Sometimes it Rains

For our third and final episode about women’s professional bull riding, we get to meet Moria Novakoski and her mom, Jody. In just a short year, the 15-year old has made a big impact with the PBR’s NextGen youth riding series. We talk to Moria about how NextGen is creating a new generation of riders and doing so in a much more structured - and safer way. And we also find out what it’s like to be a mom of a someone riding in the toughest show on dirt.

Eight seconds on a bull is an eternity—and many of us have wondered: what are judges actually looking at, and what’s making the bull buck and spin? During our conversation with four-time World Champion Jorden Halvorsen, she walks us through a few important details, including how rides are scored and the truth about the flank strap. You’ve probably heard the myth, and here’s what really happens.

 In the second installment of our three episodes focusing on women’s professional bull riding, we chat with Jorden Halvorsen, four-time World Champion, TV and social media personality and founder of the Elite Lady Bull Riders. We also meet Sabrina Garcia, producer of the series Not Her First Rodeo, available on Hulu.Content Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of physical injury. 

In the first of three episodes focusing on the storied history of women’s professional bull riding, we meet Jonnie Jonckowski, two time World Champion and 1991 National Cowgirl Hall of Fame inductee. The former collegiate track star turned elite bull rider discusses the growth of the sport, surviving some harrowing rides and the role she played in bringing women’s bull riding back to the professional circuit.Content Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of physical injury.

Sometimes it Rains is back! On this episode we interview Seth Tannenbaum, professor of Sports Studies at Manhattanville University about his new book, “Bleacher Seats and Luxury Suites: Democracy and Division at the 20th Century Ballparks.” Give it a listen and, if you haven’t already, please like and subscribe!

Many have called Jim Brown the greatest running back of all time. Though he played in the NFL more than 60 years ago, his numbers are incredible even by today’s standards. In addition to his accomplishments on the gridiron, he was also an accomplished actor and an important leader in the fight for Civil Rights. He was a man made for the moment in which he lived. But there was also a disturbing history of violence that, with his recent passing, has led some to question how, and to what degree, he should celebrated. We take a look at all of that on this special episode of Sometimes it Rains.

The Kansas City Chiefs are one of the few North American scholastic or professional sports organizations remaining with a mascot derived from Native American heritage. Season 2 of Sometimes it Rains chronicles the riches, to rags, and back to riches story of the Chiefs amidst the backdrop of an all too little know history of the Native American people in the United States that led to the intertwining of sports mascots, culture and politics.

When looking at the issue of Native American mascots in sports, so much comes down to a lack of knowledge concerning the history of Indigenous peoples and the relationship between Native Americans and The United States. We also look at the history of mascots in sports and how professional sports teams in Boston, Cleveland and Washington began to claim Native American iconography for their own.

Professional football comes to the Great Plains when an entrepreneur from Dallas decides to move his team to KC. A look at the history of the Kansas City Chiefs and how the name came about. We also discuss the ways in which the United States criminalized Native American culture and traditions in an attempt to force cultural assimilation. 

A look at the history of the “Tomahawk Chop” in sports and how it is emblematic of how much we “don’t” know of Native American history. We also take a look at how the movement to end the use of Native American mascots gained momentum in the 90’s and into the 21st century.