We're going out with a bang this season finale as we tackle a contentious (but fascinating) fandom: Bronies (adult male fans of My Little Pony)! What is it about the show, obstensibly for children, that draws in adults? Why does the fandom persist to this day? Why the controversy? That is it for this season! We will be back on April 21st starting off season 3 where we'll be talking about Doctor Who fandom with a special guest! Stay tuned! Want to see more awesome fandom content? [Become a Patron on Patreon!](http://patreon.com/thenickscast) Find more like this: [fanthropological.com](http://fanthropological.com) Find us on social media Twitter: [@thenickscast](http://twitter.com/thenickscast) Instagram: [@thenickscast](http://instagram.com/thenickscast) Facebook: [fb.com/thenickscast](http://fb.com/thenickscast) Youtube: [youtube.com/thenickscast](http://youtube.com/thenickscast) Email us about fandoms you want to hear about: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) Citations ["My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic"](http://fanlore.org/wiki/My_Little_Pony:_Friendship_is_Magic) ["My Little Pony: the Bronies who love them aren't who you think they are"](http://www.thespec.com/living-story/6773146-my-little-pony-the-bronies-who-love-them-aren-t-who-you-think-they-are/) [""Creating A Universe": Acceptance, Expression and Individuality Found in the U's Brony Group"](http://dailyutahchronicle.com/2017/01/24/creating-universe-acceptance-expression-individuality-found-us-brony-group/) ["Shifting Pink and Blue Syndrome"](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/shifting-pink-and-blue-syndrome_us_58bc9840e4b02eac8876d044) ["r/bronies - Why Do You Like My Little Pony?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/bronies/comments/17l2gl/why_do_you_like_my_little_pony/) ["r/mylittlepony - Why Do You Watch MLP:FiM?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/mylittlepony/comments/10rooj/why_do_you_watch_mlpfim/) ["r/mylittlepony - Does MLP Have an Exceptionally Creative Fan Culture? If so, why?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/mylittlepony/comments/34eemz/does_mlp_have_an_exceptionally_creative_fan/) ["My Little Pony: The Bronies Who Love Them Aren't Who You Think They Are"](http://www.thespec.com/living-story/6773146-my-little-pony-the-bronies-who-love-them-aren-t-who-you-think-they-are/) ["Who you surround yourself with is important"](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/who-you-surround-yourself-with-is-important_us_58c44fade4b070e55af9efad) ["My Little Pony - Wikipedia"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Little_Pony) ["5 Facts About Bronies, AKA The Adult Male Fans Of My Little Pony"](http://www.crushable.com/2014/04/29/entertainment/what-are-bronies-facts-my-little-pony-fans/) ["Brony Herd Census & State of the Herd Report"](http://herdcensus.com) ["Reddit: (serious) Bronies of Reddit, why do you like My Little Pony so much? What's the appeal? Is "Brony" derogatory to you?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1q2ovc/seriousbronies_of_reddit_why_do_you_like_my/cd8qn47/) ["Quora: Why do people hate Bronies?"](https://www.quora.com/Why-do-people-hate-Bronies) ["Bronies for Good"](http://broniesforgood.org/) ["5 Hated Groups That Are Going Out of Their Way to Be Awesome"](http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-hated-groups-that-are-going-out-their-way-to-be-awesome/) ["Bronies explained: The ...
[// Pregenerate link to episode ahead of time: - clicktotweet.com- sharelinkgenerator.com]: # This week, we're going to be... skiing and shooting targets? That's a real thing? In the Olympics?! ANYWAY, we're talking about fans about all the Olympics: Winter, Summer, Para- you name it! Next week, the cavalry's here! We'll be talking about fans... of Overwatch! ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** > The modern Olympic Games or Olympics ... are leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games are considered the world's foremost sports competition with more than 200 nations participating. The Olympic Games are held every four years, with the Summer and Winter Games alternating by occurring every four years but two years apart. > > Their creation was inspired by the ancient Olympic Games, which were held in Olympia, Greece, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894, leading to the first modern Games in Athens in 1896. ... > > The evolution of the Olympic Movement during the 20th and 21st centuries has resulted in several changes to the Olympic Games. Some of these adjustments include the creation of the Winter Olympic Games for ice and winter sports, the Paralympic Games for athletes with a disability, and the Youth Olympic Games for teenage athletes. The Deaflympics and Special Olympics are also endorsed by the IOC. The IOC has had to adapt to a variety of economic, political, and technological advancements. > > — [Wikipedia - Olympic Games](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Games) **Search Data:** As a fandom, [Olympics fandom appears _highly periodic_](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F05nd_), which is ...
Combined, we’ve been playing tabletop games (let’s admit it, mostly Dungeons and Dragons) for decades, but what is it about a game that takes it from a good one, to a great one? We try to answer the question “what makes a great tabletop experience?” (And the answer _isn’t_ everyone starting on time… though it should be!). We cover… * The lack of importance of verisimilitude * The importance of not know what to expect * The importance of exploration ...And more! ## Episode Outline **Topics:** Min-maxed characters don’t matter, verisimilitude doesn’t matter, the importance of not knowing what to expect, improv, subverting tropes, making the game your own, plot and narrative, exploration, creating a shared experience, wonderm supporting each other, creating opportunities to grow, not (always) winning… and consequences! ## Where can I get updates? If you want to follow us on social media, we’ve got you covered: * Facebook: [facebook.com/fanthropological](https://facebook.com/fanthropological) * Twitter: [@fanthropologic](https://twitter.com/fanthropologic) And of course, we can be found where all fine podcasts are found (e.g. [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/2IVp8MBIUyCqlKyZn79iHn), [Apple Podcasts](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fanthropological/id1163621210?mt=2), [Google Podcasts](https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cDovL2ZlZWRzLnBvZGlhbnQuY28vZmFudGhyb3BvbG9naWNhbC9yc3MueG1s)). Oh, and here at [fanthropological.com](https://fanthropological.com) ## What is Fanthropological? Every week, our podcast, Fanthropological, delivers about an hour of fandom-related "fanalysis" covering a different fandom every week and giving you hard data, history, special guests, and, of course, speculation! We cover topics spanning the gamut of anime, manga, comics, video games, comics, movies, books, television, and, in general, geek culture. ## Who are you? We are the Nickscast! Three products of late-80s / early-90s pop culture who love exploring fandom and everything geek … who also happen to have been best buddies since high school, and all happen to be named Nick. We started the Nickscast as a labour of love, and ...