Sports People Are Nerds Too- Ep. 99 of Intentionally Blank

[@TheShadowprince]

Dan should commit a food heist one day, then discuss it on the show and see how long it takes Brandon to figure out he got robbed.

[@HLPiepgrass]

He could go after the salt collection!

[@Wonderwall627]

Ben already beat him to it

[@jacobstamm]

It’s the perfect crime

[@georgeevans9044]

​@@Wonderwall627 Not sure what you're talking about; are you referring to when Dan pretended to be Ben and stole snacks from Brandon's fridge?

[@georgeevans9044]

He sorta did it once, but he fessed up immediately

[@Blixthand]

In third grade, 16-17 years ago now, I had a teacher who would often say "We're all nerds, we're just nerdy about different things", especially if he ever heard anyone call someone a nerd. He himself was a fantasy and sci-fi nerd, and he recognized that I was growing in to one as well. He lent me the works of David Eddings to read once I was done with Harry Potter, Narnia and Lord of the Rings. He would also read my earliest writings and give me his feedback. Eventually we drifted apart, but for many years we kept in touch, I would send him my writings, he'd send me his feedback, and in between we'd talk about books and movies. I'll never forget him, or that way he used to tell people of for calling others nerds, by pointing out that we're all nerds, just about different things.

[@pocket3154]

David Eddings was what lured me into Fantasy when I was very young. My brother had all the books but ofc wouldn't let me near them, but I used to look at them anyway when he was gone and then suffer the beating later when he found them disturbed. I was just entranced by the typography and cover art at first, but then read them and was introduced to a new lifelong love.

[@Domaik_]

I cannot believe that it's the sports episode the one where we finally had Dan and Brandon finally talk about their favourite novels

[@YAOES]

The second Dan said he follows baseball I literally screamed in joy. Baseball is an incredible game for stats nerds. There are so many complicated schools of thought for what stats are important and which ones are arbitrary. It’s so much fun.

[@peaceofcrap]

Anyone who thinks sports people aren't nerds hasn't met a hardcore baseball fan.

[@zenthepoet.]

Or heard of the cult of NBA analytics..

[@Paul_McSeol]

As a fantasy geek and a sports geek, totally agree. Just look at the film Moneyball which applied Sabermetrics to MLB in a legit way.

[@alaregret1270]

Let me tell you about the concept of pre pitch and the incorporated usage of sabermetrics 😶‍🌫️🥸

[@zenthepoet.]

@@alaregret1270 😅

[@superiorgo2368]

I love this friendship cause Dan didn't read stormlight until he was paid to.

[@stephenmaher4690]

I'll say as a recent grad from University of Wyoming, and as a band alumnus, nowadays our biggest rival is CSU across the border. That and Boise State. I think there is still *some* rivalry vs BYU, I did go to the poinsettia bowl in 2016 (BYU beat UW.) But it's definitely not as big of a deal in the general student body compared to CSU or compared to what it sounds like it used to be based off of Dan's Wife's experience.

[@Maddy-h4o]

Can we have an episode where they pretend to be each other, opposite outfits, glasses etc 😂

[@TheHonestLee]

Identity theft is not a joke, Jim!

[@SamThird]

They are doing it right in this episode you just didn't see it. They're so good.

[@timothyheydt371]

I forgot Brandon played and instrument. It makes perfect sense he played trumpet. He gives off real trumpet vibes. That or Trombone. Dan conversely gives me sax vibes.

[@corinnedrollette6107]

What they said: “what will we do with all these marching band people when football season is over?” What they meant: “we need to keep these kids busy or they will explode into a cloud of raw goofy enthusiasm.” (I was also in the BYU band, and experienced the gracious Utah band vs. aggressive Utah fans.)

[@jaredbennett7677]

As someone who also grew up in a time that liked to point out the disparity between 'nerds' and 'jocks', but similarly didnt actually experience much of the kind of antagonisms holloywood liked to depict, I have loved hearing people point out the idea that sports fans are just nerds of a different fandom like you guys do here. Its all the same part of the brain getting us to dive in and love this external entertainment, and have it as a part of our identity, memorize facts and details, history etc. Even cosplay!

[@markstenquist2315]

A Knight's Tale is in my top 10 favorite movies. It's a masterpiece.

[@magus3553]

Only slightly less quotable than The Princess Bride.

[@AtaraxianWist]

Dan lost a game of Candy Land and now The Great Gatsby is the Great American Novel.

[@kaytlinmangelson6673]

Yes! Also from Wyoming! And as a BYU fan I can attest to this. If Wyoming won the game (back when both teams were in the mountain west conference) I heard about it for WEEKS! Thankfully didn't happen very often...

[@brianlinden3042]

Speaking of books about sports/esports, I hear some author wrote a book about people bringing chalk drawings to life to compete against each other in a sort of real life RTS. They seem to have given up on writing a sequel, though, so you might not want to bother checking it out...

[@thegreyinitiate3680]

To Kill a Mockingbird is my best American Novel. I read quite a few books in my American literature course year in high school and To Kill a Mockingbird was the only one I truly enjoyed. Then we watched the movie with Gregory Peck and it just made it even better. I love Atticus Finch so much. One of the best fathers in all fiction

[@ericeilersen]

I relate to this conversation so completely as a HUGE nerd who is obsessed with sports. You guys talking about how reductive and actually hurtful the term "sportsball" is means SO much. Couldn't agree more.

[@dirkrousseau462]

Timing this for NFL Draft day is perfect! I am sure it was intentional. Just about the nerdiest the NFL gets.

[@declanwain7581]

The Great American Novel thing is pretty funny. It's so American to the rest of us. I'm Australian and we never have this conversation about our literature. We do have a handful of cherished authors such as David Malouf and Banjo Patterson. I'd be really interested to hear how other nations discuss their literature.

[@archierowe3893]

Banjo Patterson is a real person who isn’t from Kentucky, America? I am betrayed.

[@declanwain7581]

@@archierowe3893 he was a very real Australian. But he had a lot in common with Kentucky people. He live in the bush. He volunteered in the first world war (aged 50) driving an ambulance and breaking horses. So he'd probably fit-in in Kuntucky

[@MemphiStig]

I think it's one of our cultural tropes. The American Novel, the American Dream, and a whole bunch of other ideas that really don't have much weight to most people today, but we're still carrying them around anyway. We're not connected to wherever they came from anymore. Times have changed.

[@moonbot7613]

I’m a huge college football nerd and my team is the Huskers. I had no idea Sanderson was from Lincoln.

[@Ize19]

My pick fot Great American Novel is also sports related! It's The Brothers K, by David James Duncan. It follows the joys, triumphs, sorrows and tragedies of a small town American family during the 50s and 60s, who are divided by politics, religion, and the trials and tribulations of life, but are united in their love for each other and for baseball. An absolutely amazing read!

[@paulbrooks4395]

Great Gatsby still resonates in many ways with American capitalism and avarice. We have so many thematic elements that are still popular with Citizen Cane, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Succession showing empty, money-filled people without meaningful character or value to society. Huck Fin comes at the crux of a historical turning point. Any major Golden Age scifi and Dune qualify as great tales. There's no one great novel, as each is derived from a cultural inflection point. I say people should use literature as a lens to history, inasmuch as they should use theater, film, music, or other arts.

[@WoTMike1989]

Yes we are. Proud basketball nerd in addition to my sff fandom

[@aclark217]

Jamaal Williams, former BYU running back, now with the New Orleans Saints, is one of the biggest, self-proclaimed nerds in sports. He's deep into anime, Pokemon, manga, and is very open about it. He often does his postgame interviews with a Pokemon hat or some other kind of nerd swag on. Absolutely love that guy!

[@travishancock9120]

Other great American Novels: The Chosen by Chaim Potok, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Virginian by Owen Wister, and Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.

[@dinocollins720]

I’m from Wyoming and went to BYU my dad played for Wyoming and I was an outcast in my family for a while 😂. Wyoming has a chant “F*** you B-Y-U!” Haha

[@claytonhomer3096]

Two glaring omissions on the great American novel lists from you guys are: Gone with the Wind and Lonesome Dove.

[@poolshark121]

Thank you so much for talking about this topic. I'm a massive nhl nfl fan but such a huge nerd too

[@jordanwood3580]

If you're a sports nerd and follow BYU Football fairly closely, then you know about the Wyoming rivalry. The best part of the lore of that rivalry, as told from the BYU side, is when Lavell Edwards issued the legendary quote "I'd rather lose and live in Provo than win and live in Laramie." Mostly referring to the ultra cold playing weather. What makes the quote memorable is that Lavell was like such a nice guy. So, it landed a bit heavier coming from him.

[@samwise8565]

I’ve played trumpet in the marching band for 7 years so far. Makes me like Brandon even more that he did too! Marching band is great!

[@DespairBear]

Speaking for the entire community, we ALL want to see Brandon cast a League of Legends game. Who do we have to pay to make this happen??

[@AndreaHecklerWriter]

Yes!!!

[@nathanielhardman2730]

The great American novel is To Kill a Mockingbird. I'll fight you.

[@jdubbs7564]

I’d say u dubbs (university of Wyoming) biggest rival is CSU. Or at least it was back when I went there in the early 2000s. We did get hyped about BYU but everybody went to the “border war” game. I believe they even have a trophy they pass back and forth.

[@danielkirienko1701]

You and I were there at the same time! They (the ROTC corps from both schools) run the trophy, which is The Bronze Boot, from one of the schools to the other, which is about 60 miles.

[@moonbot7613]

You forgot to mention the big boulder at the boarder that’s decorated by both schools on each side.

[@pyredynasty]

Dagnabbit, you made me realize Harry Potter is totally a sports story. Not just quidditch or the Triwizard tournament but dueling is also a sport. Harry beat Voldemort because of a rule technicality. Children were able to compete with adults because dueling has rules that equalize the competition.

[@ashmite]

So, I have struggled to define my relationship with Dune the Novel. The David Lynch Dune movie was my first intro to the Dune universe and as a 16 year old, I liked that movie. I've read the 1st Dune book twice, but I find myself asking if my book experience was tainted by the movie. Now, the new Denis Villeneuve version, I absolutely love, and I can't wait for Part 2.

[@robertkruger5744]

I’m a massive sports nerd so I’m excited for this one!

[@robbybevard8034]

Brandon's favorite books Dune Les Misérables Pride and Prejudice Tigana Dragonsbane *Wheel of Time (series, not a novel) Dan's favorite books Dune American Gods House of the Spirits Les Misérables/Hunchback of Notre Dame Secret Agent/Scanner Darkly The Great American novels Huck Finn Great Gatsby Age of Innocence American Gods Moby Dick Foundation Dune

[@godminnette2]

I'm revisiting this episode to comment on the fact that Brandon went an entire episode about sports and literature without mentioning 17776, a phenomenal sports story I know he likes.

[@Parmandur]

Knight's Tale is one of the greatest underdog sports movies ever made

[@madiantin]

35:30. That, without a doubt, has to have been Dr. Eleanor Janega. She's absolutely brilliant.

[@MemphiStig]

I've been contemplating turning a sport into an rpg ever since I discovered D&D in the early 80s. I know some games have done it in various forms, but i don't think anything like Dan's idea has ever been done.

[@Ize19]

I believe everyone is nerdy about SOMETHING! Some people are nerdy about books, or sports, comics, fashion, tv shows, cooking, history, cars, movies, music, the list goes on & on. It's human nature to be nerdy, what separates us is what particular subject inspires enough passion in us for us to become nerdy about it.

[@PeteQuad]

I love Brandon's Great American Novel list and i could probably adopt it as my own without much quibble.

[@natecanavanar4696]

If you're looking for movies that cross the divide between SF & sports, there's Rollerball and Salute of the Jugger/Blood of Heroes. The SOTJ cut is much better, BTW.

[@kasperager2050]

"I never hurt anyone for any reason other than sticking a dog's skull on a stake"

[@natecanavanar4696]

@@kasperager2050 I really do love that movie. It's one that I originally liked for the action scenes, but as time went on I've found the whole thing really well done.

[@Daimondz1239]

On brand that the episode about sports has a sudden tangent about the Great American novel in the middle.

[@benolsen3904]

The summary of every Intentionally Blank ever: "In this episode, Brandon and Dan intend to talk about but get sidetracked by ."

[@McCainenl]

one major reason why it's so enjoyable. It doesn't feel so scripted

[@petergates2942]

Somewhat ironically, the episode where they most stayed on the intended topic (Hugh Jackman) was the episode where they kept pretending to go on tangents...

[@TheLordofMetroids]

Thought about a fantasy books about sports, would Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter (the first book in The Burning) count as a book about a sport? It's technically a book about a horrific bloodsport. Also to that note The Hunger Games.

[@sadee4175]

If the sport that is mentioned in The lost Metal does not show up as more developed in Era 3 I will be kind of sad

[@ethansexton2590]

See, this is why I’m trying to get my fantasy sports novel published. There’s not enough!

[@Kestrel-lp8ho]

Split Infinity is about sports! Also a Vance book, maybe Dying Earth

[@weavelcow9596]

The thing that this episode taught me is how different sports are in the US. I was just wondering what the soccer team in the states think. Because it seems like a lot of the sports I hear about over there are very unique to that culture, and because of that I've not really heard much about the more globalised sports from Americans.

[@alexm-e4910]

Speaking as a Canadian, where nothing except the NHL really radicalized people, when I went to watch a friend play football at Penn State, I was in awe of the craziness. Like, holy cow are American universities insane! And I went to Queen’s! (One of Canada two big “cult-like” schools)

[@robertdullnig3625]

America is so large and regionalized I think it is hard to say there is a Great American Novel. There are definitely great New England novels, great Southern novels (The Sound and the Fury), etc. The closest thing I think might be something by Vonnegut such as Slaughterhouse-Five or Breakfast of Champions.

[@jaredpoulter6762]

We didn't qualify for world cup in 2018. It is embarrassing given the size of our population and the amount of money we have to spend on the programs compared to the other countries in the Americas that we are competing with to qualify.

[@tonkabeanicecream5698]

Isnt that because the US so heavily focuses on its other sports such as American football, Basketball and Baseball?

[@Twisted_Logic]

I've never been a "sportsball" guy, so to speak, but I'll always go to a game if invited. Especially baseball. Watching sports in a stadium just has a vibe to it that's hard to replicate. It's also not like I don't follow sports at all. I keep track of the FGC, after all, which is basically the same thing.

[@DampeS8N]

Usually, the list of Great American Novels is very white and male. So here's mine: 1) The Color Purple - Alice Walker 2) Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston 3) A Raisin in the Sun - Lorraine Hansberry 4) The Wedding - Dorothy West 5) Kindred or Dawn or Parable of the Sower - something by Octavia E. Butler

[@kaimcdragonfist4803]

Right outta the gate Brandon talking about something horrifying. I dig it. Odd how the country that believes in fan death also had portable gas space heaters Thankfully when *I* was in Korea in 2011-2012, we had electric space heaters that were supposed to work in tandem with the heated floors. They often DIDN'T because Korean apartments don't seem to have insulation, but it's the thought that counts.

[@primeoetzand]

Ooh, it’s the big one next week, I wonder what if anything they got planned for it!

[@jpdixon]

The Rhythmatist mentioned 🎉😀

[@IanGilmore]

If you're looking for SF sports stories, the best one I know is Scott Sigler's Galactic Football League series. I think you can find a free podcast version of the first book, The Rookie.

[@GrahamBradley]

The great American novelist is Louis L'Amour, and thus the great American novel is LAST OF THE BREED.

[@hackermans]

I would like to mention another Great American Novel -- both in the sense of a book about America and its author being American -- Middle Passage by Charles R. Johnson.

[@tylermanning8582]

As a huge fantasy/video game nerd who is also obsessed with sports I hate how dismissive the communities are of each other. They appeal to the same parts of my brain but all of my friends are in one realm and think the other is stupid. Also I would love to be in a stratamatic baseball league with Dan.

[@kairutk]

I am honostly supprised grapes of wrath wasn't mentioned.

[@devonwilliams9576]

This whole episode was made just for me lmao. Huge futbol nerd (but i really only follow some European leagues), amd i did AFROTC at BYU, and i played trumpet haha

[@ceruleanscole8271]

We need an opening food heist to one of these podcasts

[@nathaniel2007]

I feel like I kind of bridge the gap in nerdoms. I played football through college and I love fantasy games, shows, movies, and books. Football was my social passtime, because I made a lot of friends playing it, but fantasy franchises and stories where something I usually enjoyed alone or among internet communities. However, I will say, the older I get the more I find many of my football friends have interest in the same games, shows, movies, and books, we just never talked about it.

[@MasterRahl221]

As an NFL fan and massive nerd, I completely agree.

[@DisneyBatchman]

I agree, a pulp fiction title needs to be on the list. But though I do greatly enjoy Asimov, I have to put my vote for the pulp category to E.E. Doc Smith's Galactic Patrol (or possibly Gray Lensman). Just a wee bit more enjoyable to me.

[@TheLordofMetroids]

Huck Finn Great Gatsby To Kill a Mockingbird Moby Dick Of Mice and Men My top 5 "great American novel candidates." Favorite novels: The Stranger Hogfather (my favorite Diskworld really changes all the time but I have to have one on here) No Country For Old Men Lord of the Rings (this might be cheating but really it's all one book) Huck Finn H.M: Maus, Berserk and Watchmen. Not novels so can't count but I love them more than most of the list. Way of kings. Love the book but it didn't influence how I grew up as much as the rest of the list. Man, when I think about it, my reading list is pretty messed up.

[@andrewshaw1706]

Yes! Steinbeck was massively missing from best American novel discussion. I would go with East of Eden, but will accept mice and men :)

[@BrodieHodges]

The Blood of Heroes starring Rutger Hauer is an excellent post-apocalyptic sports movie.

[@Duiker36]

So, one of the notable things about American Gods is that Gaiman wrote it as a result of his experience of *moving to America*. I think that's surprisingly relevant to a Great American Novel question, even if he wasn't born here, since the immigrant experience is kind of a big part of Americanness. Also kinda surprised at zero love for Steinbeck, since his books usually come up in these conversations.

[@MedinaManor]

I personally thing To Kill a Mockingbird is the Great American Novel

[@BigOleMatty]

Moneyball is great movie for nerds to get into baseball tbh

[@Machtyn]

I've been to more Major League baseball games than I have any other major professional sports league's games. What's weird about that is that I don't even like baseball all that much. I finally got to see the Jazz with Donovan Mitchell. But no football, no NHL. But that's what happens when you grow up and live in a college town. I have been to a ton of my college's basketball and football games, a number of their hockey games, a volleyball game and a few baseball games. I tend to like playing the games / sports rather than watch them, unless I'm analyzing the play, strategy, etc.

[@dougsundseth6904]

Wyoming's biggest rival is CSU. But there is (or was when I was there) a huge rivalry with BYU as well. To be fair, this was during the time that BYU had Danny Ainge and Wyo had Bill Garnett (3rd overall NBA pick in 1982). Both teams were in the WAC then, as was Utah, and BYU was the perennial champion, so the natural target for rivalries. This is not unrelated to the way that every decent football team in the Big 10 wants to beat Ohio State, but Ohio State/Michigan is the biggest rivalry for both teams, even when Michigan isn't very good.

[@danielkirienko1701]

The WAC days were great. Watching Hawaii player sucking oxygen at 7200 feet was priceless.

[@jonathankey1533]

MMA is such a great sport for storytelling. Israel Adesanya just defeated Alex Peireira…but the story behind all of that has been wild

[@jamcdonald120]

34:00 Unscene Academicals, its a play on real life Academical athletes

[@TheAmyrlinSeat]

if lift doesn't do a food heist in Stormlight 5, I'm getting a refund

[@Mahoneyyay]

Ep 100 next week crazy

[@kbrink21]

"Fantasy football still counts as fantasy" - dn'd Greg

[@martamae1258]

I know this is late. However, Galactic Football League by Scott Sigler is a good foot ball scifi series.

[@llauram3650]

In Ireland "Gee" is slang for um, vagina. The start of this conversation has me laughing 😅

[@monsierlemaire8282]

Hilarious hearing you two trying to talk sports

[@JimCullen]

Wait, you didn’t have ondol heating in Korea? I thought it was pretty ubiquitous from my experience when I lived there.

[@kaimcdragonfist4803]

It depends on the apartment. When I was there on my mission in 2011-2012, a few of my apartments didn't. Which is a shame because ondol heating is such a cool idea that I wish was more common in the rest of the world.

[@jonathankey1533]

When you guys verbally make lists can you put them in the description?

[@sevcoyote4730]

Do you happen to know who that historian was who spoke on A Knight's Tale, or what channel the video was on?

[@michaelvcelentano]

Would you ever be willing to took at American opera as a medium, especially setting of American novels, like Moby Dick (Heggie), It’s a Wonderful Life (Heggie), Of Mice and Men (Floyd), Dead Man Walking (Heggie), The Shining (Moravec), Dolores Claiborne (Picker), Handmaid’s Tale (Ruders), the list goes on!

[@monkpato]

Unseen Academicals is great!

[@calebmauer1751]

And I'm sure Unseen Alchemicals is good too, since that's what Brandon said. Must be a secret unreleased sequel that Neil Gaiman gave to Brandon.

[@QazwerDave]

The best American soccer players don't play in the U.S., and qualifying from N. America isn't as hard as other places !!

[@crylorenzo]

I wonder if Dan has ever played Golf Story - his Baseball idea sounds reminiscent of that.

[@danwells9305]

I have not, but I’ll look it up

[@kaimcdragonfist4803]

@@danwells9305it’s gooooooooooooood

[@danielkirienko1701]

As an alumn from University of Wyoming, we cared a lot more about Colorado State and the Border War. In part this was because BYU usually smacked us too badly to consider it an actual rivalry.

[@BoMwarriorVlog]

🙏 Please update the Intentionally Blank playlist here on KZbin. It's missing a lot of videos, even sporadically.

[@fifth_noble8022]

What defines The Great American novel? Just a great novel written by an American? Or is there date stipulations, topical elements?

[@McCainenl]

I've even been to an MLS game as a European (Philly Union). It was very funny how different it is from the European experience. For one, the public is very... genteel and well-behaved, haha

[@CHIIIEEEEEEEEFFFFSSS]

If you've ever doubted this thesis, check out Stump the Schwab. If I had to pick the biggest nerd I've ever seen, I'd probably pick him. But his fascination isn't comics or fantasy or sci fi. It's sports.

[@shuamullikin]

SciFi/Fantasy sports stories: Scott Sigler's GFL series is about space football

[@JoshTruff]

The lack of Hockey mentioned makes my Canadian heart break.

[@OriginalAdMan]

The fact that Dan feels sad about his favorite list not including more people with certain immutable characteristics, makes me sad.

[@CalebMPowers]

There actually is a dice-based baseball game called Deadball! Not quite an RPG, but still dice-based simulationist stuff.

[@KHMakerD]

How appropriate for this to drop on NFL Draft Day.

[@danwells9305]

100% accidental :)