Episodes
March 14, 2024
Sports Betting E4 | The vote finally passes. Now what?
Oh, what a difference a year makes! One year after the surprise failure in the House, sports gambling passes both chambers of the NC Legislature. W hat happens next? It takes another nine months be fore anyone can legally be…
March 13, 2024
Sports Betting E3 | The Senate votes YES, but the House says NO
The votes on legal sports betting in NC did not happen like most things in the legislature. There aren’t usually surprises by the time a bill reaches a vote in the Senate or the House. Brian Murphy from WRAL News and Tim Don…
March 12, 2024
Sports Betting E2 | A high stakes alliance in support of legal sports gambling
In May 2018 , a US Supreme Court ruling o pened the flood gates for all states to move forward with legal sports betting. But being “allowed” to move forward and convincing the NC legislature to move forward are two very dif…
March 11, 2024
Sports Betting E1 | The contentious history of gambling in North Carolina
From the scandal of the Dixie Classic in the early 60’s to the “ s enate shenanigans ” of the l ottery vote in 2006, North Carolina’s history with gambling has been contentious. The state has had a n anti-gambling law on the…
Feb. 29, 2024
S3 COMING SOON | The long road to legal sports betting in North Carolina
Starting March 11, sports betting will be legal in North Carolina, but getting to this point was not an easy path. From the scandal of the Dixie Classic in the early 60's to the controversial vote for the NC Lottery, the sta…
March 22, 2023
Skyhawks E7 | Requiem for the World League of American Football
The Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks only lasted one season, but the World League of American Football carried on until 2007. At the end, it was known as NFL Europa. Though newly elected NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was quick to sh…
March 15, 2023
Skyhawks E6 | End of the line for NC's first pro football team
Michael Kennedy was the equipment manager for the Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks. Not a glamourous role, but there wasn't much that was glamourous about the World League of American Football. Kennedy, like the players and head coa…
March 8, 2023
Skyhawks E5 | NC's complicated history with beer doomed the Skyhawks
Until a few years ago, alcohol at college sporting events was a delicate dance in hypocrisy. Back in 1991 without a special exemption, the sale of alcohol was not allowed at public university facilities. You could always tai…
March 1, 2023
Skyhawks E4 | Tony Haynes has a front row seat to an 0-10 season
Losing ain't easy. Losing for a whole season, well that's another level of pain. It wasn't just hard on players and coaches. As a broadcaster, Tony Haynes had a front row seat to the Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks' losing season. T…
Feb. 22, 2023
Skyhawks E3 | Last chance at football glory for local players
For one disappointing season, the Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks didn't give fans much to cheer for. But the team did give hope to the men on the field. For Wilson Hoyle (former kicker from Wake Forest) and Mark Maye (former UNC QB…
Feb. 15, 2023
Skyhawks E2 | How close did Raleigh come to getting an NFL team?
The Carolina Panthers played their first game in 1995. Behind the scenes, there had been years of negotiations over whether or not North Carolina--or the "Carolinas" collectively--could support an NFL team, and exactly where…
Feb. 15, 2023
Skyhawks E1 | The football team that never won
The Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks. For some of you, that team will ring a bell. But for most sports fans in the Triangle, they're probably wondering why Joe Ovies is going to devote a few podcast episodes about the defunct World L…
Feb. 6, 2023
S2 Coming Soon: The Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks
Joe Ovies returns with a new season of A Brief History of Triangle Sports
July 20, 2022
How message boards paved the way for modern media coverage, part 2: North Carolina
InsideCarolina was a trailblazer for legitimizing non-traditional outlets such as Tar Heel Blog to cover UNC football and basketball
July 20, 2022
How message boards paved the way for modern media coverage, part 1: NC State
NC State athletics has a robust internet culture that was born in the late 90s and has grown into independent websites and podcasts
July 13, 2022
How the Raleigh IceCaps won over sports fans and helped prove hockey could work in the Triangle
Former Raleigh IceCaps players discuss their experience introducing hockey to the Triangle and how they fell in love with the area.
July 6, 2022
The Greater North Carolina Pro-Am had a brief summer league run, but a massive impact on Triangle basketball
Erroll Reese and Webb Wellman highlight how the Greater North Carolina Pro-Am was about connections within the world of basketball
June 29, 2022
Rusty Helser has spent decades behind the scenes as a key piece of Triangle sports broadcasting history
Longtime Capitol Broadcast Company production director has spent decades behind the scenes, quietly making sure fans get their games
June 22, 2022
Superchunk's Mac McCaughan on Chapel Hill's music scene blending in with Tobacco Road sports culture
The cofounder of Superchunk and Merge Records discusses his college basketball fandom as Chapel Hill's music scene blossomed in the 1990s..
June 15, 2022
The Raleigh Bullfrogs lasted one season and Chris Corchiani loved every moment
Raleigh was the brief home of a professional basketball team, the Bullfrogs, which featured for ACC standout Chris Corchiani
June 8, 2022
John Wall, Harrison Barnes, and how Bomani Jones found himself in the orbit of their recruitments
John Wall and Harrison Barnes bookended 2009 with fascinating recruiting sagas, and Bomani Jones was in the middle of it all.
June 1, 2022
Jeff Gravley got to see the big events, but a smaller moment with Michael Jordan is what he'll never forget
Former WRAL sports anchor Jeff Gravley covered big events, befriended Stuart Scott, and witnessed Michael Jordan's baseball stint.
May 25, 2022
How John Forslund kept it objective for over 20 years of highs and lows of the Carolina Hurricanes
Former Carolina Hurricanes TV play-by-play John Forslund kept it objective and gained the respect of the fans through highs and lows of the franchise
May 18, 2022
Mick Mixon elevated play-by-play to storytelling during his time with the North Carolina Tar Heels and Carolina Panthers
Mick Mixon took in two North Carolina NCAA championships and the height of Carolina Panthers football during his broadcast career