Stephen Dubner

Others, like Gale Sayers, were so fast and graceful that it was hard to get a hand on them. Franco was somewhere in the middle, strong but elusive, a darter and a dodger. In football, every play is a miniature drama packed into just a few seconds. 22 athletes moving at once, as complicated as a blueprint, as brutal as war, as delicate as ballet. A passing play is a bit of a magic trick.

Others, like Gale Sayers, were so fast and graceful that it was hard to get a hand on them. Franco was somewhere in the middle, strong but elusive, a darter and a dodger. In football, every play is a miniature drama packed into just a few seconds. 22 athletes moving at once, as complicated as a blueprint, as brutal as war, as delicate as ballet. A passing play is a bit of a magic trick.

The quarterback and receiver try to trick the downfield defenders into being in the wrong place at the right time. A running play is more predictable, since the running back has to get through a wall of massive defenders. But if he does and breaks free into open space, that is a special kind of thrill.

The quarterback and receiver try to trick the downfield defenders into being in the wrong place at the right time. A running play is more predictable, since the running back has to get through a wall of massive defenders. But if he does and breaks free into open space, that is a special kind of thrill.

The quarterback and receiver try to trick the downfield defenders into being in the wrong place at the right time. A running play is more predictable, since the running back has to get through a wall of massive defenders. But if he does and breaks free into open space, that is a special kind of thrill.

Back when Franco Harris was in the league and for a long time after, many of the game's biggest stars were running backs, and they were paid accordingly. If you go back 30 years and take the average salary of the top players by position, running backs ranked second, just behind quarterbacks. This year, running backs ranked 13th. So what happened?

Back when Franco Harris was in the league and for a long time after, many of the game's biggest stars were running backs, and they were paid accordingly. If you go back 30 years and take the average salary of the top players by position, running backs ranked second, just behind quarterbacks. This year, running backs ranked 13th. So what happened?

Back when Franco Harris was in the league and for a long time after, many of the game's biggest stars were running backs, and they were paid accordingly. If you go back 30 years and take the average salary of the top players by position, running backs ranked second, just behind quarterbacks. This year, running backs ranked 13th. So what happened?

Everyone knows the NFL has become much more pass-happy these last few decades, but still, how did running backs fall so far? As it turns out, I wasn't the only one with these questions.

Everyone knows the NFL has become much more pass-happy these last few decades, but still, how did running backs fall so far? As it turns out, I wasn't the only one with these questions.

Everyone knows the NFL has become much more pass-happy these last few decades, but still, how did running backs fall so far? As it turns out, I wasn't the only one with these questions.

Roland Fryer, an economist at Harvard and a friend of Freakonomics, recently wrote a Wall Street Journal column called The Economics of Running Backs.

Roland Fryer, an economist at Harvard and a friend of Freakonomics, recently wrote a Wall Street Journal column called The Economics of Running Backs.

Roland Fryer, an economist at Harvard and a friend of Freakonomics, recently wrote a Wall Street Journal column called The Economics of Running Backs.

I asked Roland if he would sit for an interview to help answer those questions. He said yes, but he had another idea that he insisted would be even more fun. So here's the thing that really puzzles me. When I called you up and asked if we could talk about your Wall Street Journal column and make an episode based on this idea, you said yes, and I would actually like to co-host that episode.

I asked Roland if he would sit for an interview to help answer those questions. He said yes, but he had another idea that he insisted would be even more fun. So here's the thing that really puzzles me. When I called you up and asked if we could talk about your Wall Street Journal column and make an episode based on this idea, you said yes, and I would actually like to co-host that episode.

I asked Roland if he would sit for an interview to help answer those questions. He said yes, but he had another idea that he insisted would be even more fun. So here's the thing that really puzzles me. When I called you up and asked if we could talk about your Wall Street Journal column and make an episode based on this idea, you said yes, and I would actually like to co-host that episode.

Can you explain that? I know very few Harvard economists or anybody really who's interested in co-hosting a grubby little podcast.

Can you explain that? I know very few Harvard economists or anybody really who's interested in co-hosting a grubby little podcast.

Can you explain that? I know very few Harvard economists or anybody really who's interested in co-hosting a grubby little podcast.