The Mosquito Bowl

This is Extra Point: Fit Cult's weekly guide on what to watch, listen to and read in the world of fitness culture.

Watch

All or Nothing: Arsenal. This eight-episode docuseries follows north London football club, Arsenal as the team tries to get back into the top four of the Premiere League. The behind-the-scenes action offers an intimate portrait of life on and off the pitch and sets a solid pace for a rollercoaster season. All or Nothing: Arsenal is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

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The Happiness Lab. What leads to a happier life? More money? A better job? Dr. Laurie Santos says neither in this podcast on the science of happiness. Based on the psychology course she teaches at Yale, which is the most popular class in the university’s history, Santos’ podcast takes you through the latest research and shares stories that promise to “change the way you think about happiness.” Recent topics include the happiness of being a fan and the secret to making friends as an adult.

Read

The Mosquito Bowl. On Christmas Eve 1944, the 4th and 29th Marine regiments were training for the invasion of Okinawa. Among them were former football All Americans, captains from Wisconsin, Brown and Notre Dame and almost twenty young men who were either drafted or would ultimately play in the NFL.

To break the tension and the tedium of training, the two regiments decided to play a football game later dubbed the “Mosquito Bowl.” Author Buzz Bissinger tells the story of these 65 young athletes, 15 of whom would not survive the battle of Okinawa. A compelling read from the author of Friday Night Lights.