It's the Brian Lairer Show on WNYC.

Welcome back, everybody.

I'm Kusha Navadar.

I'm keeping the seat warm for Brian today.

The Olympics are in full swing. And if you're like me, you've

got sports on your minds. Okay, actually, if you're really like me, you're streaming every

Olympic game over the weekend and you're watching it while you're folding laundry, but you can

pretend that your socks are the shot put. Am I the only one out there? What can we say? The Olympics

are in full

swing, full craze, and in fact that craze might even ignite hidden desires in us, not just to

watch, but to start playing a new sport. Many people, especially older folks, worry that the time for

new athletic endeavors has passed. But as someone who is just now

figuring out how to shoot a basketball, I'm here to reassure you it's never too late.

Although kids are encouraged to experiment with different sports and incorporate sports into

their lives, it's more rare for adults to participate in organized athletics. And we're

joined now by Ali Volpe,

a senior reporter for Vox. Her piece inspired by the Olympics, you can become an athlete at any

age, offers a bunch of tips for adults hoping to build sports into their lives.

Ali, hi, welcome back to WNYC. It's so nice to talk to you again.

Likewise, thanks so much for having me.

Absolutely. And listeners, have the Olympics inspired you to start playing a sport?

Or have you started playing a sport later in life? What was your experience? What benefits have you experienced?

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