ESPN Daily

Meet the NBA Draft prospect that is the reason for a “race to the bottom like we’ve never seen,” as one NBA GM told Adrian Wojnarowski. Victor Wembanyama is a 7’4 18-year old from France, currently playing for Metropolitans 92…and did we mention that he’s 7’4? Forget about a unicorn, this guy is an alien, something we have never seen before. There is so much hype around Wembanyama, that some have said that if he was in the same class as LeBron James, LeBron would be the second pick. ESPN Draft analyst Jonathan Givony isn’t one for gushing and hyperbole when it comes to prospects, but even he is all-in on Wembanyama…and he tells us why. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pucks drop tonight around the National Hockey League as the regular season begins, but what's changed since the Colorado Avalanche hoisted the Stanley Cup back in June? Can Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers challenge Nathan McKinnon and the defending champs? In the Eastern Conference, do Sidney Crosby and his aging crew of Penguins have what it takes to make one more run? And what should we make of Buoy, the Seattle Kraken’s new mascot? Our resident NHL expert Greg Wyshynski brings us up to speed on everything in the hockey world and tells us who we should be rooting for as hockey season starts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you had to sum up the NFL’s Week 5 in one word, it would have to be bizarre. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers held off the Atlanta Falcons, thanks in part to a bewildering roughing the passer call against the Falcons on a crucial third down in the fourth quarter. The Chargers survived the Browns, even after head coach Brandon Staley decided to go for it on a fourth down at midfield late in the game – with a two-point lead – and left many people, even Chargers receiver Keenan Allen, scratching his head. Matthew Stafford was sacked for the 21st time this season as the Rams still couldn’t get on the right track. So we called up our Monday morning QB, Alex Smith, and he gives us his insight on what it’s like to be in the shoes of Stafford and Allen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

MLB’s Wild Card weekend begins today, with a new format that seems primed to produce maximum chaos: eight teams facing off over the next three days for the right to advance to the Divisional round. And while we may still have questions about how this is all going to work, Jeff Passan helps us make sense of everything, and why the biggest winners might be the underdogs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re just under a quarter of the way through the NFL season, and so many teams are still facing questions about their quarterback situations. In Pittsburgh, Mike Tomlin benched veteran Mitchell Trubisky halfway through the Steelers’ Week 4 matchup for rookie Kenny Pickett, in search of a “spark” on offense. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who previously publicly welcomed the idea of a QB controversy, might now actually have one as the Cowboys are 3-1 with backup Cooper Rush in place of the injured Dak Prescott. So we called up Bill Barnwell to survey the quarterback landscape…and make us smarter heading into Week 5. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

During a match in September, chess grandmaster and world champion Magnus Carlsen made his opening move, and then promptly resigned from play and walked off. This moment sent the chess community into a frenzy, as later it was revealed Carlsen had resigned in protest, accusing his opponent, Hans Niemann, of cheating. But was there evidence to back up Carlsen’s claims…and just how prevalent is cheating in pro chess? Brin-Jonathan Butler brings us inside the controversy that is consuming elite professional chess, a world which is also the focus of his book "Grandmaster: Magnus Carlsen and the Match that Made Chess Great Again." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nearly a year ago, the National Women’s Soccer League faced a crisis. Explosive allegations from players of abuse, sexual harassment, and unrelenting coercion by one of the NWSL’s most successful head coaches set off a reckoning across the entire league. The commissioner resigned. Games were canceled. Players had no collective bargaining agreement and the specter of a canceled season loomed, all while governing bodies opened investigations into misconduct and toxic work environments. And on Monday, a long-awaited report investigating the failures of the NWSL was released by former acting attorney general Sally Yates, which detailed systemic abuse within the league, and specifically “a culture of abuse, silence, and fear of retaliation” that perpetuated the misconduct. Jennifer Karson-Strauss directed the new E60 film, “Truth Be Told: The Fight for Women’s Professional Soccer,” and joins the show to discuss the film’s investigation into allegations of abuse, sexual coercion and a toxic work environment in the league, as well as the lack of action taken by NWSL leadership. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Week 4 in the NFL saw the Bills storm back (in a literal storm) from down 20-3 to the Baltimore Ravens. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers held off rookie Bailey Zappe and the Patriots in overtime, and Patrick Mahomes casually threw 3 TDs against Tom Brady and the Bucs. But undeniably, the biggest story of NFL Week 4 actually took place on Thursday night, when the Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa suffered a frightening head injury against the Bengals. The injury came just four days after Tua suffered what appeared to be another serious head injury in Week 3, but nonetheless was cleared by an independent neurologist to return to the game. We called up Alex Smith, who’s been through concussion protocol multiple times himself, to have an in-depth and honest conversation about how players view the NFL’s concussion protocol…and what needs to change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The story of Betsy Sailor and Irv Pankey is unlike any you’ve heard before. It’s a story that, for years, was shrouded in darkness, tied inextricably to the unspeakable crimes of a former Penn State football player named Todd Hodne. ESPN’s Tom Junod and Paula Lavigne first brought Hodne’s horrific crimes to light this spring in their meticulously reported feature “Untold.” But in the midst of their reporting, they stumbled onto another, completely opposite story. A story of compassion, friendship, and ultimately, 40 years later…love. You can watch the short film "Betsy & Irv" on ESPN+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you find all the headlines about Brett Favre and the unfolding welfare fraud scandal in Mississippi kind of dizzying, that is completely understandable. Even over the past week, the names, allegations, and revelations haven’t stopped. And all of it raises valid questions about possible criminal charges — not only for Brett Favre, but also the state’s former Governor: Phil Bryant. So we talked to the government investigator who helped uncover the largest fraud scandal in Mississippi history, state auditor Shad White. And we try to understand what’s been happening behind the scenes as one of the most famous retired athletes in this country is accused of defrauding the poorest people in America’s most impoverished state…and where this case goes next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The aftermath of the Robert Sarver investigation has been anything but what the NBA had hoped. Sarver, the subject of a massive investigation by ESPN and later the NBA, was suspended one year for racist and misogynistic behavior. Fans and players felt it wasn’t enough, and had been calling for the Phoenix Suns’ owner’s banishment from the league. The WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, who Sarver also owns, came forward and said they were excluded from the investigation altogether. One week later, Sarver has put both teams up for sale. Baxter Holmes, the ESPN reporter who kicked off this entire saga, explains why Sarver suddenly changed his mind about selling, what this means for the NBA…and how this story is far from over. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aaron Judge is having one of the greatest offensive seasons in baseball history. He’s on his way to setting the American League record for home runs in a season, and is on pace to claim the Triple Crown, something that has only been done once since 1967. In anything resembling normalcy, Judge would be a shoe-in for American League MVP. And yet, Shohei Ohtani exists. The Angels’ pitcher/designated hitter/unicorn is once again doing something that no player has ever done…playing all-star caliber baseball as a pitcher and a hitter. Jeff Passan, a man who is not afraid to make tough decisions, settles the debate once and for all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When you punt the ball off the butt of your own personal protector and still win the game, you know it’s a strange week around the NFL. The Dolphins upset the Super Bowl favorite Bills, despite a tuchus-deflected punting mishap that rivaled the “Butt Fumble” in ridiculousness. The Chiefs stumbled against a Colts team that had looked hapless in their first two games. The Raiders dropped to 0-3, making them the only winless team in the league despite splashy off-season moves. And the Eagles proved why they are perhaps the class of the NFC by staying undefeated with a dominating win over the Commanders. Our resident football brainiac Bill Barnwell joins us to break down an NFL Week 3 that seemed to defy any logical explanation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What’s in a name? When it comes to the University of South Carolina’s live rooster mascot Sir Big Spur, the answer is a whole lot of ruffled feathers. Over the course of four fowl weeks, the Gamecocks’ mascot went from Sir Big Spur, to the Cock Commander (kind of) to The General, to Sir Big Spur again. So with something of an identity crisis hatching in Columbia, we called up Ryan McGee to stick his beak in this story and give us the strange-but-true history of the Gamecocks’ mascot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With Roger Federer announcing his retirement following this weekend’s Laver Cup in London, most sports fans thoughts will immediately go to his 20 Grand Slam Titles (3rd most all-time) and his storied rivalries with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. But for writer David Epstein, Federer represents something much bigger–a model for how to develop athletes, raise our kids, and discover our individual talents. Rather than specializing in one sport early on, like Tiger Woods did with golf, Federer played many different sports as a child, and didn’t focus on tennis seriously until later. Epstein explains why this model of development works, why it might be more effective than the often-cited 10,000 hours model…and why it made Roger Federer into the dominant athlete he is today. You can find more of David Epstein’s work through his free Range Widely newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brett Favre is a legendary figure in his home state of Mississippi for his Hall of Fame NFL career. But now, Favre is making headlines in Mississippi (and across the country) for very different reasons. Favre, and others, are accused of diverting millions of dollars in welfare funds to go toward the construction of a volleyball stadium at the University of Southern Mississippi. The same school where Favre’s daughter played volleyball and where Favre himself is an alum. It is all part of a sprawling investigation into fraud and misuse of money that is meant to assist Mississippi’s neediest citizens, the state with the highest poverty rate in the nation. Anna Wolfe, a reporter from Mississippi Today who’s been investigating the case from the very beginning, joins us to unpack a story that is about much more than just a famous football player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last week, after the NBA announced a one year-suspension of Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver, many NBA players and stakeholders spoke out: saying the punishment wasn’t strong enough. Sarver was accused of racist, sexist, and misogynist behavior by scores of employees, chronicled by ESPN in an investigation from fall 2021. It’s a situation that in some ways mirrors that of former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who was banned for life from the NBA when audio tapes revealed he had made racist statements. But thus far, the NBA has maintained that Sarver’s behavior does not warrant the same punishment as Sterling’s. So today, Brian Windhorst explains why the NBA ruled as it did with Sarver, whether the backlash from the players will amount to anything, and what the whole affair says about the balance of power in the NBA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Week 2 in the NFL saw not one, but TWO 20-point comebacks. The Las Vegas Raiders somehow blew a 20-0 halftime lead to fall to Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals in overtime, while the Miami Dolphins overcame a signature Lamar Jackson performance thanks to Tua Tagovailoa’s 400 passing yards and six touchdowns. The 49ers lost Trey Lance for the season, extending the Jimmy G era in San Francisco for another year. We called up Alex Smith, our Monday morning QB, to help us make sense of everything that happened. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

50 years ago this month marks one of the darkest moments in sports history – the Munich Massacre, when Palestinian terrorists murdered 11 members of the Israeli delegation at the 1972 Summer Olympics. Shaul Ladany, now 86, was one of the Israeli athlete’s who survived the massacre, just as he had survived World War II and the Holocaust when he was a child. Ladany’s life is explored in the new E60 documentary, “The Survivor.” Jeremy Schaap traveled to Israel and Germany to profile a man of unmatched endurance and perseverance, someone who still competes to this day after surviving the worst horrors of the 20th century. “The Survivor” will debut on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, and will be available on ESPN+ following the premiere. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NFL’s Week 2 kicks off tonight with a thrilling AFC West showdown between the Chiefs and Chargers. So what did we learn about Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert in their Week 1 games? Bill Barnwell returns to make us smarter about football, previewing tonight’s game and what the Chargers need to do to contain Mahomes…and the Chiefs’ tasting menu of solutions for curtailing Herbert. Elsewhere, Bill tells us why we shouldn’t be too high on the Steelers after their Week 1 win, what’s up with Dak and the Cowboys, and how we should think about Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett after some poor decision making to end Monday night’s game in Seattle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For years, European players were something of an afterthought in the NBA. They were (often unfairly) labeled as soft, not tough enough and frankly not good enough to hang with their American counterparts. But those days are long gone. Two European players, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic have combined to win the last four NBA MVP awards, and Slovenian Luka Doncic is maybe the NBA’s best player under 25. All of which makes EuroBasket 2022 arguably the most competitive basketball tournament in the world after the NBA Playoffs. EuroBasket, which is now played every four years, features the top national teams from across Europe, in an atmosphere that is akin to a mix of March Madness and Soccer’s World Cup. Former Vice President for Strategic Research with the San Antonio Spurs, Kirk Goldsberry was reporting on the ground from EuroBasket, and explains why understanding Europe is essential to understanding the modern NBA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It has been an all-time WNBA playoffs, full of historic performances and dramatic upsets…as well as one reluctant farewell. So, today, ahead of Game 2 of the Finals, with the Connecticut Sun trying to even the series in Vegas against the Aces, we bring you someone who knows this league better than anyone else. Someone who dominated it over 21 years, and 13 All-Star Games, and 4 titles, and more assists *and more wins than anyone else in the history of her sport: Sue Bird, who also tells us what it’s really like to say goodbye. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NFL’s first Sunday of 2022 kicked off in chaotic fashion…and we mean literally. The Dallas Cowboys were embarrassed on their home field by Tom Brady and the Buccaneers, losing QB Dak Prescott to a hand injury in the process. Chargers QB Justin Herbert showed off his superpowers against the Raiders, while Aaron Rodgers and his new receivers worked through some chemistry issues. The Bengals and Steelers went to overtime and saw a missed extra point and two missed field goals…while Trey Lance’s first start for the 49ers was a wash in Chicago. Our Monday morning QB Alex Smith returns to make you smarter about the NFL’s opening Sunday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel doesn’t look or sound like other NFL head coaches. He’s young, self-deprecating, and his press conference sound bites are plastered all over social media. But just a year ago, few NFL fans knew who he was at all. So we called up our Dolphins beat reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques, to understand how McDaniel made the jump from boy-genius offensive coordinator with San Francisco…and whether his unconventional style can work now that he is the man in charge in Miami. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the second part of our two-part mega NFL preview, Bill Barnwell joins us to take a look at what’s going on in the NFC. As the Los Angeles Rams prepare to defend their Super Bowl title in year two of the Matthew Stafford era, the San Francisco 49ers are all-in on Trey Lance as QB1…or are they? Tom Brady retired, then just as quickly un-retired to come back for his 21st season in the NFL, but will he still be the Tom Brady we all know and hate at age 45? Will Aaron Rodgers keep up the psychedelic highs on the field that led to his MVP season a year ago, or will the Packers come down after losing Davante Adams and ZaDarius Smith? And then there’s the NFC East…which may just be the worst division in football. And of course, we couldn’t let Bill leave without getting a way-too-early Super Bowl LVII prediction out of him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our NFL regular season preview with our old friend Bill Barnwell is so big that we couldn’t even fit everything into one episode. So in today’s edition, we talk all things AFC. In the East, there’s Josh Allen and the Bills trying to finally get over the hump, the Dolphins are finally going all-in on the Tua Tagovailoa experiment, there’s whatever the hell is going on with the offense in New England, and the Jets are also a football team. In the group of death, aka the AFC West, there should be no shortage of offensive firepower with Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Derek Carr, and Russell Wilson at the helm. The Baltimore Ravens look to bounce back in the AFC North after injuries derailed their 2021 campaign and Lamar Jackson enters his contract year, while the Bengals try to make it back to the Super Bowl. And in the AFC South, a new regime in Jacksonville hopes to get the most out of second-year QB Trevor Lawrence…and Bill explains why he thinks the Tennessee Titans are one of the teams most likely to decline in 2022. Make sure to listen again tomorrow for Bill’s preview of the NFC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before Davante Adams became arguably the best receiver in the NFL with Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback, he was a star at Fresno State. But then-Bulldogs quarterback Derek Carr wasn’t just the guy throwing Adams the ball…he was one of Adams’ best friends. They’ve spent eight years apart in which Adams blossomed and Carr became the franchise quarterback for the Las Vegas (and Oakland) Raiders, but the duo is finally back together…after Carr reached out this offseason to woo Adams away from the Frozen Tundra. Tim Keown gives us the inside story of how one of the NFL’s elite playmakers ended up in the desert. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The link between the musical icon Whitney Houston and sports is specific and indelible, through her iconic rendition of the national anthem at Super Bowl XXV. While her performance was breathtaking, much of what made it truly special, and the events surrounding it, have been overlooked. E:60’s Jeremy Schaap relives a classic Super Bowl memory, and why Whitney’s high notes from that night continue to echo a decade after her passing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Albert Pujols was the most dangerous hitter in baseball for more than a decade, putting up monumental statistics with such precision he earned the nickname, “The Machine.” But after signing a massive free agent deal with the Angels, injuries and age caught up with him. Today, Pujols is back in a St. Louis Cardinals uniform and just might be looking like his old self again. With 700 home runs in sight as his career comes winding down, Alden Gonzalez joins the show to help us understand the man and the machine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There is no white tablecloth at the restaurant of college football. Things are going to get messy. From the College Football Playoff contenders, to the happenings at Tony Stark’s house, there is a lot to consume here. So ahead of Week 1 of the season, Ryan McGee prepares a multi-course menu and tells us why you might as well unbuckle your Sunbelt right now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before he went virtually unrecruited, before he slid to the 13th pick in the loaded 2014 draft, Aaron Donald was already a Hall of Famer to those who knew him best – but only to them, apparently. Ryan Hockensmith joins the show to share Donald’s origin story from kindergarten, through his high school days, all the way to last year’s Super Bowl victory…a win that could seal Donald’s reputation not just as the greatest defensive player of his generation, but the greatest defensive player of all-time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kelsey Plum was one of the most dominant college basketball players we have ever seen, a top draft pick, and a would-be franchise savior for the team that picked her, the San Antonio Stars (now the Las Vegas Aces). But the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer struggled with her transition to the pros, and it turned out her team didn’t need saving…she did. Now in her fifth season in the WNBA, Plum is finally playing to her potential and helped lead the Aces to the #1 overall seed in the playoffs. Katie Barnes tells us the story of how, after years of searching, Kelsey Plum has found herself, both on and off the court. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Coco Gauff has been on the verge of greatness ever since she picked up a tennis racket at 6 years old. It was then that her father Corey shamelessly stole the Richard Williams playbook and developed a 10 year plan for his talented daughter. But now, after years of ups and downs, both professionally and mentally, Coco Gauff arrives at the 2022 U.S. Open in New York City as an 18-year-old woman full of expectations and aspirations. All of which she gladly accepts – on her own terms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Thicc Six.” It’s a phrase that exploded across Twitter last season in the NFL, usually when a quarterback throws a touchdown to an open…and eligible…offensive lineman. But, why are we seeing so many Big Man touchdowns all of sudden? And what makes them so awesome? Mike Golic Jr. takes us into the trenches and into the psychology of the NFL’s largest men, and explains why their moment in the spotlight brings so much joy to so many. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re talking about practice…no, really. It’s been 20 years since Allen Iverson’s infamous rant, the one you’ve seen clips of pretty much everywhere, where Iverson goes off in response to a question about his practice habits. That roughly one-minute sound bite has come to be one of the most lasting moments of Iverson’s career…but it was the rest of that press conference that truly offers a window into Iverson’s life and career. It was the culmination of frustrating ends to two consecutive seasons, grief over the murder of his best friend…and the microscope he had been under since he was 17 years old. Justin Tinsley joins us to reflect on Iverson’s press conference, the fallout from it, and what everyone got wrong in the two decades since. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s been over two years since a helicopter crash claimed the lives of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, three members of the Altobelli family and four others. Alyssa Altobelli was a teammate of Gianna’s, and she was accompanied by her parents John and Keri. As it turns out, John was a legendary figure in his own right as the head baseball coach of Orange Coast College, a junior college in Orange County. In his 27 years at the helm of the program, John won over 700 games and four state championships. ESPN’s Chris Connelly explains the mutual respect John and Kobe had for each other, and just how big of an impact John had on his team…and in his community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the NFL preseason rolls along, we’re getting a look at several of this year’s rookies, both hyped and unsung, franchise saviors and camp invites fighting for a roster spot. But when it comes to evaluating these prospects, there is one BIG feature that NFL scouts have been obsessed with. Yes, NFL scouts love big butts, and they cannot lie. But there’s a lot more to it than scouts simply gossiping about gluteals. There’s plenty of science behind why rear ends matter for athletic performance. And ESPN’s Dave Fleming joins us to share the data that can back it up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over the course of two seasons in the NFL, a story has been brewing around Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. For a while, the beats of the story were pretty familiar––promising young quarterback comes into the league, has his ups and downs, and leaves so many wondering if he’ll ever be the star they dreamed he could be. But last season, that story took a turn unlike any we’ve ever seen. That’s because a subset of fans decided to take control of the narrative themselves and, via Twitter, launch “TuAnon,” a conspiracy theory fixated on an alleged plot inside the Dolphins and throughout sports media to undermine Tua at every turn. So ESPN’s Dolphins beat reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques set out to find the mystery superfan at the center of the entire thing. And what he got was not just an interview, but a journey down a rabbit hole that gets deeper each day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ramla Ali doesn’t know when her birthday is. Born in Somalia, she and her family became refugees after fleeing during the country’s civil war in the early 1990s, leaving all important documents behind. Ali grew up in London where she developed a love for boxing - and she got really, really good at it. Eventually, Ali became the first Somalian woman to box at the Olympics…and outside of the ring, Ali became a model and humanitarian, founding a women’s boxing club that exploded in popularity around London. This Saturday, Ali is attempting to make history, where she’d be one of the first women to box professionally in Saudi Arabia. Michael Rothstein shares how Ramla Ali got here, and how she’s already made history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

College athletes being able to strike deals profiting off of their name, image and likeness promised to change college sports, for better or for worse. Since the rules were altered more than a year ago, names are starting to emerge as players in the field. One of those names belongs to John Ruiz…a Miami area business man who is striking some pretty hefty deals with student athletes at his beloved alma mater, the University of Miami: the kinds of deals that have some wondering if a line is being crossed. John Barr joins the show to tell us who Ruiz is, and why he believes that he can profit off his love of the U, without breaking any rules in the process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The WNBA playoffs tip off tonight, after a season dominated by stories about Brittney Griner’s detainment in Russia. On the court, legends such as Sylvia Fowles and Sue Bird are retiring and stars like A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum are lighting up the next generation. Could this finally be the year for the Connecticut Sun? Or will the Chicago Sky become repeat champions? LaChina Robinson joins the show to explain the changes to the WNBA’s playoff format, and tells us what we should be watching this postseason. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Question: who’s calling offensive plays for the New England Patriots this season? Head Coach Bill Belichick has dodged the question thus far, saying that the team is “going through a process.” And while assistant coaches Matt Patricia and Joe Judge split playcalling duties in the Patriots’ first preseason game…the answer may lead right back to the man who’s always been considered a defensive mastermind: Bill Belichick himself. Seth Wickersham explains what’s going on in Foxborough, and whether Bill Belichick is secretly a master of the other side of the ball as well. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There is no bigger job in America than NFL quarterback. No position is so disproportionately influential on the field or visible off of it, and no job is so culturally ingrained in our national imagination. A quarterback is a star athlete, a team spokesman, a locker room leader and a prom king: a main character, in other words. But the NFL spent literal decades refusing to cast Black players in that role. As we see QBs like Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson prepare for the upcoming season, we ask Jason Reid to examine the unique, oft-forgotten history of the Black quarterback, and how it explains some ongoing conversations that the NFL still cannot escape. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Much of the attention in the WNBA this season has gone to the farewell tour of Sue Bird, but she’s not the only legend retiring this year. Sylvia Fowles is hanging up her sneakers after 15 seasons, 8 all-star appearances, an MVP award, and countless other accolades. Fowles may be the best pure center to ever play in the WNBA, but her excellence hasn’t drawn the same spotlight as some of the league’s other top stars. Kevin Van Valkenberg explains why “Mama Syl” is one of the most beloved figures in the WNBA, and the surprising plans she has for her post-basketball life…becoming a mortician. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The word “GOAT” gets thrown around a lot, but when it comes to Serena Williams, it’s not hyperbole. From her first major in 1999 at the age of 17, to her record-breaking 23rd major in 2017 (the most in the Open Era), Serena has been synonymous with dominance. On Tuesday, Serena announced her “evolution” away from tennis in a Vogue article and plans to step away at the conclusion of this year’s US Open. ESPN Senior Writer and tennis encyclopedia Howard Bryant looks back on Serena’s legendary career one more time…before it comes to a close. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For 37 years, Roger Maris’ single-season home run record of 61 stood alone as possibly the greatest single-season achievement in baseball. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa broke the record in 1998, and so did Barry Bonds three years later. But those achievements came at the height of the steroid era, and in the more than two decades since, no player has topped Maris’ mark. But this season, the Yankees’ Aaron Judge is on pace to comfortably surpass Maris. Jeff Passan joins us to explain what Judge topping Maris would mean for Major League Baseball, and whether fans might come to regard Judge as the true single-season home run king. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For many, becoming an NFL head coach is the career pinnacle… and then it completely takes over your life. The hours, the pressure, the volatility, the responsibility for the jobs and families riding on the team's success. It can be overwhelming. Even if you are the boy genius. Seth Wickersham explains how Rams Coach Sean McVay, the youngest coach ever to win a super bowl, is now facing questions no 36-year-old has confronted before. What do you do after you’ve reached the summit at such a young age? Is it possible to have a life outside of football? Or are the demands of the job – the obsessiveness, the anxiety, the adherence to a round-the-clock schedule where you’re never fully unplugged – necessary prerequisites for NFL head coaching success? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When former federal Judge Sue L. Robinson handed Deshaun Watson a six-game suspension last week, the reaction from many was clear: it wasn’t enough. Robinson’s ruling acknowledged Watson’s “egregious” behavior, which had been chronicled in dozens of accounts of sexual misconduct, but said she was bound by precedent of punishment in previous NFL cases. Now, the league is appealing Watson’s suspension – hoping for a stronger punishment while setting a new precedent for how the National Football League handles cases like these going forward. ESPN’s Cleveland Browns reporter Jake Trotter tells us what the NFL’s appeal means for Watson’s future, whether he might take the league to court, and what it all says about how the NFL administers player discipline going forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Losing night after night isn’t easy for any athlete, but veteran UFC fighter Sam Alvey’s winless streak is something to behold. Alvey, whose nickname is “Smile’n,” hasn’t won a fight since 2018. After going 0-7-1 in his last 8 fights, if Alvey loses tomorrow night against Michal Oleksiejczuk, he’ll own the longest winless streak in UFC history. So why is Alvey still smiling? That’s the question Ryan Hockensmith wanted to answer when he traveled to Alvey’s farm in Tennessee where he lives with his wife, a former America’s Next Top Model winner, six kids under the age of 10, and a menagerie of animals. What emerges is a portrait of a fighter whose life philosophy flies in the face of every cliche we’ve come to expect from an athlete. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The lucrative world of sports collectibles has gone from 0 to 100 in the past two years. And just this summer, the chase for a rare LeBron James Triple Logoman Card that ended up selling for $2.4 million ​​saw nonstop hype as bids included multiple bounties, an offer of a Lamborghini for the person who discovered the card… and even rap megastar Drake is goin’ in on the hunt, intriguing both experienced collectors and novices who are starting from the bottom. So today, ESPN collectibles expert Dan Hajducky takes care to bring us a massive story about sports cards as investments, and one dance between card collectors that has seemed to last forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices