) 30 years later: How UConn won its first NCAA title in 1995 – Alexa Phillppou and Michael Voepel, ESPN (https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/44474152/uconn-huskies-1995-first-national-championship-undefeated-30-year-anniversary) One game grew into a phenomenon – Michael Voepel, ESPN (https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/12171951/rivalry-connecticut-huskies-tennessee-lady-volunteers-grew-phenomenon) The Psychology of Feedback: Geno Auriemma – What Drives Winning, YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW44lYKuFkA) The Athletic All-Access: Geno Auriemma – No Offseason: The Athletic Women's College Basketball Show, Podcast (https://open.spotify.com/episode/6QXNydzHYruj3thr1YWeGX?si=03cfd2bb304c4669&nd=1&dlsi=da4eca2757c6400c) EADA Data (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ehkpARsfbLkfcybdt31JlRErIBMIfXo6yQibmPAz2DI/edit?gid=0#gid=0) Geno Auriemma's Website: genoauriemma.com (https://www.genoauriemma.com/) Credits Theme music by Paul Hinkes Graphic design and logo by Kai Takahashi Connect with Winners X – @WinnersShowPod (https://x.com/WinnersShowPod) Bluesky – @winnersshowpod.bsky.social (https://bsky.app/profile/winnersshowpod.bsky.social) Email – winnersshowpod@gmail.com (mailto:winnersshowpod@gmail.com)

3. 

   31 Aug 2026

   2004 Detroit Pistons

   The NBA has long been defined by offensive superstars: Magic vs. Bird in the 80s, MJ in the 90s, Kobe and Shaq in the early 2000s, LeBron and Steph after that. The 2004 "Goin' to Work" Pistons were built differently. Their only Hall of Famer averaged fewer than 6 points a game for his career. They finished 24th in the league in scoring, winning instead with suffocating defense and a grinding, deliberate offense. Joe Dumars built the roster out of castoffs and role players. Even after whiffing on the second overall pick in the loaded 2003 draft, his teams reached six straight Eastern Conference Finals. Larry Brown molded them in the image of their city: unselfish, hard-working, and tougher than everyone else. It all came together in the 2004 Finals, where they faced a Lakers superteam with four future Hall of Famers led by Shaq and Kobe. Almost no one gave Detroit a chance, but the Pistons won in dominating fashion. This is the story of one of the unlikeliest champions in NBA history, and the end of an era. Within a few years, new rules and the analytics revolution would transform the game into the pace-and-space league we know today. So were the Pistons smart to do things differently, or just the right team for a particular moment in time? Join us as we find out. Our favorite links Ben Wallace Went Undrafted and Forged a Hall of Fame Career – Ryne Nelson, SLAM (https://slamonline.com/nba/ben-wallace-96-draft/) What Makes Larry Run? – Neal Gabler, Grantland (https://grantland.com/features/what-larry-brown-doing-coaching-college-hoops/#:~:text=To%20his%20admirers,%20it%20is%20as%20much,Brown%20as%20it%20is%20of%20Dean%20Smith.&text=Gary%20Smith%20of%20Sports%20Illustrated%20as%20ineffably%20sad) Joe Dumars Interviewed After Winning No. 2 Pick in 2003 NBA Draft – Ryan Van Dusen, YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czJy7ZdmW7U) In their own words: How the legendary 2003 NBA draft shaped basketball's future – Brian Windhorst, ESPN (https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35799683/oral-history-2023-nba-draft-lottery-lebron-james-carmelo-anthony-chris-bosh-dwyane-wade) 2003 Redraftables: LeBron Arrives, Darko vs. Melo, Wade The Sleeper + the First "Modern" NBA Draft with Chad Ford – Book of Basketball 2.0 (Bill Simmons) Podcast (https://open.spotify.com/episode/2VpIH46tONFhPFosKiw8eX?si=b688246861d8402c) Tayshaun Prince Blocks Reggie Miller – Detroit Pistons, YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3j2ch-iqSM) Experts thought the Lakers would crush the Pistons in the 2004 Finals. Note quite... – Alex Putterman, Freezing Cold Takes (https://freezingcoldtakes.com/nba/everyone-thought-the-lakers-would-crush-the-pistons-in-the-2004-nba-finals-not-quite.html) The Malice at the Palace (Oral History) – Jonathan Abrams, Grantland (https://grantland.com/features/an-oral-history-malice-palace/) DARKO App for NBA Stats (https://www.darko.app/) Credits Theme music by Paul Hinkes Graphic design and logo by Kai Takahashi Connect with Winners X - ⁠@WinnersShowPod⁠ (https://x.com/WinnersShowPod) Bluesky - ⁠@winnersshowpod.bsky.social⁠ (https://bsky.app/profile/winnersshowpod.bsky.social) Email - ⁠winnersshowpod@gmail.com (mailto:winnersshowpod@gmail.com)

4. 

   31 Aug 2026

   2016 Chicago Cubs

   The Chicago Cubs are one of the most iconic franchises in professional sports. Nothing compares to the ivy walls, the bleacher seats, and the day games at Wrigley Field. And yet, in the early 2010s, the Cubs were best known for their failures. Longtime sports and politics writer Charles P. Pierce called the Cubs title drought the last great American sports story. It had been more than 100 years since their last championship. They hadn't even played in the World Series since 1945, a series that birthed the famed Curse of the Billy Goat. So how does a team go about ending a century-long losing streak? By hiring Theo Epstein, the only living executive to overcome a curse of this magnitude, and letting him tear the whole thing down. This is the story of 108 years of heartbreak, superstition, and mismanagement coming to an end. Join us as we explore how Theo Epstein, Joe Maddon, and an unforgettable roster transformed the Cubs from lovable losers into World Series champions, and what their journey reveals about building a winner. Our favorite links The Cubs Way – Tom Verducci, Book (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/556794/the-cubs-way-by-tom-verducci/) How Theo Worked his Magic – Bradford Doolittle and Luke Knox, ESPN (https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/17711479/how-theo-epstein-transformed-cubs-roster) The Mastermind – Wright Thompson, ESPN the Magazine (https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/17588399/theo-epstein-mastermind-cubs-season) The 100 Most Influential People (2017) – John Cusack, TIME (https://time.com/collections/2017-time-100/4736343/theo-epstein/) Everybody Wants Their Own Theo Epstein – Michael Baumann, The Ringer (https://www.theringer.com/2016/06/27/uncategorized/theo-epstein-market-inefficiency-cubs-red-sox-undeniables-ca36fd494ba1) The Chicago Cubs are Flexible Beasts – Rany Jazayerli, The Ringer (https://www.theringer.com/2016/10/07/mlb/we-had-to-invent-a-new-metric-to-properly-appreciate-the-cubs-84f371e73b90) Valuing Relievers: Correction or Bubble? – Dave Cameron, FanGraphs (https://blogs.fangraphs.com/valuing-relievers-correction-or-bubble/) Credits Theme music by Paul Hinkes Graphic design and logo by Kai Takahashi Connect with Winners X - @WinnersShowPod (https://x.com/WinnersShowPod) Bluesky - @winnersshowpod.bsky.social (https://bsky.app/profile/winnersshowpod.bsky.social) Email - winnersshowpod@gmail.com (mailto:winnersshowpod@gmail.com)

5. 

   25 Aug 2026

   Winners (Official Trailer)

   Winners tells the stories of championship sports teams through the decisions, strategies, performances, and lucky bounces required to win it all. Every episode is a deep dive into a single champion, exploring the people involved, the make-or-break moments, and the lessons we can learn from the most successful teams across sports.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

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Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.