Season 2, Episode 2: The Australian Open

They call it the Happy Slam, and there's probably nowhere in the world of sport where so many people could turn up and still maintain that well earned moniker than Melbourne. That almost unparalleled sporting city is now the permanent host of the once nomadic Australian Open, played in grand arenas named for legends of the sport in front of more spectators than anywhere else tennis goes.

We delve into the origins, venue and legendary (and in one case, controversial) players like Rod Laver, Margaret Court, Arthur Ashe, Monica Seles and more. There's even the standard diversion on the material make-up playing surface, because that's the level of excruciating detail we promise you at the Almanac.

It's a new season of tennis in 2026, in one of our favourite sporting settings with history and stories aplenty, so we're hoping to serve you up a treat to get you in the mood for the new year's action.

Season 2, Episode 1: The NFL Playoffs

Jack and Ben kick off 2026 with a preview and history of of the road to the Super Bowl, the NFL Playoffs. Fourteen teams, twelve matches across two conferences with the two conference champions meeting in Santa Clara next month - this is do or die football.

For anyone who watches the Super Bowl every year and wants to know how the teams get there, we have an explanation of that. For anyone who wants to hear some stories of frostbite and blocks or pure unadulterated miracles, we've got them too. And for anyone who wants to know who's who this year, what each teams strengths and weaknesses are, and who are the favourites and who are the Carolina Panthers, guess what? We've got that too.

This year's NFL has turned expectations on its head. The postseason starts with no Chiefs and no Ravens, the Patriots and Broncos as high seeds, the Houston Texans looking like they could make a Super Bowl and the Bills without Mahomes in their way, and that's just the AFC. This is much watch sport, and we've got everything you needs to understand why on this week's Almanac.

Good links from this episode:

The Snow Bowl winning touchdown - https://youtu.be/EX9ycGT6lLM?si=eJghESvZt2uOHesn

Matt Stafford mic'd up touchdown pass with a separated shoulder - https://youtube.com/shorts/hS9JIw9ywC8?si=6cx1TGiq84XpiQZJ

The Music City Miracle - https://youtu.be/FCJFmL4oxPE?si=xOPYGzPzIjbOn_Lp

Episode 38: The 2025 Sporting Almanac Awards and End-of-Year Review

After eight months, 37 and a half episodes and a surprising number of listeners (we cannot thank you enough), we bring the first season of the Sporting Almanac Podcast to a close in the most fun way we could think of - with an award show, nominees chosen by us, winners voted for by friends of the show and completely unknown to us until revealed during recording.

We discuss why we have chosen our nominees for best event, high and low moments, best team and coach, best sportsmen and women and finally, and most enjoyably of all, our most "prestigious" award, the Villain of the Year, awarded to the person who has most sullied the name of their sport and brought shame upon themselves and disgust to sporting fans everywhere.

Expect plenty of golf, women's football and rugby and F1 mentioned, alongside names like Rory McIlroy and Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Ellie Kildunne, Sarina Wiegman and Michael Maguire. All finished off with talking drug cheats, VAR, American golf fans and how to keep adult sized toddlers from having tantrums with shiny medals...

For everyone who has listened this year thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We can't wait to see what 2026 brings for us, for you and for the world of sport.