Sign Stealing

In 1925, the world saw the birth of what just might be the greatest gadget in American History: the Brannock Device. The metal contraption transformed the way we measure feet forever, and more than a century after its invention…it has barely changed. Roman Mars and journalist Pau ... Show More

A simple cardboard box helped transform Finland into one of the best places in the world to raise a child. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.c ... Show More

In the early 1970s, Bruce Lee made nunchaku (nunchucks) cool — kids were building their own and buying them in record numbers. But the nunchucks craze coincided with something much bigger: the birth of a radical new Asian American identity. Roman Mars and historian Jeff Chang tra ... Show More

By 2017, the Houston Astros are one of the most dominant teams in Major League Baseball. But the team also takes sign stealing to new heights when they discover a unique – and illegal – way to signal those signs to batters in real time. But as the team mounts a World Series run, ... Show More

Following their 2017 World Series win, the Astros cannot escape rumors that they cheated. They aren’t the only team accused of illegally stealing signs, but they become the focal point after their victory and continued success in the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Finally, two reporters ... Show More

Rumors were already swirling about the Astros and sign-stealing when people on the inside tipped off reporter Evan Drellich with damning details of the scheme. What he and his colleague Ken Rosenthal published in The Athletic in 2019 rocked the baseball world and forced many peop ... Show More

As Jeff Luhnow and the Houston Astros work towards rebuilding the team, they hire veteran outfielder Carlos Beltran and bench coach Alex Cora to help guide their roster of younger, less experienced players. Both Beltran and Cora arrive in Houston with deep insights into the game, ... Show More

When Jeff Luhnow takes over as general manager of the Houston Astros in 2011, he promises owner Jim Crane he can do the seemingly impossible: propel the team from last place to the playoffs in just five years. But his win-at-all-costs attitude rubs many baseball insiders the wron ... Show More

On Friday, there was yet another development in the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal. The Wall Street Journal reports that the team used a powerful algorithm called "Codebreaker" to figure out their opponent's signs. How much did the sign-stealing scheme help the Astros on t ... Show More

Attention elegant, beautiful listeners, be warned! This week, we...I mean Mark & Tyler, are getting down and dirty by discussing *looks around* cheating and how to cheat in sports! Can you stomach it? How would/did Markiplier cheat!? What is up for an Emmy? No mysterious 5th base ... Show More

Major scandal in Barstool Chicago with cheating allegations running rampant from the dozen trivia show. Even so we stand together as a United front, especially when it comes to Jerry Reinsdorf and Tom Ricketts being absolute clowns. Other items include Blackhawks trade deadline, ... Show More