BenchMarks cover art

BenchMarks

BenchMarks

By: Empty The Bench Network
Listen for free

BenchMarks is an audio-first documentary series from the Empty the Bench Network, where the biggest moments in sports aren’t just remembered — they’re re-examined.


Hosted by Callan McClurg and joined by voices from across the Empty the Bench Network, BenchMarks lives at the intersection of E60, 30 for 30, and Real Sports. Each episode digs deep into the controversial moments, polarizing figures, and defining games and plays that refuse to fade with time. These are the stories that sparked debate, shaped careers, altered leagues, and still echo through locker rooms, broadcasts, and barroom arguments years — sometimes decades — later.


Through immersive storytelling, original reporting, archival sound, and thoughtful conversation, BenchMarks revisits the moments that history never settled. Not to sensationalize them, but to understand them — the context, the consequences, and why they continue to matter. This is sports history told with humanity, curiosity, and a willingness to ask the uncomfortable questions.


If you believe the best sports stories don’t end at the final whistle, subscribe to BenchMarks wherever you get your podcasts and join us as we revisit the moments that defined the game — and the people inside it.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Empty The Bench Network Politics & Government
Episodes
  • BenchMarks: The Two Handed Revolution

    BenchMarks: The Two Handed Revolution
    Jun 8 2026

    For over a century, the image of bowling was consistent: one hand, three holes, and a rhythmic, pendular swing. But in the mid-2000s, a new sound began to echo through the lanes—the thunderous, high-revving strike of a ball delivered with two hands. What started as an "unorthodox" necessity for a toddler in Australia has become the most disruptive force in the history of the sport.


    In this episode of BenchMarks, narrator Nick Morgasen investigates the Two-Handed Revolution. We trace the journey of Jason Belmonte, the "Belmo" who popularized the style after learning to bowl with two hands as a child simply because the balls were too heavy. We explore how he and Finland's Osku Palermaa cracked the code of the PBA, proving that the two-handed approach wasn't just a gimmick—it was a biological advantage.


    Morgasen breaks down the physics of the "Rev Rate": while elite one-handed bowlers typically hover around 400–500 RPM, two-handers can easily clear 600 RPM, turning standard hooks into "atomic bombs" that shred the pocket with unprecedented carry. We also tackle the fierce backlash from purists who argue the style is "cheating" or "not real bowling," and examine the 2020 rule changes regarding weight holes that were sparked by this very movement.


    The Two-Handed Revolution is the story of how a generation of athletes stopped fighting the weight of the ball and started using their entire bodies to reinvent a game, leaving the "old guard" to wonder if the traditional one-handed game is destined for the history books.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    16 mins
  • BenchMarks: Detroit Brawlers

    BenchMarks: Detroit Brawlers
    Jun 1 2026

    November 19, 2004. It was just a regular-season game in Auburn Hills until a hard foul and a tossed cup of Diet Coke shattered the "unwritten wall" between the court and the stands. In an instant, a basketball game became a crime scene.


    In this deep-dive episode of BenchMarks, narrator Nick Morgasen deconstructs the night the NBA changed forever. We revisit the chaos: Ron Artest (now Metta Sandiford-Artest) charging into the crowd, Stephen Jackson’s haymakers, and the rain of debris that followed the Indiana Pacers into the locker room. But the real story lies in the ripples that followed.


    Morgasen investigates the massive institutional shift led by Commissioner David Stern. We examine how the "Malice" led to the NBA Dress Code, the banning of the "thug" narrative in sports media, and the total overhaul of arena security protocols. We look at the legacy of the "Fan Code of Conduct," the limit on alcohol sales, and the chilling precedent of lifetime bans for spectators. Beyond the 146 total games of suspension and millions in lost salary, this episode asks: Did the NBA actually become safer, or did it simply become "softer" to appease a terrified corporate audience?

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    16 mins
  • BenchMarks: The Ghost of Hillsborough

    BenchMarks: The Ghost of Hillsborough
    May 26 2026

    An afternoon of football that turned into a 27-year battle against the establishment.


    On April 15, 1989, 97 Liverpool fans went to an FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough Stadium and never came home. They didn't die because of a structural failure; they died because of a catastrophic failure in police command that trapped them against steel fences, followed by a coordinated campaign of lies by the police and media to blame the victims.


    In this powerful episode of BenchMarks, Callan McClurg deconstructs the Hillsborough Disaster and the cover-up that followed. We examine the fateful decision to open Gate C, the infamous "THE TRUTH" headline in The Sun newspaper that silenced a city, and the heroic, decades-long fight by the families to secure an "Unlawful Killing" verdict and completely exonerate the fans.


    Finally, we explore how this tragedy fundamentally rewritten the laws of stadium architecture—tracing the evolution from the "all-seater" mandate of the 1990s to the modern "Safe Standing" rail-seating revolution seen today across Major League Soccer and the heavily renovated stadiums preparing for the 2026 World Cup in Mexico.


    The lesson of Hillsborough wasn’t that standing was dangerous—it was that fans must be treated as human beings, not cattle in a pen.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    16 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
No reviews yet