Can't Win 4 Losing
By King Kaufman
Host King Kaufman brings you narrative stories about losing* in sports, in all its forms—including as a prelude to better things. As Tolstoy may have almost written: Every champion is the same, but every loser is a loser in their own way. Can't Win 4 Losing tells their—which is to say our—stories.
*also about winning.
*also about winning.
Latest episode
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Anthony Hembrick: Godfather of “Showboating Fighters KTFO”
"Showboating Fighters Get KTFO" — that's knocked the F out — is a popular, and delicious, YouTube genre. But even before the internet, Anthony "Hollywood" Hembrick practically invented the form. An undefeated light-heavyweight contender, Hembrick... -
You’ve Got to Lose to Learn How to Win: Diego Luke’s Story
Diego Luke was a promising youth hockey player in Minnesota—"The State of Hockey"—until kidney disease forced him to step away from the game. His comeback was interrupted by a bout with cancer. Yet he returned to the ice again. Interviewing his... -
Killer Weight Loss Secrets: Fighters Cutting Weight
Weight cutting. It's hard. It's painful. It doesn't really give fighters a competitive advantage. And it can be deadly. Andrew Stelzer on some fighters' toughest battle, the one fans never see. Plus: on Billy Conn, "The Pittsburgh Kid," who gave Joe… -
We Kicked It Like National Champions
An expanded version of a story that was featured on NPR's "Only a Game": As a football player in high school and college in Houston, Michael Porter played on teams that went a combined 0-77. So what did he do next? Became a coach at his alma mater...… -
Fútbol Americano
Football in Mexico. Not soccer. American football. Jonathan Tinajero is chasing his NFL dreams in Mexico City. How did a small-college defensive back from East L.A. end up playing pro ball south of the border? Juan Reyes reports. Plus: Paulie Soda, a… -
My Fault: The Trey Junkin Story
New York Giants fans—and almost no one else—remember Trey Junkin. He was a long-snapper in the NFL longer than anyone, ever. For 19 years he was an anonymous perfectionist working in the game's trenches. Until his very last snap. In the playoffs.... -
Zippy Chippy: Legendary Loser to Champion of Champions
Zippy Chippy ran 100 races and lost 100 times. But he was a star, one of People magazine's 50 Most Intriguing People. And so many fans bet on him that he routinely went off as the favorite. Now, in retirement, champion thoroughbreds who earned... -
Breaking Up: San Diego’s Life After the Chargers
One of the most painful ways to lose in sports is a city losing its team. San Diego Chargers fans were heartbroken when their team moved to Los Angeles. But not all of them. Maya Kroth reports from San Diego. Plus: on one of several teams that have.… -
At Long Last: The Cavaliers, the Warriors and the Cubs
You spend a lifetime as the long-suffering fan of a losing team. It shapes who you are. And then: They win it all! Authors Scott Raab ("The Whore of Akron," "You're Welcome, Cleveland") on the Cleveland Cavaliers and Barry Gifford ("In the... -
Casey Stengel: How to Learn By Losing
With the Yankees in the '50s, he had the greatest run in managerial history. But before that, Casey Stengel skippered a series of relentlessly terrible teams. Host asks: Did the Old Perfessor learn to win by losing? Plus: What if the worst player on…
