Jack Vita Show: Sports | MLB | Baseball | NFL | College Football | NCAA Basketball | NBA | Faith
Join published journalist and sports reporter Jack Vita each week for an in-depth breakdown of the latest news from the world of sports, featuring thoughtful analysis and exclusive interviews with athletes, coaches, executives and media members. Jack interviews athletes that provide a peak behind the curtain and a look at the daily life of a professional athlete. They also discuss life off-the-field and other various topics, including faith. Prominent guests include Brian Urlacher, Bob Nightengale, Jim Callis and Dan O’Dowd. This is the podcast feed for all sports content on the Jack Vita Show. For Jack’s entertainment and reality TV coverage, subscribe to Jack Vita Show: Entertainment, available wherever podcasts are found.
Episodes

Thursday Aug 18, 2022
Thursday Aug 18, 2022
A pair of Survivor legends, Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick (Survivor: Palau, Survivor: Guatemala, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains) and Cirie Fields (Survivor: Panama, Survivor: Micronesia, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Survivor: Game Changers) visit the Jack Vita Show to reflect on their time on Survivor, and discuss their latest endeavor: USA Network's Snake in the Grass.
Stephenie and Cirie reflect on their time on the doomed Heroes' tribe. Why couldn't the Heroes get it together, and why did both Stephenie and Cirie exit the game so early? Find out some behind-the-scenes information about the dynamics of the Heroes' tribe, Stephenie and Cirie's time at Ponderosa (and pre-jury trip), how Survivor has changed over the years, what Stephenie and Cirie would change about modern Survivor, and much more!
Later, they preview and discuss their new show, Snake in the Grass, with their episode airing on Monday, August 29 at 11pm ET. They will also be teamed up with Big Brother stars Janelle Pierzina and Rachel Reilly! Find out about how this opportunity came about, how these two Survivor greats prepared for their return to reality television, and what we can expect from their upcoming episode! Get ready to laugh, because it's a hilarious edition of the Jack Vita Show you will not want to miss!
You can follow Stephenie (@steph_lagrossa_kendrick) and Cirie Fields (@cirie_fields) on Instagram, and don't miss their upcoming episode of Snake in the Grass!

Monday Jul 18, 2022
Monday Jul 18, 2022
Baseball fan Tabitha Bingham visits the Jack Vita Show for a mid-season checkup. She and Jack assess the 2022 MLB All-Star rosters and discuss who the biggest snubs were, then they do a Home Run Derby draft, making their selections for Monday night's Home Run Derby. After that, they share their mid-season awards winners for AL and NL MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year. Tabitha is a lifelong Cubs fan; she and Jack talk Cubs and who they expect the lovable losers to trade before the deadline. They also take a look at where teams stack up at the halfway point, which teams might be selling and which teams might be buying at the deadline and which teams they would buy stock in entering the second half.

Thursday Jul 14, 2022
Thursday Jul 14, 2022
Survivor legend, reality television icon, decorated soccer coach, musician, orchestra conductor and renaissance man Coach Benjamin Wade visits the Jack Vita Show. Coach discusses his time and experiences on Survivor: Tocantins, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, and Survivor: South Pacific, his life outside of Survivor, how young people can improve their lives and find meaning, coaching soccer and leadership, his faith, his upcoming projects, and more. Coach shares some juicy information from Heroes vs. Villains and South Pacific that didn't make the air, and enlightens us with plenty of philosophy and wisdom along the way! Coach has retired from podcasts, so this is a rare interview!
Check out Coach's YouTube channel, Twitter (@the_real_coach), Instagram (@dragonslayercoach) and coaching lessons coming to mintted!
Our apologies as Jack experienced some microphone problems in this episode, so the audio quality isn't up to this show's standards. We'll do better in the future.

Saturday Jul 02, 2022
Saturday Jul 02, 2022
Minor league baseball wife, former 'The Real World: Portland' cast member, and four-time Challenger (on MTV's 'The Challenge') Jessica McCain France visits the Jack Vita Show for an in-depth conversation covering a wide variety of topics.
Jessica's husband, J.P. France, is a AAA pitcher in the Houston Astros' farm system. J.P. was recently named the Sugar Land Space Cowboys' player of the month for the month of June. Jessica tells the story of how she and J.P. met, and shares about their journey together through the minor league system. She gives a peak behind the curtain of the life of a minor league baseball player and his family, and answers age-long the question, "Is Bull Durham an accurate depiction of minor league life?"
She also reflects on her experience on The Real World and The Challenge (The Challenge: Rivals II, The Challenge: Free Agents, The Challenge: Battle of the Exes II, and The Challenge: Rivals III), answering a number of behind-the-scenes questions about both shows. Since competing on her final season, Jessica has met her husband, gotten married, moved several times and is now pregnant with her first child. Jessica catches us up on her life and tells the powerful story of her miraculous pregnancy, and how God showed up in her time of need. Jessica and Jack have a very real conversation about life and faith, that you will not want to miss!
The life of a minor league baseball wife (0:00 — 20:05)
The Real World: Portland and The Challenge (20:05 — 1:11:55)
Jessica's pregnancy, testimony and Christian faith (1:11:55 — END)

Tuesday Jun 28, 2022
2022 MLB All-Star Picks, Bryce Harper OUT, Mariners-Angels Brawl
Tuesday Jun 28, 2022
Tuesday Jun 28, 2022
Chad Vautherine returns to the Jack Vita Show to share his MLB All-Star selections with Jack. Jack and Chad debate over many positions, while Jack shares his picks as well. But first, Chad and Jack discuss Bryce Harper's thumb injury and how it will impact the Phillies' playoff hopes this season, a crazy brawl between the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Seattle Mariners from the weekend, and Ole Miss winning its first college baseball national championship. Make sure to cast your votes for the All-Star Game before phase one of the voting closes Thursday!
Jack was without his usual microphone for this episode, so our apologies in advance for the audio quality. We'll do better next time.

Tuesday Jun 21, 2022
Tuesday Jun 21, 2022
USA Today veteran baseball writer Bob Nightengale visits the Jack Vita Show to discuss the latest from the world of baseball, and answer the question, should there be a category for utility players on the MLB All-Star ballot, as Buck Showalter suggested over the weekend? Bob and Jack discuss whether adding a utility man column to the ballot would make sense. Bob also adds what he would change about the All-Star Game. Should we be making a bigger deal of Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina's farewell tours? Was Bob surprised by the firings of Joe Girardi and Joe Maddon, and which manager could be out next? Is Tony La Russa's job safe? Bob and Jack discuss the importance of defense. Should we buy stock in the red-hot Cleveland Guardians? Which player in Major League Baseball currently has THE MOST trade value? Bob and Jack run through some names. They also discuss the current state of the Cubs and White Sox, and the Dodgers' injuries piling up, and some early thoughts on what kind of moves we could see at the trade deadline.

Saturday May 21, 2022
Saturday May 21, 2022
7-year Major League Baseball outfielder and Northwestern and New Trier product Michael Huff visits the show to reflect on his big league career and break down the latest news from around the league. Michael discusses his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox and Toronto Blue Jays, telling stories from his playing days and reliving some of his favorite experiences from 90s MLB - such as his first big league at bat (vs. Tom Glavine), playing on the 1993 AL West Division champion White Sox and leading the White Sox's team chapels, being in a Bible study with Blue Jays' teammates Paul Molitor, Joe Carter and John Olerude in Toronto, getting picked up by the Cleveland Indians (and receiving a call from assistant general manager Dan O'Dowd), training Michael Jordan and much more! Later, Michael and Jack discuss the White Sox's early season struggles (standing at 19-20 on May 21) and what needs to happen in order for them to win the AL Central for the second straight year, MLB's lowest home run per 9-inning rate since 2015, the league's lowest K/9 rate since 2018, and a return to "old school" contact-first baseball. They also discuss how the pitch clock is making a difference in minor league baseball and how it could improve (or worsen) the game at the Major League Baseball level next year. Michael and Jack take a look at the standings as of May 21, and assess where teams stand right now. How many teams are in true contention right now?Check out Michael's work as the director of youth baseball with the Chicago White Sox and find out how to get involved at whitesox.com/play.

Monday May 09, 2022
Monday May 09, 2022
NFL Hall of Fame linebacker and Chicago Bears great Brian Urlacher visits the Jack Vita Show to reflect on his 13-year Hall of Fame career with the Bears, and take a trip down memory lane. Brian shares his pick for best Bears quarterback of the new millennium, shares stories from playing on one of the greatest defenses of all-time, and shares his thoughts on the franchise now, the modern NFL and modern college football. Brian answers a wide variety of questions submitted by the listeners. He talks playing for Lovie Smith, living in Chicago, retirement, autograph signings, Jack's idea to get Brian on an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, his interactions with Chicago-born celebrities, where the Bears have gone wrong, his love for movies and TV shows, and much more!