How to Be a Double Unicorn, with John Urschel | Better in Person
He was thriving in the N.F.L., but then he decided to focus on mathematics — a subject he now teaches at M.I.T. John walks Stephen Dubner through the whole story, teaches him some blocking techniques, and explains why some infinities are bigger than others.
If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, you can watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts.
- Duration
- 32m
- Broadcast on
- 15 Sep 2026
- Audio Format
- other
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He was thriving in the N.F.L., but then he decided to focus on mathematics — a subject he now teaches at M.I.T. John walks Stephen Dubner through the whole story, teaches him some blocking techniques, and explains why some infinities are bigger than others.
If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, you can watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts.
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This episode of Better in Person is presented by Chat GPT. Put Chat GPT to work on your most ambitious ideas and projects. Download the new Chat GPT desktop app today. Hey there, it's Stephen Dubner. And this is a bonus episode that we are calling how to be a double unicorn. Comes from our new video talk show, which is called Better in Person. And the guest is John Urchle, a former NFL lineman who now teaches math at MIT. John is one of my very favorite people, and I think you will like him too. To watch this episode, go to the Freakonomics YouTube channel, or search for Better in Person on Apple Podcasts. The entire first season of the show has now been published, so go ahead, binge. As always, thanks for listening. So you'd never open a math book on the Ravens facility. No, never. And because you're busy doing football. This is Better in Person with Stephen Dubner and John Urchle. A lot of us spend our lives trying to find the one big thing we're really good at. John Urchle had a slightly different problem. He turned out to be world-class at two things, two very different things. Football and math. One path led to the NFL, the other to MIT. Eventually, he had to make a choice. I am the son of a pretty good college football player. Since you're dad. Yes, my dad. Who also became a thoracic surgeon? Yes, and not only did he become a thoracic surgeon, he, while in college, playing college football, was in medical school. Some of these universities have these programs where they really accelerate people to med school. You do two years and then straight into med school. He did exactly this. Where did he play football? University of Alberta. Oh. So he's Canadian. I'm Canadian. So my mom and dad have me. I was born in Canada. Yeah. They moved to Buffalo for my dad's work and then eventually my dad moves back to Canada. Got it. And you stay in Buffalo with your mom? I stay in Buffalo. But I would visit my dad all the time and you know, he's working as a thoracic surgeon. He's, you know, really busy person. He would pick me up. He would take me to the hospital. He would do his rounds. He would let me like look around on his computer. And then after he would do his rounds, he would take me to the local chapters.
Transcription truncated.
He was thriving in the N.F.L., but then he decided to focus on mathematics — a subject he now teaches at M.I.T. John walks Stephen Dubner through the whole story, teaches him some blocking techniques, and explains why some infinities are bigger than others.
If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, you can watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts.