The Good Side of Sports Podcast

Host Brian Hartong interviews Johari Matthews, Executive Director of the Titans Foundation, about the team’s One Community platform and its work across Tennessee — including TC2 workforce training, affordable housing partnerships, the First and Goal small-business fund, and education and literacy programs.
The episode highlights player involvement, fundraising efforts, the new stadium’s dedicated community room (“the Huddle”), and measurable impact like millions in community grants and job placements for program graduates.

Former OSU star Maurice Clarett joins the podcast to recount his meteoric rise as a freshman running back, the iconic championship moment, and the personal struggles that followed. He discusses addiction, incarceration, and the role of therapy and reading in his recovery.
Clarett explains how the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary helped spark speaking work and led him to build the Red Zone and community housing programs that serve children, seniors, and returning citizens. He also describes reconnecting with Ohio State, his work on mental health, and his mission to give people hope and practical support.

Step into a world where Sundays are only the beginning. In this episode, Brian Hartong sits down with Brandon Parker of the NFLPA to trace the human stories behind helmets and headlines — players who quietly create joyful moments for kids, families and Special Olympics athletes.
Through anecdotes about Community MVPs, player camps, and partnerships that turn one-off acts into lasting change, the conversation unfolds like a road trip through hometowns and locker rooms. You’ll hear how a $10,000 donation, a virtual classroom visit, or a funded field day becomes a spark that can reshape a life — and why players keep doing it even when no one’s watching.

Listen in as we talk with Rebecca King, executive director of the Nashville Predators Foundation. We'll discuss the amazing programs they have including international trips with the @soles4souls organization. We will go into the great event they put on to help fund the foundation as well including Gnashvegas, clayshoot, a partnership golf outing with the Peterson Foundation for Parkinsons and many more. 

When the gates at State Farm Stadium opened, thousands poured in not for a game but for a promise: to climb, cheer, and stand together. This episode follows the birth of the Cardinals Climb — an inspired, stadium-spanning event that transformed stairs and concourses into trails of inclusion, where legends like Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald handed medals to athletes, families, and friends who finished side by side at the 50-yard line.Behind the music and medals is a mission: a newly focused Arizona Cardinals Foundation that funneled $2 million in year one back into the community, supporting cornerstone partners and dozens of smaller organizations. From sensory rooms and accessible trails to teams fundraising for their own causes, we trace how thoughtful design and big-hearted corporate partners turned a one-day event into a movement for people with disabilities.Listen to the stories of families, players, and organizers as they describe an emotional, celebratory day — a Super Bowl of belonging — and learn how a single ambitious idea became a blueprint for inclusive fundraising and lasting impact.

Hey — if you love baseball and good people, this episode is a warm reminder of how a team can do more than win games. We dive into the Reds Community Fund’s work: youth academies, field makeovers, the Miracle League, RBI programs, and those unforgettable moments that make this city feel like home.Come for the stories about Joe Morgan, the parade, and Marty Brenneman’s head-shaving fundraiser; stay for the heart behind the work and the players who show up time and again. It’s short, sweet, and full of hometown pride.