# James Haskell | “They Build You Up. Then They Crush You”: From Rugby to Reality (Ep136)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/business-of-sport-6416151/james-haskell-they-build-you-up-then-they-crush-you-from-rugby-to-reality-ep136
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/business-of-sport-6416151/james-haskell-they-build-you-up-then-they-crush-you-from-rugby-to-reality-ep136.md
Podcast: [Business of Sport](https://stenobird.com/podcast/business-of-sport-6416151)
Published: 2026-09-08T14:33:41+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/business-of-sport/episodes/James-Haskell--They-Build-You-Up--Then-They-Crush-You-From-Rugby-to-Reality-Ep136-e3ohfao
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/1090bf2d4/podcast/play/125401880/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-8-8%2F431448589-44100-2-d2d56fbcdf812.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/business-of-sport-6416151/episodes/james-haskell-they-build-you-up-then-they-crush-you-from-rugby-to-reality-ep136
Duration seconds: 5743

## Resource

Athlete stories and their journeys beyond sport are a big part of this show. James Haskell is one of the most famous rugby players of the last 20 years, and much of that fame comes from the character he presents and profile he has alongside rugby. As you would expect, there is no filter applied to this chat. This is the real James, who came in ready to talk about rugby and the broader state of the game, alongside his work in the media, music, public eye, and so on. The big question is, and it’s one that James brings up a few times, if you want to punch him in the face at the start of the chat, will you still want to do so at the end of it? I’ve seen a lot of his content and followed his career from the beginning; I think this is a genuine insight into who he is, how he operates, and how he has built a profile coming from a sport than can often discourage them. We’re delighted to welcome James to the Business of Sport A huge thank you to our amazing partners on the show: Airwallex The intelligent financial platform for global businesses ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.airwallex.com/uk/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Gemini We empower the most confident sports organisations on Earth ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://geminisports.ai/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you’re interested in partnering with the show, please reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bos@20vc.com⁠⁠

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## Transcript

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