Podbit · New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Kelley O'Hara was cut from the US Women's National Team before her first World Cup, then called back after an injury. Coach Pia told her she'd come as a benchwarmer and training player — basically a cheerleader. O'Hara's response: 'Pia, say less.' She got 15 minutes of play that she calls the worst 15 minutes of her life.
Where this was said
At 46:30 · chapter starts 43:10
The personal stories here are the heart of the segment. Kelley O'Hara was cut from her first World Cup squad, then called back after an injury with a brutally honest brief: she was coming as a cheerleader and training player, no playing time promised. Her response? 'Pia, say less.' The 15 minutes she did play were, by her own description, the worst 15 minutes of her life. Alex Morgan's first-cap story is equally charming — she warmed up for 90 straight minutes at her debut in San Diego because the coach forgot she was there after subs ran out. The bigger conversation about whether the World Cup or Olympics means more leads both players to reflect on 1996 as the first time they remember seeing female athletes on TV. For women's soccer players of their generation, the Olympics came first in the imagination — the World Cup had only existed since 1991 [1] — Alex Morgan "US Women's World Cup started in 1991: Alex Morgan pointed out that the inaugural Women's World Cup was held in 1991, while the Men's World …" 49:52 .
Jason Kelce, dressed as George Washington at the World Cup opener in Kansas City, created the chant that America didn't know it needed: '13 stripes, 50 stars, we don't care who the f*** you are.' Alex Morgan and Kelley O'Hara endorsed it live on stage. The Orpheum Theater crowd nailed it on the first try.
Alex Morgan warmed up on the sideline for a full 90 minutes during her first national team game because the coach forgot to tell her to sit down after subs ran out.
Thomas's wife deferred her CrossFit career — she's in the global top 1% of athletes — to put him through law school debt-free. He wants her to chase the dream now; she wants the emergency fund and house down payment first. On a $200K lawyer income with no debt, the opportunity cost is just a few months of slower saving.
Underground calisthenics battles are exactly like UFC meets a rap battle — 150 people crowded around a circle, fighters walking out with masks and chains, nicknames like 'Extra Money' vs 'Calisthenics the Prince,' and people throwing money and betting. The battle set: 100 burpees, 50 muscle-ups, 75 dips, 75 squats with a 65-pound dumbbell. This is the next big spectator sport.
Rico Verhoeven controlled the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion for approximately 10 rounds — and had his appeal upheld when officials admitted the fight was stopped after the bell. The result was never overturned. Rogan calls it either incompetence or corruption, and argues the money behind Usyk made an upset politically inconvenient.
Rogan lays out a blunt case: boxing's 3-judge system is structurally broken, and the judges know who the promoter wants to win. Glory's 5-judge format is the right model. Corruption doesn't have to be conscious — just knowing Usyk is the cash cow is enough to tilt the scales.
With the Usyk-Wilder fight stalling and Fury-Joshua coming too late, the real fight the world wants is the rematch. Rico is a free agent. Usyk vacated his belts. The story is unfinished and both Rogan and Rico know it. His Excellency Turki Alasheikh already called for it ringside — the question is money.
Rico texted Jason Statham during the Canelo-Crawford fight. Statham showed Rico's highlight videos to promoters. Two days later, Rico was on a call about fighting Anthony Joshua. When Joshua pulled out, Rico pitched Usyk himself — Undisputed vs. Undisputed. Usyk said yes in two weeks. The whole thing started with one text.
Every heavyweight who faced Usyk tried to move to the right — straight into his power hand. Rico and Peter Fury identified the obvious solution: move left, away from the left hand, and smother him with size. It sounds simple. Nobody had done it. That one adjustment was the foundation of 10 dominant rounds.
MMA fans boo when fights go to the ground. They love stand-up. Kickboxing is pure stand-up. Yet it barely exists in America while boxing and MMA are enormous. Rogan's diagnosis: no promotion machine. If the UFC got behind kickboxing the way they've built MMA, it would explode. The talent is there — the storytelling machine is not.
A nation of 17 million people gave the world Ramon Deckers, Peter Aerts, Badr Hari, Melvin Manhoef, Rob Kamen, Ernesto Hoost, and Rico Verhoeven. Rico's theory: the country is so small that every gym shares knowledge freely. In the US, you need a flight. In Holland, you drive 40 minutes and spar the national champion.
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