John Urschel Turned Down Stanford Out of Loyalty | Better in Person

John Urschel turned out to be world- class at two completely different things: football and math. One path led to the NFL, the other to MIT, and eventually, he had to choose between the two. Urschel tells Stephen Dubner about spending childhood Saturdays in the math section of a local Chapters bookstore while his dad, a thoracic surgeon, did his notes in the cafe. While his mom worked night court as an attorney, he sat in the back of the courtroom reading The Big Book of Tell Me Why. He recounts turning down a visit to Stanford out of loyalty to a commitment he'd already made to Penn State, benching 225 pounds 30 times at the NFL combine, and the moment he finally decided to leave football behind for a career in math. #betterinperson #freakonomicsradio #JohnUrschel Airs weekly on Tuesdays. Don't miss an episode! Subscribe NOW: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXjf7anLJA4NqUv8kPFIJWA?sub_confirmation=1 Introducing ChatGPT Work - Put ChatGPT to work on your most ambitious ideas and projects. Download the new ChatGPT desktop app today at www.chatgpt.com ABOUT BETTER IN PERSON: Everyone has a public story. Stephen Dubner wants the rest. On Better in Person, Dubner invites remarkable people into his home for a kind of conversation that’s hard to find: curious, free-wheeling, even profound. They talk, play, eat and drink, argue and laugh. The result? Less interview, more shared discovery. This is how a conversation works. FOLLOW BETTER IN PERSON: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betterinpersontv TikTok: http://tiktok.com/betterinpersontv FOLLOW STEPHEN DUBNER: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephenjdubner LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-dubner-2a066578/ Substack: https://stephendubner.substack.com FOLLOW FREAKONOMICS: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freakonomics/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freakonomics/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@freakonomicsradio Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/freakonomics LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/freakonomics-media/ Threads: https://www.threads.com/@freakonomics https://youtu.be/iEKfOHO4tdo