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The Long Game

The Long Game

Written by: Nathan Pali
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About this listen

The Long Game is a leadership and sports podcast about how the greatest coaches, teams, and organizations built success that lasted.

Championships are won in moments. Dynasties are built over years.

This podcast studies elite coaching, leadership through sports, and the long-term systems behind sustained excellence. Each episode explores a legendary coach, team, or program from across football, basketball, baseball, soccer, hockey, and beyond, blending sports history, biography, and leadership analysis to uncover how the best leaders thought in decades, not seasons.

You’ll learn:

  • How great coaches built long-term systems
  • How culture created consistency across generations
  • How leaders developed talent instead of chasing shortcuts
  • How patience and discipline shaped dynasties
  • How innovation evolved over time
  • How leaders handled setbacks, rebuilding, and transitions
  • How sustained excellence is actually built

This isn’t a highlight show or a podcast about quick wins. It’s a story-driven guide to long-term leadership, coaching philosophy, organizational culture, and understanding how the best leaders in history played — and won — the long game.

If you’re interested in leadership, sports leadership, coaching philosophy, team culture, organizational leadership, performance psychology, great coaches, and learning how enduring success is built over time — this podcast is for you.

The Long Game Because real success is never built overnight.

© 2026 The Long Game All rights reserved.
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Episodes
  • Barbara McClintock and the Dogma of Genetics
    Feb 20 2026

    In this episode, we explore the groundbreaking work of Barbara McClintock, who challenged the rigid dogma of genetics with her discovery of "jumping genes." We examine how her revolutionary findings were initially dismissed by the scientific establishment and how her persistence ultimately reshaped our understanding of the genome.

    Chapters

    00:00 The Beads-on-a-String Theory

    02:26 McClintock's Early Discoveries

    05:39 Dismissal by the Establishment

    09:49 Years of Isolation

    12:18 Vindicated by New Research

    15:23 Legacy and Lessons for Leaders

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    12 mins
  • Bill Bowerman's Coaching Philosophy and Nike's Origins
    Feb 16 2026
    In this episode, we explore the coaching philosophy of Bill Bowerman, legendary track coach and co-founder of Nike, examining how his experiences in life and war shaped his unique approach to athlete development. We unravel his groundbreaking strategies, from individualized training and injury prevention to his innovative shoe designs, and learn how his relentless pursuit of marginal improvement led to both athletic success and the creation of a global brand.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Bill Bowerman01:53 Shaped by Early Life and War03:37 Innovation in Coaching and Footwear09:51 Prefontaine, Olympics, and Legacy
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    10 mins
  • Dan Gable: The Pursuit of Absolute Dominance
    Feb 15 2026
    In this episode, we explore the coaching philosophy of legendary wrestling coach Dan Gable, examining how personal tragedy and a single competitive loss shaped his relentless pursuit of perfection. We also discuss how Gable's unyielding standards and focus on extreme preparation transformed the Iowa wrestling program into a national powerhouse.Chapters00:00 Gable’s Unyielding Standard01:57 Personal Loss and Redirection03:33 The Defining Loss of 197005:32 Coaching at Iowa: Escalation08:52 Overwhelming Opponents13:59 Trusting the System & Legacy
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    11 mins
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