It's not always easy coming back from a major injury, especially when it's something as serious as an Achilles rupture.

In this episode of The Gametime Guru, Shane Larson sits down with Idaho MMA fighter Ariel Frantz to talk about her return to the cage after three surgeries and two years away from the sport. Ariel shares what fight week looks like, the mental and physical grind of cutting weight, how she approaches recovery, and what it takes to get back into competition after a devastating setback.

They also dive into Ariel's background as a Boise State softball player, the parallels between sports and life, balancing a full-time job while training, and the mindset needed to keep pushing forward in the fight game. This is a conversation about resilience, discipline, confidence, and chasing what you love even when the road gets hard.

If you're an athlete, a fight fan, or someone working to come back from adversity, this episode is for you.

In this episode of The Gametime Guru, Shane Larson sits down with Tiffany Deering to talk about one of the biggest challenges facing young athletes and their families today: the recruiting process.

Tiffany shares her journey from playing competitive softball in Southern California to becoming a national champion at the University of Michigan, and how that experience shaped the way she now helps families navigate recruiting. She explains how the process has changed over the years, why today's athletes often feel overwhelmed, and how APS Recruits was built to help simplify the chaos.

Shane and Tiffany also dive into the real pain points families face, including coach communication, social media pressure, highlight videos, camp planning, and the stress of trying to stay organized while still enjoying the sport. They discuss how APS Recruits helps athletes streamline outreach, track engagement, and stay proactive in building relationships with college programs. Tiffany also shares that families can learn more at apsrecruits.com.

This conversation is a valuable listen for softball players, parents, coaches, and anyone trying to better understand what it takes to navigate recruiting in today's sports world. One of the biggest messages from Tiffany is simple: start early, stay consistent, and don't let the process steal the joy of the game.

If you enjoy the episode, be sure to follow The Gametime Guru on your favorite podcast platform and share this with a softball family who could benefit from it.

What makes soccer more than just a sport?

In this episode of The Gametime Guru, I have the chance to chat with Franklin Foer, author of How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization, to explore how soccer reflects culture, identity, politics, religion, class, and globalization across the world. From the tribal nature of fandom to the deeper meaning behind clubs like Barcelona and Newcastle United, this conversation shows why soccer can reveal so much about the societies that surround it.

Franklin shares how his travels and research shaped the book, why soccer became the perfect lens for understanding the modern world, and how the game has evolved over the past two decades. Shane and Franklin also discuss why soccer fandom feels so different in other countries compared to the United States, how the sport is growing in America ahead of the 2026 World Cup, and what readers can learn from looking at sports through a wider cultural lens.

This episode covers:

• Why soccer helps explain globalization
• The connection between sports, identity, and tribalism
• The difference between American sports culture and global soccer culture
• When fandom creates community and when it can turn dark
• Why clubs can represent far more than just a game
• How soccer is growing in the United States ahead of the 2026 World Cup

If you are a fan of soccer, sports history, world culture, or the deeper meaning behind why people care so passionately about sports, this is an episode you will not want to miss.

Get Franklin Foer's book here:

https://www.amazon.com/How-Soccer-Explains-World-Globalization-ebook