What do the NFL, brain damage, and fart tracking have in common?

More than you’d think.

In this episode of Social Rounds, Frances Mei Hardin and Tony Chin-Quee are joined again by writer and comedian Joel Walkowski to break down two wildly different, but oddly connected, stories: the long-term consequences of head trauma in contact sports, and the surprisingly scientific world of human flatulence.

From new research on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) to the cultural machine behind football, this conversation dives into the cost of entertainment, masculinity, and systems that produce “broken bodies” for spectacle.

Then, in a sharp left turn: wearable “fart sensors,” digestion data, and what it reveals about the human body—and relationships.

This episode covers:

• New research on brain injury in football and combat sports
• The cultural and class dynamics behind the NFL
• Why harmful systems persist despite known risks
• What CTE actually does to the brain
• The science behind flatulence (yes, really)
• Relationship dynamics: how “comfortable” is too comfortable?

It’s medicine, culture, and chaos—exactly as intended.

Hosted by:

Tony Chin-Quee: @wheyouat

Frances Mei Hardin: @francesmeimd

Guest: Joel Walkowski

Connect with Joel: @joelwalkowski

Find his book, Honolulu Blues, available for pre-order now: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Honolulu-Blues/Joel-Walkowski/9781637749043

Produced by: The Hippocratic Collective