Seemingly Unrelated Podcast

What if your favourite team mascot has roots in tragedy, racism, and a whole lot of anxiety? In this episode of Seemingly Unrelated, I'm joined by co-host Alicia Britt (www.aliciabrittpuppetry.co.uk) and returning guest Dr. Rianna Walcott (www.riannawalcott.com) as we pull back the curtain on the surprisingly murky history of sports mascots. We're talking expert analysis delivered with the irreverence and curiosity our listeners expect—and yes, there's plenty of laughter amidst the darkness. We trace the origins of collegiate athletics through the late 19th-century United States, unpacking how "Muscular Christianity" became a vehicle for management to channel student political protest energy into team sports. But here's where it gets complicated: we examine how anxieties around Black and Brown urbanization intersected with white supremacist ideology, and how "race suicide" fears shaped the very institutions that produce our beloved college teams today. 🎧 Want the full story? This is just a taste. Subscribe to our Patreon for the complete episode—including the stories you won't hear anywhere else about baseball's first mascots, the Michelin Man connection, and our infamous half-elephant/half-cactus debate. 👉 patreon.com/seeminglyunrelated Timecodes 00:00:45:19 - Introducing special co-hosts 00:01:40:01 - Mascots chat begins 00:03:37:11 - The term enters the English language via French opera 'La Mascotte' 00:05:00:00 - Official Mascot definition 00:05:26:23 - Muscular Christianity and taming college students 00:09:14:22 - Sports and 'race suicide' 00:14:46:05 - Why the West Indies National Cricket Team is so great 00:19:00:00 - Disabled Mascots and 'Philly Elmo' 00:22:53:07 - Outro 00:25:34:17 - AI Nuke #SportsMascots #HiddenHistory #SeeminglyUnrelated #PatreonExclusive #MuscularChristianity #CollegeAthletics #CulturalHistory #RaceSuicide #DrRiannaWalcott #AliciaBritt

A crossover with Dr. Chris Haswell on World Englishes, colonial legacies, and who owns the English language. 🔗 Find Lost in Citations at https://www.lostincitations.com/ What makes someone a "native" English speaker? According to Dr. Chris Haswell of Kyushu University and co-host of Lost in Citations, the answer is: nothing; the distinction doesn't hold up to scrutiny. In this crossover episode, Andrew sits down with Chris to unpack the field of World Englishes. They cover why a person from Rotherham and a person from New Orleans might be mutually unintelligible despite sharing a "first language," how Japan built an entire writing system just for foreign loanwords, and why the Thatcher-era codified a native/non-native dichotomy that linguists now reject as late-stage imperial thinking. Along the way: frog-giggin in Louisiana, the return diaspora of "anime" back into English, Scandinavian people who speak better English than the English, and why HTML5 might be a better metaphor for language evolution than any prescriptivist academy. This is a free preview of the conversation. The full episode including Chris's research on decolonializing English, language death, and YouTube as a living laboratory for World Englishes is available to Patreon supporters. 🎧 Subscribe to Seemingly Unrelated on your preferred podcast player 💸 Full episodes + 100+ hours of bonus content at patreon.com/seeminglyunrelated

In this season finale, Andrew, Alicia, and Naomi sit down to unpack everything Season 3 taught them—and where they stumbled along the way. From questioning whether school uniforms are sexist (spoiler: the Facebook comments section was wild) to admitting mistakes about Abrahamic faiths and gender assumptions, this is a rare podcast moment where the hosts reflect on their own blind spots. What did they actually learn about gender as a socially constructed concept? Why do binaries feel comfortable but fail us? And how does an Anglo-American lens limit even the most well-intentioned analysis of other cultures' gender norms? The conversation covers: The most surprising guest insights from across the season Where the hosts' own assumptions failed them (especially on religion) Reactions ranging from supportive listeners to angry Facebook commenters Why this season should be a jumping-off point, not a final word Hints at Season 4—and how listeners can help make it happen If you joined this season thinking you understood gender constructs, this episode challenges you to dig deeper. And if you're new to the show, consider this your invitation to listen with an open mind. Full interviews and bonus content available if you sign up here at Patreon.

In this groundbreaking sixth episode, we dismantle the rigid binaries that society tries to force onto human biology including the undeniable reality of intersex existence, proving once and for all that genitals are not determinants of sex or gender.

Dr. Andrew Johnstone and Alicia Britt examine the historical beginnings of separating sports by gender. This episode traces the fragility of men playing golf in the Victorian period, the emergence of Muscular Christianity and the impact that funding and perception have on athletic ability. Guests include journalist Janet Eagleson and Dr. Isaac Hoff from the University of Glasgow. Perilous windmills ahead as we dive in to the hot button issue of the moment whether women's sports are a biological necessity or just a social norm we've created in the last 100 or so years. Arriving for tee time this week is co-host Alicia Britt and returning guest Dr. Isaac Hoff as well as sports journalist and notable raconteur Janet Eagleson to sort out when exactly women's sports emerged and some other critical questions like: Are men's sports the default? How much impact does separation of men and women in the field of sports have on individual athletic ability? Were the fishwives of Musselburgh just really yoked from all that cleaning and filleting of fish? And most important of all: Is it wrong to be attracted to the image of Jesus on a crucifix? Try to get a hole in one for a free game as we give the role of mini-golf in the women's sports debate a whirl on Seemingly Unrelated. Bibliography: Conant, Robert Warren. The Manly Christ, a New View. With New York Public Library. Chicago ;, 1904. http://archive.org/details/manlychristnewvi00cona. Eschner, Kat. “The YMCA First Opened Gyms to Train Stronger Christians.” Smithsonian Magazine. Accessed June 21, 2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ymca-first-opened-gyms-train-stronger-christians-180967665/. “Five Facts Friday - The Old Course at St. Andrews.” October 23, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141023061114/https:/trugolf.com/news/st-andrews-old-course/. “Golf in Scotland 1457-1744 - National Library of Scotland.” Accessed June 21, 2026. https://digital.nls.uk/golf-in-scotland/. Hudson, David L., and David L. Hudson Jr. Women in Golf: The Players, the History, and the Future of the Sport. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2007. Lowerson, John. “Scottish Croquet: The English Golf Boom, 1880-1914.” History Today, April 30, 1983. https://www.historytoday.com/archive/scottish-croquet-english-golf-boom-1880-1914. R&A. “The Women’s Amateur Championship.” Accessed June 21, 2026. https://www.randa.org/en/championships/the-womens-amateur-championship. “‘Rational Recreation’ and the Law: The Transformation of Popular Urban Leisure in Victorian England.” McGill Law Journal, n.d. Accessed June 21, 2026. https://lawjournal.mcgill.ca/article/rational-recreation-and-the-law-the-transformation-of-popular-urban-leisure-in-victorian-england/. Sisters with Drive: Early Women Golf Coaches and Professionals | Playing Pasts. n.d. Accessed June 21, 2026. https://www.playingpasts.co.uk/articles/gender-and-sport/sisters-with-drive-early-women-golf-coaches-and-professionals/. Stark, James. “Fitness Gurus and ‘Muscular Christianity’: How Victorian Britain Anticipated Today’s Keep Fit Craze.” The Conversation, January 9, 2020. https://doi.org/10.64628/AB.cfx43h9nu. The Guardian (London, Greater London, England). “Article Clipped from The Guardian.” June 14, 1893. The New York Times. “MISS BISHOP WINS GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP; Defeats Mrs. Sanford in Final Match by 5 Up and 3 to Play. PLAYED ON MERION LINKS Winner Is from the Brooklawn Club of Bridgeport -- Large Gallery Sees Interesting Contest.” Archives. October 16, 1904. https://www.nytimes.com/1904/10/16/archives/miss-bishop-wins-golf-championship-defeats-mrs-sanford-in-final.html. Thévoz, Seth Alexander. “Petticoat Alley: London’s Forgotten Women’s Clubs.” History Today, May 2, 2024. https://www.historytoday.com/archive/history-matters/petticoat-alley-londons-forgotten-womens-clubs. “Title IX and Sex Discrimination | U.S. Department of Education.” Accessed June 21, 2026. http://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/civil-rights-laws/title-ix-and-sex-discrimination. Wrack, Suzanne. “How the FA Banned Women’s Football in 1921 and Tried to Justify It.” Football. The Guardian, June 13, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/jun/13/how-the-fa-banned-womens-football-in-1921-and-tried-to-justify-it.