ESPN Daily

If you are a college sports fan, odds are you’ve heard the words “transfer portal” way too many times recently … and that’s not a coincidence. Athletes are entering the transfer portal at higher rates now than ever before. For example, At least 71 football players from the University of Colorado have entered the portal since last August, and 61 have entered since Deion Sanders was named head coach of the Buffs in December. But football isn’t the only sport that’s seeing a large number of players using the portal. Maryland transfer Angel Reese recently led the LSU Women’s Basketball team to a national title, and since then, former Louisville star Haley Van Lith and DePaul standout Aneesah Morrow have also joined the Tigers. With so many players taking advantage of the transfer portal now, it is clear to see that the landscape of college sports has seismically changed. So today, Tom VanHaaren joins the show to tell us all about the transfer portal…and why it’s changing the game in college sports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In hockey, there’s only one player who’s known as “The Great One:” Wayne Gretzky. But in the decades since #99 hung up his skates…there’s been a whole bunch of “Next Ones.” Alex Ovechkin is “The Great 8,” Sidney Crosby was “The Next One,” Connor McDavid is sometimes called “The Next Sidney Crosby.” And for 2023’s projected first overall pick…17 year old Connor Bedard, the pressure is on to follow in that legacy. So today, as the NHL prepares for the draft lottery, Emily Kaplan tells us a little more about hockey’s next “Next Big Thing”...and whether he can live up to the hype as the game’s latest “can’t miss kid.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In June of 2005, 18-year-old Kevin Durant attended an all-star basketball camp for high schoolers that consisted of mostly juniors and seniors. During his stay at camp, he roomed with another young high schooler from Japan, named Taishi Ito, who had come to the United States to play basketball. The two were total opposites: Durant was 6’9 and full of hype, while Ito was 6’0 and was hoping to secure a D1 scholarship. The two became inseparable, as their friendship continued into their senior year of high school, and created a bond that would carry on well into their adult lives. So today, Ryan Hockensmith joins the show to tell us the story of how this unlikely friendship became one of the most important relationships in Kevin’s life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Canelo Alvarez’s fight against John Ryder this weekend might be the biggest fight of his career, but it could be the most meaningful. For the first time in 12 years, the face of boxing gets to fight in his hometown of Guadalajara, Mexico in front of all of his family and friends. The fight is set to take place at Akron Stadium in Jalisco, and up to 50,000 people are expected to fill the seats to watch their hometown hero defend his undisputed super middleweight title. So today, Mike Coppinger joins the show to tell us about his experience traveling to Guadalajara with Canelo, and why it is so special for him to fight in his hometown once again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed, seemingly lifeless, on Monday Night Football in January: the world stood still. But somewhere on Long Island, New York, one mother watched everything unfold knowingly, fully aware of what had happened to Hamlin. Because the cause of Hamlin’s collapse was the same condition – Commotio Cordis – that had taken her son’s life 23 years earlier. So today, Tisha Thompson shares the story of a decades-long mission that grew from that loss, which has saved hundreds of lives, including Damar Hamlin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but the New York Knicks and Miami Heat are facing off in the NBA Playoffs. That phrase alone brings back memories of the 1990s, when the two teams engaged in one of the most intense rivalries in NBA history. While the conflict lacked the ultimate glory of championships, it was always filled to the brim with bad blood, betrayals, fisticuffs, animosity, and the occasional head coach hanging onto the leg of a star player. So today, ahead of Game 2, Chris Herring, author of Blood in the Garden: The Flagrant History of the 1990s New York Knicks, explains the feud between these two franchises, and how this series is bringing the 90’s back into today’s NBA Playoffs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The pinnacle of the NFL offseason has come and gone with the NFL Draft, and this year’s edition was more…unusual…than others to say the least. We saw surprising trades, running backs and inside linebackers taken in the first round - the Detroit Lions took both - leaving analytics-minded people discombobulated. So with the Draft officially in the rearview mirror and the start of the season on the distant horizon, Bill Barnwell gives guest host Myron Medcalf his reactions…and tries to make sense of a weekend unlike any the NFL has seen in a few years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NBA officials are human beings (at least for now)...and they are emotional beings, just like the NBA players they share the court with. So it’s no surprise when you see tempers flare in the heat of the moment between the two parties. And despite the contentious interactions we sometimes see on the court, players and officials often do end up forming relationships. And like any relationship, there are ups and downs. So today, Tim Macmahon takes us inside the game within the game, as NBA players try to win over the referees…and whether or not it actually works. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before all eyes shift to the center of the NFL universe in Kansas City for the Draft tonight — where the Carolina Panthers will be on the clock with the first overall pick — we turn the clock back 20 years. The Minnesota Vikings had the 7th overall pick, and had just sealed a trade to send the pick to Baltimore…or so they thought. As time was ticking down, they began to notice that the ESPN broadcast logo hadn’t changed, and their name was still shown on the screen instead of the Ravens. That’s when they figured out that the trade was never executed by the NFL, and with their time expired on the clock the Vikings ultimately ended up missing their pick in the draft…resulting in a moment that went down as one of the wildest scenes in NFL Draft history. So today, as we gear up to watch yet another draft go down in the books, Kevin Seifert tells us the wild story of the time when things didn’t quite go according to the NFL’s plan in the 2003 draft. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aaron Rodgers is officially a New York Jet. Over a month after announcing his intention to play in New York, the 39-year-old future Hall of Fame QB is leaving small town Green Bay for the bright lights of the Big Apple. The Jets are looking for Aaron Rodgers to solve their historic quarterback issues, and help them make a push in a crowded AFC East. Meanwhile in Green Bay, fans are left wondering how or if their team will recover from losing their starting signal caller of the past 15 years. So today, it’s a tale of two cities: Jets reporter Rich Cimini lets us know what we can expect to see from New York this upcoming season, then Rob Demovsky tells us how Green Bay is handling the loss of their star quarterback. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 2023 NFL Draft is Thursday night, and all signs point to Alabama QB Bryce Young going to the Panthers as the No. 1 pick. Young has dazzled in his time at Tuscaloosa. Taking home the Heisman Trophy and building a college football Hall of Fame worthy resume as well. But it’s his size not his accolades that make him unique in this year’s draft. He stands at 5-foot-10 and just under 200 pounds, making him one of the shortest and lightest QBs potentially going at the top of the draft in decades. So today, Pete Thamel joins us to break down whether or not Young can measure up to the job in front of him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Although Kansas City Chiefs fans are still basking in the glow of their team’s Super Bowl victory, the rest of the National Football League and its fans have begun to focus on the new season that starts this Thursday…at the 2023 NFL Draft. And this year’s draft feels as unpredictable as any in recent memory. Before she heads to KC, Mina Kimes answers all of our most pressing draft questions: like how many quarterbacks we should expect to see taken in the first round, who’s rising up the draft boards, and whether a last minute blockbuster trade could change everything. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We can all see the physical toll that athletes take upon their bodies. What we might not be as aware of, is the mental and emotional stress that many of them are subject to as well. Especially after retiring. So how do these athletes find ways to manage that sort of trauma? In some cases, the unlikely answer is psychedelics. One underground community of athletes journeyed to Jamaica on a retreat to take psilocybin aka “magic mushrooms,” to help them heal, and rediscover themselves. A journey to let go of the pain. So today, Kevin Van Valkenburg takes us inside a seldom glimpsed world…to shed some light on an unusual, but intriguing healing practice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bijan Robinson is one of the best running back prospects to enter the NFL draft in recent memory, but it’s looking like he won’t be drafted as such. That’s because the value of the running back has changed in today’s NFL due to a short shelf life at the position, the rise of the passing games, and teams finding better value in the later rounds for what was once one of the NFL’s premier positions. But Bijan hopes to change all of that. So today, Hallie Grossman shares his story, and tells us how the only flaw in his game is that he may have been born in the wrong generation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Game two between the Lakers and Grizzlies is going down tonight, and this matchup proves we have something the NBA has been lacking for many years: genuine bad blood. Memphis is a team that has not only made an enemy out of Los Angeles, but the league as a whole. And Grizzlies guard, Dillon Brooks? For this series, he’s set his sights on one thing: becoming the next player in a long history of players to master the art of antagonizing Lebron James. So today, Brian Windhorst joins guest host Jorge Sedano to give the historical accounting of players who were proud to be “LeBron James agitators,” and he tells us whether Dillon Brooks has what it takes to get under King James’s skin…and turn this series around. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You could be forgiven for not recognizing the Cleveland Cavaliers team that you watched lose in game one to the New York Knicks 101-97. The Cavs haven’t made a postseason visit since Lebron James made his exit back in 2018, but enter Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell has coaches and fans of the Cavaliers hoping that his leadership combined with the young talent in place, can push Cleveland deep into the playoffs. So today, Nick Friedell joins the show to tell us how this team came together, what they need to do to succeed, and how much of the Donovan Mitchell gamble is on the line this postseason. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Stanley Cup playoffs are the most thrilling, unpredictable, and tense two month tournament in all of sports: and it all starts tonight. With a historically great Boston Bruins steamrolling the league, scoring leader Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers still chasing his first championship with the team, and the perpetually disappointing Toronto Maple Leafs attempting to make it out of the first round since 2004, the road to hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup is as difficult as ever. So today, Norris Trophy winner and three time NHL All-Star turned ESPN hockey analyst P.K. Subban joins Emily Kaplan to get us hyped for the postseason, ahead of puck drop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tomorrow marks ten years since the Boston Marathon Bombing…a day that changed the city, and its iconic race, forever. Three people were killed in the blasts that day, including eight-year old Martin Richard. In the days and weeks following the attack, Martin Richard, as much as anyone, became the face of the victims. A photo of him, holding a sign reading “No More Hurting People. Peace.” became an instantly iconic symbol of all that was lost on that tragic day. Now, ten years later, Martin Richard’s friends and family are running the marathon in his honor. Chris Connelly joins guest host Emily Kaplan to tell the story of the little boy whose memory lives on in the hearts of so many who will be running for him on marathon Monday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re barely two weeks into the MLB season and things are already looking…unusual. In addition to the slew of game-changing rules introduced this year, we’re already seeing some other surprises on the diamond. For example, the team currently leading the NL West is NOT the Dodgers, or the Padres, but rather the Arizona Diamondbacks. The young Baltimore Orioles are shaping up to be one of the more fun teams to watch, and the Tampa Bay Rays are doing things that haven’t been done since the ‘80s…the 1880s! So today, Jeff Passan joins the show to give us his assessment on the state of baseball at this moment, and determine how the new rules will affect the future of the league. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It was 30 years ago this week that a nearly impossible, yet unforgettable shot was made at the Chicago Stadium. On that evening, a 23-year old office supplies salesman named Don Calhoun participated in the million dollar shot contest, in which he had to make a ¾ court shot to win one million dollars. With less than a 1% chance, Don’s shot sailed right into the net, and the entire arena, including Michael Jordan, went crazy. But, shortly after this incredible scene, rumors began to circulate that Don might not receive the prize money, because of some contest fineprint. Ryan Hockensmith tells guest host Emily Kaplan the story of how an unimaginable shot ultimately needed an assist from Air Jordan himself….and how that gesture forever changed the lives of one Chicago man and his family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The biggest soap opera in sports is beginning its home stretch tonight as the NBA Postseason gets going with the play-in round. From now until late June, we’ll be staring at our television screens every night watching the best teams battle for a chance at the NBA Finals. Two months of pure drama is surely on the way, and we have some coming right out of the gates with the Western Conference play-in game between the Timberwolves and the Lakers. So today, Brian Windhorst tells guest host Emily Kaplan what we can expect from the NBA playoffs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s been just one week since LSU and Iowa played for the NCAA Championship in the most watched women’s college basketball game ever. But now, the attention turns almost immediately to the pro game, with tonight’s WNBA draft…and an opportunity for women’s basketball to continue its historic momentum. So today, ESPN women’s basketball reporter Alexa Philippou tells guest host Emily Kaplan what to expect from tonight’s draft and previews a WNBA season that promises to revolve around two super teams…and potentially, a historic new rivalry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As exciting as this NBA season has been…there is still a two word euphemism that the league just can’t seem to shake off: load management. In a league where fans buy tickets or tune-in specifically to see a handful of superstars, no one is happy when they spend the game on the bench. So today, Baxter Holmes tells us what he found out while researching the NBA’s biggest problem…and whether anyone has a decent solution for it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Everybody remembers their first “real” job. For ESPN’s Ryan McGee, it was working for a minor league baseball team, the Asheville Tourists, getting paid the handsome sum of $100 a week. In exchange, McGee pulled the tarp, lined the basepaths, dealt with drunk fans…and came away with a lifetime of stories that he has put into his new book “Welcome to the Circus of Baseball.” So today, with the Asheville Tourists and countless other minor league teams opening their season, McGee shares with Justin Tinsley the lessons that sports fans everywhere can take from the magic and charm of minor league baseball. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Masters is the most highly anticipated event in the golf world, and this year the pros are bringing more than just their clubs. The drama between the members of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf is still fresh, and with tensions continuing to rise, fans are left wondering what will happen when they all meet at Augusta National? Tiger Woods will also be at the tournament. With the golf legend still recovering from his car accident, everyone is waiting to see what he will be capable of on the links. So today, Michael Collins joins the show to give us an inside look into this exciting tournament, and explain just how different the Masters will be this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The college basketball season has officially come to an end, and if the Men’s tournament taught us one thing this season, it’s that it is pretty much impossible to predict the results. And in a world where sports gambling is more popular than ever, for every shocking upset, or Cinderella run, there is likely a slew of bettors on the other side who are not happy about the outcome. Take the TCU-Gonzaga matchup in the 2nd round of this year’s tournament as an example: TCU’s Damion Baugh hit a half-court shot with 0.7 seconds left to cover the spread against the Bulldogs, and consequently, Baugh received a collection of threats and abuse in his Instagram DMs despite the shot having no direct result on the outcome of the game. So today, ESPN’s Sports Betting Reporter David Purdum joins Justin Tinsley to discuss the correlation between the rise of sports betting, and the increase in social media abuse directed towards college players – and if there is any way to protect student athletes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Congrats if you somehow saw this national championship coming. Back in October, in the preseason AP poll, the San Diego Aztecs were ranked 19th. And the UConn Huskies…they couldn’t even crack the top 25. But five months and a whole lot of tournament madness later…here we are. So today, Myron Medcalf is on the ground in Houston and tells us whether the UConn Huskies will take home their fifth National Championship…or if the Aztecs of San Diego State can stun the world, and end a tournament like no other with one last upset. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Women’s Final Four games are going down tonight in Dallas. LSU is set to take on Virginia Tech first, and then Iowa tips off against South Carolina in undoubtedly the biggest matchup in college basketball this year. We’re all anxiously waiting to see if Caitlin Clark, the newly crowned National Player of the Year, can upset Aliyah Boston and the undefeated Gamecocks. With so much at stake for these four teams, Holly Rowe is here to give us a preview of tonight’s matchups and prepare us for what’s to come in the biggest Women’s March Madness ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The murder of University of Utah heptathlete Lauren McCluskey by her ex-boyfriend is a cautionary tale of failure. One where every layer of protection in place meant to help a young woman who comes forward simply collapses under the weight of ignorance, complacency and incompetence. So today, after a four-year investigation, Nicole Noren joins the show to talk about everything we learned from the death of Lauren McCluskey and how easily this whole ordeal could have been prevented. “Listen”, a documentary reported by Nicole Noren and TJ Quinn is available now on ESPN+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the old saying goes, “Not all heroes wear capes”... especially not the ones in college basketball. These unsung heroes, otherwise known as student managers, are the backbone of the entire program. They clean the locker rooms, do the laundry, get practice ready, and help coaches with whatever else they need. Their passion for the game is what drives them to perform these tasks on a daily basis, and although these jobs are anything but glamorous, they do come with competitive perks. In arenas around the country, student managers compete against one another in a tournament known as the Manager Games. These games take place the night before the real D1 matchups, and these teams have the opportunity to advance all the way to the Final Four where they battle for the championship, and a chance to be recognized across their campus. So today, Jake Trotter explains to guest host Justin Tinsley the origin of an underground tournament where team managers finally get a chance at their very own One Shining Moment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Don’t look now, but the Lakers are suddenly healthy as the NBA regular season enters its final couple of weeks. But even with Lebron and AD healthy and on the floor together for the first time since late February, they suffered an ugly defeat at home to the Bulls on Sunday. So the question remains…just who are these guys, really? Today, guest host Justin Tinsley talks to Dave McMenamin, who takes us inside Lebron’s surprise return to the court, details his conversation with AD about the big man’s battles to get back and stay on the court, and explains how the future of Lakers basketball is under evaluation…right now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s about time we talk about one of the more interesting changes we’ve seen play out in sports: the introduction of the pitch clock to Major League Baseball. While the concept of a pitch clock is nothing new, its ratification has resulted in one of the biggest rule changes any major sport has ever seen. The goal is to reduce game time, which has run over three hours long since the turn of the millennium. But is this sweeping change enough to keep fans engaged with the game? Jeff Passan clocks in to talk about what we’ve seen from the pitch clock so far and its implications for the future…and Pablo says goodbye to ESPN Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

LSU’s starting guard Flau’jae Johnson is lighting up the court during this NCAA Tournament. But that’s not the only passion and skills Flau’jae possesses: she’s also a rapper and a businesswoman. The 19-year-old prodigy currently has a distribution deal with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, where she makes music that highlights her father’s legacy. In her free time, Flau’jae continues to build her success by navigating and negotiating her NIL deals. With her basketball and music careers continuing to soar, we can’t help but wonder….where did it all start? Maya Jones shares the story of a young girl from Savannah, Georgia whose trials and tribulations have culminated in the person Flau’jae is today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Deion Sanders — aka “Coach Prime” — era is underway at the University of Colorado. And with spring practice beginning, Prime Time has moved from the locker room to the field. His assignment? Revitalize a program in Boulder that has fallen into obscurity since their glory days of the 1990s. All eyes are watching to see how this is going to play out, so ESPN senior college football writer Adam Rittenberg joins the show to tell us what he saw and heard in Boulder. And what we can expect from the first season of Colorado’s Deion Sanders era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It has been a crazy three weeks for Ja Morant. The Grizzlies superstar and former second overall pick in the NBA Draft has been away from the team since March 4, the day after he was on Instagram Live waving around a gun inside a strip club. Morant stepped away to receive counseling, and the NBA later suspended him for eight games without pay for conduct detrimental to the league. That suspension ended on Monday, when he was on the Memphis bench for their win over the Dallas Mavericks. So with Morant widely expected to return to the court tonight against the Houston Rockets, Tim McMahon tells guest host David Fleming about the fallout from that night in Denver on March 3…and how Morant can move forward from the decision that put his entire career in jeopardy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Here in the United States, baseball is known as the national pastime. In Cuba, however, it’s something even bigger: baseball is part of their national identity. And there is no place where questions of Cuban identity and heritage take more center stage than Miami, the center of the Cuban diaspora in the United States. It’s been more than 60 years since the Cuban national team played a game in Miami, not since Fidel Castro rose to power in 1959…and their return brought back the complex feelings of pride, anger, and so much more within Cuban Americans. So today, Alden Gonzalez takes us inside a city, a community, and a stadium where emotions are running high…and easy answers are nowhere to be found. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The next big thing coming to America from Japan might not be a baseball unicorn like Shohei Ohtani…it might be a once-in-a-generation starting pitcher who could actually be even bigger. His name is Roki Sasaki, and while he might not be ready to make the jump to Major League Baseball yet, he’s already making waves in baseball on the world’s stage. As Sasaki takes the mound for Japan tonight against Mexico in the semi-finals of the World Baseball Classic, Jeff Passan tells us all about Sasaki's electric arm and the almost spiritual connection he has with the game of baseball…that comes in-part from an unforgettable tragedy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you’ve been paying attention to women’s college basketball this year, South Carolina is the favorite, by far, to win another national championship. But maybe the field still has something to say about that. There’s Iowa, led by arguably the face of March Madness in Caitlin Clark…UConn who might just be getting healthy at the right time…and you can’t forget about powerhouse LSU, led by Alexis Morris. So as the biggest teams in the country prepare to battle for a shot at cutting down the nets. As all the stars are aligning — and preparing to shine in the largest spotlight ever for the women’s college game — Andraya Carter joins the show to give us an inside look at the bracket, from a perspective that only a former player can provide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aaron Rodgers went on the Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday, putting an end to the lingering questions about his future by proclaiming, “I intend to play for the New York Jets.” The trade is all but a formality at this point, as both teams continue to negotiate and come to an agreement on compensation for the 39-year-old future Hall of Famer. And in Green Bay, they’re prepared to roll with 2020 first round pick Jordan Love — who has backed Rodgers up for the first three years of his career — as their QB of the future. But is Love ready to follow in the footsteps of Rodgers, and Brett Favre before him? ESPN’s Packers reporter Rob Demovsky has seen every moment of Rodgers’ career in Green Bay, and he takes us inside the breakup between one of the NFL’s legendary franchises…and arguably its greatest player ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Not too long ago we spent our Sundays glued to the television watching our favorite teams battle for a chance at the Super Bowl. But in an NFL with seemingly no offseason, here we are already. Free agency is upon us and it is both equally chaotic and eventful. Thanks in no small part to Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, a trade at the very top of the draft, and, of course, Aaron Rodgers…who has yet to make a final decision on his future. So today, Bill Barnwell joins the show to help us understand everything going on across the league, as the 2023 league year officially starts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alabama is the top seed in the men's NCAA tournament for the first time in its history, but even as March Madness begins, a larger story, one with much more significant consequences, is impossible to ignore. Former Crimson Tide player Darius Miles and his friend Michael Davis were officially indicted by a grand jury last week on capital murder charges for the shooting of 23-year-old Jamea Harris in January. Those indictments come just days before freshman star Brandon Miller, who was at the scene of the killing, leads Alabama in its first tournament game. And while prosecutors have been clear that Miller faces no criminal charges, controversy continues to swirl around what he did on the night in question. Reporter Michael Rothstein was part of a team of journalists at ESPN who have poured over the evidence in an attempt to paint the fullest picture possible about what exactly happened the night Jamea Harris was killed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the calendar flips to March, there’s one sporting event that goes straight to the top of our priority list: the NCAA Basketball Tournament. And we can’t remember the last time the Big Dance seemed this unpredictable. There’s Alabama with their first No. 1 seed in program history, and then we have the traditional blue bloods like Duke, Kentucky, and Michigan State…but their seeding is a lot lower than we’re accustomed to. So today, we enlisted our friend Myron Medcalf — fresh off writing 12,000 words on Selection Sunday for ESPN.com — to prepare us for the Madness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last October, four teammates from the Northwest College wrestling team set out for a hike just outside Yellowstone National Park. For two of them, Brady Lowry and Kendell Cummings, the trip would bond them together for the rest of their lives, courtesy of a grizzly bear. Today, ESPN’s Ryan Hockensmith navigates this tale of survival, loyalty, friendship and redemption while we hear all the harrowing details straight from the mouths of these two brave men. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You probably saw the video back in 2015. Then-56-year-old Scott Park, standing at half court, fires a shot to potentially win a million dollars at the ACC Tournament…only for it to barely reach the free throw line. It immediately went viral after a reporter posted the footage on Vine (remember Vine?). In true internet fashion, the negative comments piled on. But as our friend Ryan McGee found out and shares with us today, there was so much more to this story than the social media response…it’s about the limits of science, and storytelling…and ourselves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Going into the 2023 NFL Combine, the top two quarterbacks in this year’s draft class were presumed to be Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud, but that was before Anthony Richardson arrived. The Florida QB impressed: raising eyebrows with his 40-yard dash time, and setting QB records with his vertical jump and broad jump. It’s Richardson’s stellar marks that highlight how NFL scouting is a guessing game at best. ESPN NFL reporter Stephen Holder was embedded with Richardson’s team in Indianapolis over the weekend, and he takes us behind the scenes of one of the most impressive pre-draft performances in NFL history…as the league tries to make sense of it all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mikaela Shiffrin is only 27 years old, and she’s already the GOAT. Her dominance of alpine skiing is in the same category as Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, and Serena Williams…and she has an opportunity to further build on her legacy this weekend by surpassing the 34-year-old record for wins currently held by Swedish legend Ingemar Stenmark in his home country. It’s a far cry from where Shifrrin was a year ago, when she crashed out of the Beijing Olympics three times while still mourning her father’s death. So today, as Shiffrin chases history, Alyssa Roenigk brings us up to speed on Mikaela’s quest for greatness…and gives us a crash course in a snowy sport that’s picking up speed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brad Marchand contains multitudes. Sure, the Boston Bruins winger could be called the most hated man in hockey…he’s served eight suspensions in his career, and he was recently fined the max amount for a “dangerous trip” on an opponent. But Marchand is also one of the top scorers in the NHL, integral to the Bruins’ league-leading offense. He’s known for cheap shots, punching opposing players, licking faces, and was once given the nickname “Little Ball of Hate” from former President Barack Obama. With the Bruins in the midst of a historic season, Greg Wyshynski tells us what Marchand can do to help his team, and explains his complicated legacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

March Madness is set to tip off just over a week from now, and among all the players who will be competing — both men and women — there is no one who loves the spotlight more than Caitlin Clark. The junior guard, sometimes referred to as the female Steph Curry, will be leading Iowa in hopes of securing pretty much the only thing missing from her legendary collegiate resume: a national title. So today, we ask one Basketball Hall of Famer – Holly Rowe – to tell us the story of this player who might just be headed in that same direction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Liberty Media took control of Formula 1 racing in 2017, they made a bet on being able to grow the sport in the United States. F1 has always attracted an audience of hundreds of millions overseas – but now, with millions tuning into races on ESPN domestically, and millions more binging Formula 1: Drive to Survive on Netflix, all signs point to a bet that has paid off. So today, ESPN F1 editor Laurence Edmondson joins us ahead of the 2023 season to tell us who is leading the pack, who is chasing them, and how, in the end, this sport of inches ultimately comes down to the fateful decisions of a bunch of nerdy engineers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Rocky franchise is one of the most quintessential sports series of all time. It spawned six sequels, and Philadelphia has embraced its fictional leading man as part of the cultural identity embedded in the city itself. And as Creed III -– the third sequel in a franchise that, itself, is a sequel — gears up for its release this weekend, its director/star Michael B. Jordan and co-star Jonathan Majors are stepping into the Hollywood spotlight. So today, Chris Connelly takes us inside the making of a sports movie that’s more personal for them than you might think. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices