{"podcast":{"title":"Good Seats Still Available","slug":"good-seats-still-available-7112953","podcast_index_feed_id":7112953,"rss_url":"https://feeds.libsyn.com/94536/rss","website_url":"https://goodseatsstillavailable.com","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/b/4/1/6/b41635f05a074b29/GSSA_1400.jpg","author":"Tim Hanlon","episode_count":492,"summary":"\"Good Seats Still Available\" is a curious little podcast devoted to the exploration of what used-to-be in professional sports. Each week, host Tim Hanlon interviews former players, owners, broadcasters, beat reporters, and surprisingly famous \"super fans\" of teams and leagues that have come and gone - in an attempt to unearth some of the most wild and woolly moments in (often forgotten) sports history.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-13T08:17:26.986283+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/good-seats-still-available-7112953"},"episode":{"title":"453: The USFL's Memphis Showboats - With Keith Wood","slug":"453-the-usfl-s-memphis-showboats-with-keith-wood","published_at":"2026-07-13T02:02:13+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/good-seats-still-available-7112953/453-the-usfl-s-memphis-showboats-with-keith-wood","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/good-seats-still-available-7112953","url":"https://goodseatsstillavailable.libsyn.com/placeholder-391","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/secure/goodseatsstillavailable/GSSA_453.mp3?dest-id=480273","summary":"For generations, the city of Memphis chased something bigger than a winning football team. It chased major league status. When the USFL arrived in 1984, the Memphis Showboats became far more than a spring football franchise. For one unforgettable moment, they embodied a city's belief that it belonged on the biggest stage in professional sports. This week, Memphis sports historian and author Keith Wood returns to the show — this time to explore the remarkable story behind his new book \" The Memphis Showboats: The USFL Team & the City's Fight for Major League Status .\" Together, we trace the city's decades-long pursuit of professional football—from the World Football League's Memphis Southmen to the arrival of the USFL — and examine why the Showboats resonated so deeply with fans despite surviving only two unforgettable seasons. Along the way, we revisit the vision of David Dixon, the influence of John Bassett, the recruiting coup that landed Reggie White, the innovative football mind of Pepper Rodgers, the overlooked brilliance of quarterback Walter Lewis, and the leadership of Steve Ehrhart that transformed the Showboats into legitimate championship contenders. The Showboats lasted just two seasons. Their legend has lasted four decades. Join us as we celebrate one of the USFL's most beloved franchises — and the city that embraced it. + + + SUPPORT THE SHOW: Buy Us a Coffee : https://ko-fi.com/goodseatsstillavailable The \"Good Seats\" Store : http://tee.pub/lic/RdiDZzQeHSY BUY THE BOOK: \" T he Memphis Showboats: The USFL Team and the City's Fight for Major League Status \": https://amzn.to/4pfjaSV SPONSOR THANKS: Royal Retros (10% off promo code: SEATS ): https://www.royalretros.com/?ref=SEATS Old School Shirts.com (10% off promo code: GOODSEATS ): https://oldschoolshirts…","meta_description":"For generations, the city of Memphis chased something bigger than a winning football team. It chased major league status. When the USFL arrived in 1984, t…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":5564,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/good-seats-still-available-7112953/episodes/453-the-usfl-s-memphis-showboats-with-keith-wood/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/good-seats-still-available-7112953/453-the-usfl-s-memphis-showboats-with-keith-wood.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}