SportStories - The Podcast
Hello everyone! My name is Nathan Merkel, welcome to SportStories - The Podcast. This Sports catered podcast will discuss different stories that we as humans have experience in, with, and through Sports. Hopefully, providing context to these questions: What makes Sports so special? and How do Sports impact us as humans? I will dive head-first into these questions through critical conversations with a wide variety of guests on the show. With my current background in research and academia, I will be looking to bridge the gap between practicality and research. I truly hope you enjoy the show!
SportStories - The Podcast
Rolling for Gold - A discussion about Collegiate and Professional Paralympic Wheelchair Basketball with Coach Ron Lykins
[Disclaimer: The opinions in this episode are of my own accord and DO NOT reflect the opinions of any respective organization or institution.]
The Paris Paralympics, saw an 70% increase in viewership from 2020 to 2024. In total, over 15 million viewers streamed in for the Paralympics in 2024 and saw an average live-coverage viewership of 160,000. It is evident that the Paralympics is on the rise in terms of popularity and exposure.
Coach Ron Lykins, a wheelchair basketball icon has accumulated an illustrious history with the USA wheelchair basketball team. Below are his accolades:
98-9 career record
12 Gold Medals - Men's Wheelchair Basketball
5 Silver Medals - Men's Wheelchair Basketball
2 Gold Medals - Women's Wheelchair Basketball
I am gratefully joined by Coach Ron to discuss the current state of Paralympic sport(s) and where we believe it is going. I truly hope you enjoy this episode!
Coach Ron was recently inducted into the Missouri Sport Hall of Fame, below is the article written:
https://mosportshalloffame.com/inductees/ron-lykins/
Support the Podcast and help me transition to video content:
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Please reach out if you have any questions:
contact@nathanmerkel.com