The time has once again come to break the rules: Only If You Get Caught is back for Season 2. If you listened to the first season, welcome back; if you didn't, you have six days to do so before the show returns on Sept. 15. You can listen to the trailer here.
OIYGC is a narrative podcast about breaking the rules, hosted by me, produced by Alex Sujong Laughlin, and created in partnership with our friends at Radiotopia. On each of this season's eight episodes we will tell the story of a different cheating scandal, though that's just the beginning. The overarching theory of the show is that every cheating story is a compressed way to understand the larger, often-hidden forces operating behind the scenes. Stories of people breaking the rules are interesting and enticing on their own merits, and they can also teach us about how the world works, how power is wielded, and who gets to make the decisions that matter.
Last season, we explored how the Lance Armstrong saga framed the anti-trans panic in sports, the ersatz game theory of cheating on The Bachelor, and how believing in refereeing conspiracies can be a form of emotional insulation. This season, we are excited to explore cheating stories from an even wider range of competitive frameworks. Questions asked include: Why did that guy steal all those books? Why do people cut the course on marathons for no appreciable benefit? Wasn't the Hand of God the coolest thing that ever happened? We're excited to bring on a bunch of cool, interesting guests this season, including Pablo Torre, Avery Trufelman, Reeves Wiedeman, and many more.
The first episode comes out next Tuesday, Sept. 15. Subscribe to the show and tell everyone you know about it. You can even watch the show on YouTube this season! See you next week.
