Host: Welcome back to Podcast Junkie. Today, I will be interviewing Will Penoncello, listener of Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc. Will, would you care to introduce yourself?
Me: Hello, I’m Will Penoncello. I’m a fourth-year undergraduate at the University of Georgia studying English, and I am thrilled to be here today!
Host: Well, we are glad to have you. Will, could you tell us why you decided to listen to this podcast? What initially drew you to it and caught your attention?
Me: Well, I was aware of the Aaron Hernandez tragedy before I listened to the podcast, but I was unfamiliar with the intricate details of his case and the implications that his story had on football moving forward. My dad grew up in Barkhamsted, Connecticut, not far from Hernandez’s hometown of Bristol, so I would hear my dad’s family talk about him all the time. He was a big name. Also, both playing and watching football was a big part of my childhood. I knew about Urban Meyer’s Florida Gators of the 2000’s. I knew they had some great college players, most notably Tim Tebow, and that despite their success, many players who played under Urban Meyer faced legal issues. And, of course, I was curious to learn about Hernandez’s role with the New England Patriots – the most successful program in NFL history. I guess, this was a topic I was familiar with, and I wanted to learn more about it.
Host: What additional information did you learn about Aaron Hernandez?
Me: When I thought of Aaron Hernandez before listening to the podcast, I normally thought of him as a mentally unstable murderer…and he was. But this podcast did an excellent job of explaining why Hernandez turned out the way he did. I learned that he had an unstable childhood which contributed to his emotional state. Also, it was interesting to see how Hernandez’s success on the football field was able to disguise his actions. He rarely faced any consequences, and it particularly makes me lose even more respect for a coach like Urban Meyer who would overlook the crime that was occurring in his program. Also, the last episode of the podcast did an excellent job of explaining the health risks involved in football. Professionals studied Hernandez’s brain after his death and discovered tremendous inflammation and damage. It is not known whether these brain injuries contributed to Hernandez’s actions, but now, speculation over football safety is moving further into the spotlight, as it should.
Host: If you could change or add anything to the podcast, what would it be?
Me: Overall, I thought every section of the podcast did a great job of painting a large picture of Aaron Hernandez. I appreciated the implementation of real audio, and I thought every interview contributed something new to the story. The one thing that I would personally change if I could (and this is only because I am a football fan) is to incorporate interviews with Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and Bill Belichick. Some of Hernandez’s teammates were interviewed, and all these people were mentioned in the podcast, but I would have been interested to learn about their personal interaction with Hernandez.
Host: Why is it important that people hear the story of Aaron Hernandez?
Me: This story is important because it addresses various issues which inhabit modern society, one of those issues being mental health. This story explains the life of a man who needed serious help but never found any. This was mostly a result of his celebrity status. As a society, we need to be mindful of the people around us who are facing these issues, even celebrities who we often perceive as larger than life. Also, it exposes us to the result of an entertainment culture that is upheld at the expense of human health and wellbeing. Sure, football is one of the most popular sources of entertainment in the US, but after hearing a story like the one of Aaron Hernandez, we realize that we should perceive the players of the sport as real humans rather than depersonalizing them.
Host: Will, thank you for joining us today to talk about this podcast. It was nice talking to you, and to our guests, thank you for listening to Podcast Junkie. Until next time, this is your host signing off.