Photo of basketball and money for Playing with Science podcast, NCAA March Madness, Money and Minds. Credit: 3dfoto/iStock.
Photo of basketball and money for Playing with Science podcast, NCAA March Madness, Money and Minds. Credit: 3dfoto/iStock.

NCAA – March Madness, Money, and Minds

Credit: 3dfoto/iStock.
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About This Episode

On this episode of Playing with Science, hosts Gary O’Reilly and Chuck Nice are investigating the money, minds, and madness behind the NCAA, featuring bracketologist Chris Dobbertean, Andrew Zimbalist, author of Unwinding Madness: What Went Wrong with College Sports and How to Fix It, neuroscientist and All-Stars host Dr. Heather Berlin, and clinical and sport psychologist Dr. Leah Lagos. To start, Chris tries to make sense of the madness that has already transpired during the NCAA tournament and gives his Final Four predictions – this episode was recorded before the Elite Eight games were played – and he’s surprisingly accurate. Then, investigate whether the NCAA money system is broken and what solutions might be viable to fix it. Go inside the head of an athlete competing under immense pressure and learn what’s going on in their brain. You’ll also hear how bio-hacking and psychophysiological training can help athletes perform their best during the most crucial moments. All that, plus, you’ll also explore “busy brain,” Gary weighs in on dealing with players on the professional soccer pitch, and much, much, more!

NOTE: All-Access subscribers can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: NCAA – March Madness, Money, and Minds.

In This Episode

  • Host

    Chuck Nice

    Chuck Nice
    Comedian
  • Host

    Gary O'Reilly

    Gary O'Reilly
    Sports Analyst, Broadcaster, Professional Soccer Player
  • Guest

    Chris Dobbertean

    Chris Dobbertean
    Bracketologist at BloggingtheBracket.com and SBNation
  • Guest

    Andrew Zimbalist

    Andrew Zimbalist
    Professor of Economics at Smith College and author of "Unwinding Madness: What Went Wrong with College Sports and How to Fix It" (2017)
  • Guest

    Heather Berlin

    Dr. Heather Berlin
    All-Stars host, Neuroscientist, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at The Icahn School Of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY
  • Guest

    Leah Lagos

    Dr. Leah Lagos
    Clinical & Sport Psychologist

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