Ep 101: Author Larry Olmsted on the Benefits of Sports Fandom

Larry's new book is called Fans: How Watching Sports Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Understanding, and this episode dives into exactly that argument. We talk about how sports are like religion... and also like the Grateful Dead, whether individual sports offer the same health and happiness benefits as team sports, how the in-person fan experience has changed, what we can learn from American Ninja Warrior, and why the world is so full of sports bars.