Marc Sollinger
Appearances
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Football!
That was Tina Moore. Tina has shared stories on moth stages in Atlanta, Milwaukee, Santa Monica, and Houston. Her tales often center on her two dogs or beloved pets. She lives in Atlanta with her husband and two dogs, Dolly Waffles and Caesar. I asked Tina if she got more into football after the events of the story. Here's what she had to say.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Football!
That fantasy football season was my one and only, finishing in the top four, not too shabby for a rookie mom. From college kickoff, go Georgia Bulldogs, to the NFL's big game, football takes center stage in the Moore House. This past Christmas, the whole family gathered to watch the Georgia-Notre Dame championship game together.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Football!
Truth, I still have no idea what's really going on, but I can definitely talk a good game. Honestly, Tina, same. Quick fact before the break. If you're wondering why we're calling it The Big Game, it's because a certain football organization owns the rights to the more commonly used name, and we do not want to make them mad.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Football!
So if you ever see a bar ad for The Big Game or The Superb Owl, and you're thinking to yourself, why aren't they calling it what everyone calls it? Well, that's the reason. Stick around.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Football!
There are a lot of reasons that people watch the big game. And if you ever wanted to know what the staff of a storytelling nonprofit thought about American football's biggest night, well, here you go.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Football!
They're about family, growing up, and the things that are revealed by the games we play. First up is Dame Wilburn, who told this story when she hosted a main stage in Traverse City, Michigan. Here's Dame, live at the Moth.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Football!
We'd love to hear your football stories, or really any story you might want to share. Go to themoth.org slash pitchline to give a two-minute version, and we might air it on the Moth Radio Hour or call you back to develop the story further for one of our Moth main stages. That's themoth.org slash pitchline. For most of my life, I was never really a football person.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Football!
Outside of tennis, I was never much of a sports person in general. However, I did have a Pittsburgh Steelers helmet that I wore pretty much continuously from the ages of four to five.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Football!
Was it because I saw a Mr. Rogers episode about Lin Swan, the legendary Steelers receiver, performing ballet, and that somehow made me declare myself a huge football fan who would not let his mom take off his football helmet Even though I didn't actually understand the game of American football at all? Yes. Yes, it was.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Football!
But for one year, when I was very little, I was the biggest football fan in my hometown of Brussels, Belgium. Our next storyteller also had a connection with the Pittsburgh Steelers from a young age. Adam Botner told this at a Chicago Story Slam where the theme of the night was backwards. Here's Adam live at the Moth.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Football!
That was Adam Botner. Adam lives in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, and is a director of legal solutions for a technology company. While his favorite pastime these days is telling stories, he has also written several screenplays, the most recent being Searching for Frenchie Fuqua. For more info, check out our show notes. I asked Adam if he had any thoughts on this year's playoffs. Here's Adam.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Football!
The first playoff game I ever saw was December 23, 1972. The Steelers-Raiders immaculate reception game where Franco Harris miraculously grabbed the ball just before it hit the ground and ran 60 yards for a last-second touchdown to win the game. So, for me, that was a really high bar to set for playoff games ever since.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Football!
Very excited for the playoffs and the big game this year, but since the Steelers lost in the first round, I'm rooting for the last remaining Pittsburgh-like city, the Buffalo Bills, to win it all. Apparently, the storytellers in this episode are cursed because the Bills also did not make the big game.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Football!
Well, here's hoping that the Bills, and more importantly, the Steelers, have better luck next year. That's it for this episode. From all of us here at The Moth, we hope in your next big game, you score as many metaphorical touchdowns as possible.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Football!
Mark Sullinger is the podcast producer of The Moth, the co-creator of the audio drama Archive 81, and the science fiction concept album Generation Crossing. He's a lover of museums, baking bread, and he's also someone who feels very strange reading his own bio. This episode of the Moth Podcast was produced by Sarah Austin Janess, Sarah Jane Johnson, and me, Mark Sollinger.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Football!
The rest of the Moth leadership team includes Sarah Haberman, Christina Norman, Jennifer Hickson, Kate Tellers, Marina Cloutier, Suzanne Rust, Leanne Gulley, and Patricia Ureña. The Moth Podcast is presented by Odyssey. A special thanks to their executive producers, Jenna Weiss-Berman and Leah Reese Dennis. All Moth stories are true as remembered by their storytellers.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Football!
For more about our podcast, information on pitching your own story and everything else, go to our website, themoth.org.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Football!
Thank you. That was Dame Wilburn. Dame is a storyteller, Moth Mainstage host, and host of her own podcast, Dame's Eclectic Brain. Her storytelling began as a way of keeping cool in the summertime on her grandmother's porch in Macon, Georgia. Dame has also presented storytelling for the University of Iowa and UCLA. She lives in Detroit, Michigan.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Football!
While we were putting together this episode, the Lions were about to face off against the Commanders, and I was curious if Dame had any thoughts about the Lions' path to the big game. Here's what Dame had to say. My mother was the football watcher in my house. So, my mother and I would watch the Lions every year. She would scream at the TV and tell them all the plays they messed up.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Football!
She used to tell me that two things would never happen in her lifetime. One, there would never be a black president, and two, the Lions would never make the big game. My mom died in 2007, and the last thing we watched together was the big game. I have lived long enough to see a black president, and this year, I believe the Lions are going to the big game. I am living my mother's dream.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Football!
Unfortunately, in the next game, the Lions lost to the Commanders. But hopefully for Dame, they'll be back next year. Our next story is from Tina Moore, who told this at a Houston Story Slam where the theme of the night was control. Here's Tina, live at the Moth.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Football!
Welcome to the Moth Podcast. I'm Mark Solinger, and on this episode... Whether you watch the big game for the great plays, for the seven-layer nachos, for the funny ads, for the halftime performances, my personal favorite game was the one Beyoncé played at, football, like storytelling, brings people together. Because these three stories aren't just about football.