The Punchline

2026-01-16 · 51 min · episode 676 · 16 entities

episode page audio

Asserted relationships

→ references A Guy Like Me book

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "The Punchline": https://simonandschuster.com/books/A-Guy-Like-Me/John-Scott/9781501159657
→ discusses Society & Culture concept

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Society & Culture
→ discusses Science concept

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Science
→ discusses History concept

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: History
→ discusses Documentary concept

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Documentary
→ hosted by WNYC Studios company

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed author/publisher: WNYC Studios
→ discusses Natural Sciences concept

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Natural Sciences
→ references droppingthegloves.com website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "The Punchline": https://droppingthegloves.com/

Entities found in this episode

concepts 10

mentioned Society & Culture concept

0.50

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Society & Culture
mentioned Science concept

0.50

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Science
mentioned History concept

0.50

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: History
mentioned Documentary concept

0.50

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Documentary
mentioned Natural Sciences concept

0.50

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Natural Sciences
discusses Society & Culture concept

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Society & Culture
discusses Science concept

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Science
discusses History concept

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: History
discusses Documentary concept

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Documentary
discusses Natural Sciences concept

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Natural Sciences

books 2

mentioned A Guy Like Me book

0.90

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "The Punchline": https://simonandschuster.com/books/A-Guy-Like-Me/John-Scott/9781501159657
references A Guy Like Me book

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "The Punchline": https://simonandschuster.com/books/A-Guy-Like-Me/John-Scott/9781501159657

companys 2

mentioned WNYC Studios company

0.70

evidence rules-v4
Feed author/publisher: WNYC Studios
hosted by WNYC Studios company

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed author/publisher: WNYC Studios

websites 2

mentioned droppingthegloves.com website

0.45

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "The Punchline": https://droppingthegloves.com/
references droppingthegloves.com website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "The Punchline": https://droppingthegloves.com/

Episode description as stored

This episode, first aired in 2019, brings you the story of John Scott, the professional hockey player that every fan loved to hate. A tough guy. A brawler. A goon. But when an impish pundit named Puck Daddy called on fans to vote for Scott to play alongside the world’s greatest players in the NHL All-Star Game, Scott found himself facing off against fans, commentators, and the powers that be. Was this the realization of Scott’s childhood dreams? Or a nightmarish prank gone too far? Today on Radiolab, a goof on a goon turns into a parable of the agony and the ecstasy of the internet, and democracy in the age of Boaty McBoatface. Special thanks to Larry Lynch and Morgan Springer. Check out John Scott's "Dropping the Gloves" podcast ( https://www.droppingthegloves.com/) and his book ( https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/A-Guy-Like-Me/John-Scott/9781501159657) "A Guy Like Me". EPISODE CREDITS: Reported by - Latif Nasser Produced by - Matt Kielty Original music and sound design contributed by - John Dryden, Thee Oh Sees, Weedeater and Bongzilla. Sign up for our newsletter!! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Signup (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab (https://members.radiolab.org/) today. Follow our show on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing radiolab@wnyc.org . Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Simons Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.