Skip to content

The Double

2025-05-20 · letter vlog · John · 4:47 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Sports (also: Personal life) · mode: Personal update · tags: timely hook, self promotion, community lore

John, exhausted after 43 airports in 60 days of his Everything Is Tuberculosis tour, prepares to repeat 'the double' with his friend Stuart: the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, then a flight to London for AFC Wimbledon's play-off final at Wembley the next day, nine years after their first; he reflects that life is short and calls the second chance a gift.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Greeting; the double announced; 43 airports in 60 days for the book; filmed early because he will be in Geneva on Tuesday

  • ★★ John tells Hank he has been in 43 airports in the last 60 days for his book Everything Is Tuberculosis. — 00:00:00 · Everything Is Tuberculosis
  • ★★ John admits it is not really Tuesday: he is filming over the weekend because on Tuesday he will be in Geneva, Switzerland, talking about tuberculosis. — 00:00:00 · tuberculosis
  • ★★★ John announces that this weekend he will attempt, for 'the second time in human history', the endurance feat known locally as the double. (playful) — 00:00:00 · AFC Wimbledon

00:00:29 — The racing 'double' (John Andretti, Tony Stewart) and John's love of the Indy 500

  • ★★ John says that in 1994 John Andretti drove the Indianapolis 500, then flew by helicopter to North Carolina to race the Coca-Cola 600 that evening. — 00:00:29 · Indianapolis
  • ★★ John says many drivers have since attempted the 1,100-mile double, but only Tony Stewart finished every lap of both races in one day. — 00:00:29
  • ★★ John says the Indianapolis 500 is one of the most cherished days on his calendar; he goes every year and loves it. — 00:00:58 · Indianapolis
  • ★★ John says the Indy 500 is the largest non-religious gathering of human beings on Earth, held in his hometown. — 00:00:58 · Earth, Indianapolis
  • ★ John is extra excited this year (2025) because the race marks the end of his travel marathon. — 00:00:58 · Everything Is Tuberculosis
  • ★ John says he barely kept himself from mentioning the Indy 500 in Everything Is Tuberculosis, since it, like everything, connects to tuberculosis. (playful) — 00:00:58 · Everything Is Tuberculosis, tuberculosis, Indianapolis

00:01:27 — Louis Schneider and tuberculosis; AFC Wimbledon reach the play-off final at Wembley the day after the Indy 500

  • ★★ John says the 1931 Indy 500 winner, Louis Schneider, survived his dangerous racing career only to die of tuberculosis at 40. — 00:01:27 · tuberculosis, Indianapolis
  • ★★ John loves fan-owned fourth-tier AFC Wimbledon even more than the Indy 500; the club wears DFTBA on the back of its shorts, between left thigh and buttock. (playful) — 00:01:27 · AFC Wimbledon, DFTBA, Indianapolis
  • ★★★ John reports that after a very good season AFC Wimbledon reached the play-offs and won two games to reach a Wembley final deciding promotion to the third tier. — 00:01:56 · AFC Wimbledon
  • ★★ John notes the Indy 500 is this Sunday (25 May 2025) and Wimbledon's play-off final at Wembley the very next day, so it is time for the double. — 00:01:56 · Indianapolis, AFC Wimbledon

00:02:26 — The plan for the double with Stuart and the memory of the first double nine years ago

  • ★★★ John lays out the plan: he and Stuart wake around 5 a.m., bike to the Indy 500, bike to the airport, fly to London and take the train to Wembley for the final. — 00:02:26 · London, AFC Wimbledon, Indianapolis
  • ★★ John says the double will last nearly two straight days, especially if Wimbledon win, since the party will go on all night. (hedged) — 00:02:26 · AFC Wimbledon
  • ★★ John recalls that he and Stuart completed the double before, a day so magical he made a Vlogbrothers video about it and his suit lining depicts that day at Wembley. — 00:02:55 · Vlogbrothers
  • ★★ John wonders whether he and Stuart, having aged since the first double, still have the endurance, and says only time will tell, but he will enjoy every minute. (unsure) — 00:02:55

00:03:24 — Nine years since Wimbledon last played at Wembley; life is short, and doing the double again is a gift

  • ★★ John says it has been nine years since the first double, and so nine years since AFC Wimbledon last played at Wembley. — 00:03:24 · AFC Wimbledon
  • ★ John says that if it is another nine years before they return to Wembley he will be 56, and hopes he will still be biking to the race. (hypothetical) — 00:03:24
  • ★★★ John reflects that the future is unpredictable and life keeps reminding us we are here only a little while; who knows if the double will come again, but doing it twice is a gift. — 00:03:24

00:03:53 — Everything Is Tuberculosis eight weeks on the New York Times bestseller list; thanks to readers

00:04:22 — Thanks to the FIFA livestreamers for Marcus Browne; invitation to London viewers; sign-off

  • ★★★ John thanks everyone in his FIFA livestreams on John's Channel: without them AFC Wimbledon could not have signed Marcus Browne. — 00:04:22 · AFC Wimbledon
  • ★★ John says that without Marcus Browne he is genuinely not sure Wimbledon would be in the play-off final. (hedged) — 00:04:22 · AFC Wimbledon
  • ★★ John urges viewers in London this weekend to watch Wimbledon try to go from the world's greatest fourth-tier team to the greatest third-tier team. — 00:04:22 · London, AFC Wimbledon

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: AFC Wimbledon · Indianapolis 500 · Wembley Stadium

Also: People: John Andretti · Louis Schneider · Marcus Browne · Stuart Hyatt · Tony Stewart

Projects: John's Channel

Works: Everything Is Tuberculosis · FIFA (video game series)

Organizations: EFL League One · EFL League Two · The New York Times

Terms: DFTBA · doobly-doo

Concepts: fan ownership · gratitude · tuberculosis

Places: Earth · Geneva (ch) · Indianapolis · London · North Carolina · Switzerland

Events: Coca-Cola 600

Also centred on Indianapolis 500: The Most Amazing Day · The Best of My 2016 · The Longest (and best) Day

Also centred on Wembley Stadium: The Most Amazing Day · The Longest (and best) Day

Replies to

  • continues · The Most Amazing Day — “I made a Vlogbrothers video about it, link in the doobly-doo”

← Previous: No One Knows When They Don't Die · Next → I Can’t Believe How Few People it Takes.