ESPN Daily

This week, University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, a transgender woman, will compete in the NCAA championships. It’s the culmination of a season that has included records and conference championships, as well as backlash and outcry from those who believe she should not be allowed to compete on the women’s team. The NCAA had considered making changes to its policies around trans athletes ahead of this week’s NCAA Championships, but kept their current guidelines in place, clearing the path for Lia to swim for a national title. ESPN’s Katie Barnes joins us from the Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships in Atlanta with the very latest on Lia’s story, the potential public protests, as well as the ripple effect in state legislatures across the country, where Thomas has been invoked as an example for lawmakers seeking to restrict trans youth participation in sports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Every year, when the calendar turns to March, it’s time for just one thing in the world of sports: college basketball….a lot of it. And for Chris “The Bear” Fallica, March is a time when numbers reign supreme. From seeds to statistics, to of course, betting odds…Fallica is a college basketball savant. He joins the show to share his path from research producer to sports betting analyst, where he is frequently seen making picks against the spread on College Gameday, and helps guide us through the NCAA Tournament action based on those numbers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tom Brady has done it to us AGAIN. It’s been mere weeks since he supposedly hung up his cleats, but now he’s ready to lace them back up and play another season in Tompa Bay. We called up our resident Brady expert Seth Wickersham to tell us why we probably should’ve seen this coming…what we might expect from Brady and his Bucs this season…and whether Cristiano Ronaldo had anything to do with it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner was arrested by Russian police at an airport near Moscow last month. Griner is being held on charges that she was transporting hashish oil, a marijuana concentrate, which is illegal in Russia. The details of Griner’s arrest were not public until early March. That sparked outcry over the lack of attention around Griner’s case, but also concern that publicity could further endanger her. ESPN investigative reporter T.J. Quinn explains what we know and how a delicate dance plays out from here, as government officials and those closest to Griner fight to bring her home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alexander Ovechkin tied Jamomir Jagr this week for the third most goals in NHL history. But just as Ovi is climbing the ladder of hockey immortality, he is facing scrutiny like never before following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ovechkin, like the 40 other Russian players in the NHL, have avoided directly condemning the war, which has invited public backlash. But it’s an almost impossible situation for Russian players, knowing that opposition to the war could invite harassment for their families back in Russia. Emily Kaplan explains how the hockey world has been shaken by the war in Ukraine. Then, she updates on a different kind of controversy: Jack Eichel’s return to Buffalo to play against his former team following a bitter fight over how to treat his neck injury. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All eyes will be on Philadelphia tonight when James Harden and the Sixers take on Harden’s former team, the visiting Brooklyn Nets…who may or may not have simply been a cog in a long-play by Harden and Daryl Morey to get to Philly all along. Oh, and Ben Simmons will be there too, though he won’t be playing due to an injury. Zach Lowe tells us all about this possible conspiracy and catches us up on what’s been going on around the league, including a couple of pantheon performances by LeBron James. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aaron Rodgers is staying in Green Bay, and Russell Wilson is heading to Denver to the Broncos! While the details of the Rodgers deal are still being ironed out, Russell Wilson will call the Mile High City his new home, and he enters an AFC West that’s loaded with star QBs like Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert. Bill Barnwell unpacks the latest in these blockbuster NFL moves and explains how they’ve upended the seats of power in the NFL. Plus, Calvin Ridley’s gambling suspension. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The thrill of March Madness has long been the allure of upsets – the single-elimination Cinderella runs and David v. Goliath battles. ESPN’s Myron Medcalf is about to cover his 12th straight NCAA tournament, and he shares why this year’s potential for dramatic upsets is high. We break down this season’s unprecedented parity, and which teams and divisions deserve more eyes as the tournament begins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s a special live episode of ESPN Daily! This weekend in Boston, some of the brightest minds from across the sports world gathered for the annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. One of the panels, led by our own Pablo Torre, focused on the growing concern that many of the major sports' regular seasons feel like they don’t matter as much as they used to, with players and media focused solely on championship rings. The panel entitled “Maximizing Competitive Meaning” featuring the NBA’s Evan Wasch, Brad Pursel of MLS, and Sam Schwartzstein, formerly of the XFL, addressed this very question, and examined how fixing the regular season just may require tinkering with some of sports most sacred traditions. We’re excited to bring you this panel, in podcast form! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Love him or hate him, the mark that Mike Krzyzewski has left on men’s college basketball is indelible. Nobody has won more Division I men’s college basketball games than Coach K; he has won five national titles, made 12 Final Fours, and turned Duke University into one of the most iconic institutions in American life. And now, as Coach K prepares to say goodbye to the program he built at Duke, Wright Thompson takes us back to share where he came from, what it means for his reign to come to an end, and the legacy he’ll leave behind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Tuesday that the first two series of the regular season, over 90 games in total, would be canceled. Negotiations between MLB and its Players Association have dragged on since the lockout began in December, and the current tensions have been brewing for years. MLB Insider Jeff Passan called it one of the darkest days in baseball. He tells us why the players are upset, whether or not this was inevitable…and just how far both sides are from an agreement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The entire world has watched in shock and horror this past week as the Russian Army invaded Ukraine. At the center of it stands one man, whose thinking and motivation everyone is seeking to better understand: Russian president Vladimir Putin. But as it turns out, there may be no better way into the mind of Putin than through his deep, deliberate impact on the world of sports. Investigative reporter TJ Quinn traveled to Russia in 2018 to report on Putin’s ties to the sports world, and how he has used major events like the World Cup and the Olympics to maintain his grip on power. Quinn explains what we can learn about Putin through the lens of sports, and why athletes and officials are finally fighting back against him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NFL combine: an annual spectacle that is part job interview, part gym class, and part reality TV show. It is also a critical moment in deciding the future of a new class of NFL draft prospects. An exceptionally good or bad performance in the combine will make a prospect’s draft stock rise or fall, meaning millions in potential salary is on the table. But just how useful is the combine in actually predicting a player’s NFL career? And what is it like for the players to run the gauntlet of medical evaluations, physical tests, and character evaluations? ESPN’s Domonique Foxworth went through the process in 2005. He shares all the secrets from inside the scouting combine, and why it may not be as important as we think. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For six years the Dallas Cowboys had a secret. One of their top executives was accused of spying on several cheerleaders in a locker room: and the team wrote a big check to make it all go away. Don Van Natta investigates this story for ESPN and shares the other bombshell accusation that was made, what it reveals about Jerry Jones’ team, and what happens next for the women at the center of this incident. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While NBA players and their style of play have changed drastically in the league’s 75 years of existence, the rules that govern the game have mostly stayed the same. The popularity of the All-Star Game’s “Elam Ending” shows that changing many of basketball's long-standing rules could improve the game for fans, players and the league. ESPN’s Kirk Goldsberry dives deep into which rules should get scrapped and what to do instead. 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, back on the ice tonight after serving his latest suspension - his second of the season. But Marchand is also one of the top scorers in the NHL, integral to the Bruins’ 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. Greg Wyshynski joins us to discuss Marchand’s reputation, his impact on the Bruins, and how we’ll look back on his legacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’ve all turned to Wikipedia, the massive volunteer-run database, for more answers than we’d care to admit. And we’re so often reminded that anyone - anyone - can edit Wikipedia entries whenever they want. So when massive sporting events like the Olympics happen, and sports become a shared cultural touchstone, you can bet that Wiki-vandals will pounce. They edit Wikipedia entries and turn them into a modern-day, digital bathroom wall. ESPN’s Dave Fleming takes us inside the secret world of Wikipedia sports vandalism, shares how this phenomenon began, and tells us what Wikipedia is trying to do to stop it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Play Like a Champion Today.” It’s one of the most iconic phrases in sports, and it’s long been synonymous with Notre Dame. Over the years, legendary Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz has told the story of the team’s famous sign, and the traditional pregame slap that’s performed as they take the field. Holtz put up the sign, yes. But where did he get the idea? Another powerhouse college program disputes Holtz’s claims. ESPN’s Dave Wilson tells us who might - or might not - deserve credit for one of the most famous sentences in sports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Badwater ultramarathon is known as the world’s most impossible run. From grueling mountain climbs to scorching, 100+ degree temperatures in the middle of Death Valley, it’s a 135 mile race that only a select group of individuals have ever finished. Enter Kelaine Conochan, who pushed her mind, body, and soul to its limit, in pursuit of completing the race in July of 2021. She wrote about her Badwater experience for ESPN.com, and shares what she lost - and found - in her 37 hours of running, chafing, chugging flat Coca-Cola, and flat out surviving. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With a 3-pointer and a bow at Madison Square Garden’s center court, the Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young added to his growing legend in last year’s playoffs. To understand that moment, and the 23-year-old NBA All Star that authored it, ESPN’s Dotun Akintoye traced Young’s roots back to tiny Pampa, Texas and a love for basketball passed down through generations. Akintoye explains the mental makeup and leadership potential of a young man who's not afraid to play the villain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Angels’ pitcher Tyler Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room in July of 2019, it sent shock waves across baseball. There was an outpouring of grief and sorrow for the loss of a promising young player, teammate, and husband at just 27 years old. But the shock of Skaggs’ death was only compounded when Eric Kay, who had been the Angels’ own director of communications, was arrested and accused of supplying the opioids that lead to Skaggs’ death. Now, more than two years later, Kay is on trial in federal court, and could face upwards of 20 years in prison if convicted. The trial has also seen testimony from a number of Skaggs’ former teammates, including former Mets’ ace Matt Harvey, who also acknowledged that he received drugs from Kay. ESPN investigative reporter TJ Quinn joins us from the site of the trial in Fort Worth, Texas to explain what Eric Kay, and baseball at large, is facing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This season, University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas took to the pool for first time as a transgender woman, on the women’s team. Thomas’ gender transition was several years in the making, and she adhered to guidelines from her sport’s governing bodies as she returned to competition. But when Thomas started winning and breaking records this season, her story made news well beyond the swimming world, and critics of transgender inclusion in sports took particular note. As Thomas heads to the Ivy League championships, ESPN’s Katie Barnes tells the story of this barrier-breaking swimmer, the policies and politics that surround her. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It was the blockbuster trade NBA fans had been waiting for: James Harden for Ben Simmons. It was a seismic swap that finally came together in the closing moments ahead of the trade deadline, with Sixers president Daryl Morey shouting “Stay on the f---ing phone!” to Nets GM Sean Marks. ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne takes us inside all of the conversations that led to James Harden becoming a 76er, and shares how the trade’s actually been brewing for years. And while both Ben Simmons and James Harden are getting a fresh start: is this truly the final chapter of their sagas? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Los Angeles Rams have won Super Bowl LVI! Bill Barnwell tells us what it took for LA to bring home the Lombardi Trophy. The Rams went all-in on the NFL’s biggest season in history, and after injuries to key players and struggling to establish the run, it was none other than Aaron Donald, Matthew Stafford, and Cooper Kupp who put the team on their back. How did they beat the Bengals? And what does Bill make of this dramatic season? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NFL season ends this Sunday in Inglewood, when the Los Angeles Rams host the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. Pablo met up (in person!) with our resident QB Alex Smith to get his perspective on how these teams match up, and how the view is different one year removed from his own time on the field. We dig into the qualities of Rams underrated QB Matthew Stafford, and what it’s like to line up against the force that is Aaron Donald. With the Cinderella Cincinnati Bengals, we explore how Joe Burrow got here this quickly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It has been ten years since Whitney Houston died on February 11, 2012. The link between the musical icon 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

Outside of maybe Joe Burrow himself, there are not a lot of people who thought the Cincinnati Bengals would be playing for the Lombardi Trophy this Sunday. The franchise is just a couple years removed from having the worst record in the NFL and prior to the 2021 season, they hadn’t won a playoff game in more than three decades…and they entered this season with 125-1 odds of making it to the Super Bowl. It all adds up to one of the most shocking Super Bowl appearances ever, one that has even stunned the city it calls home. ESPN’s Bengals reporter Ben Baby explains how the franchise turned it around so fast (hint: Joe Burrow), and just what the city of Cincinnati is making of their unexpected success. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NBA is in a frenzy, as the trade deadline approaches. Rumors have swirled about some of the league’s biggest stars but ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has the truth. He pulls back the veil of the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets front office as the Ben Simmons saga may continue past the deadline. With some teams already making moves, Windhorst has the details on some possible deals that could tighten the arms race. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When the Los Angeles Rams traded for Matthew Stafford this offseason, they delivered one of the NFL’s biggest arms to one of its biggest brains: head coach Sean McVay. Over a dozen years in Detroit, Stafford put up big individual numbers, but the Lions’ lackluster talent meant that his ability was often squandered on teams that had no real chance at contending for a Super Bowl. That is no longer the case, as Stafford, McVay, and the rest of the Rams franchise know that nothing less than the Lombardi Trophy will be considered a success: it’s Super Bowl or bust in LA, and they’re on the cusp of reaching that goal. Today, Seth Wickersham takes us behind the scenes of how the Stafford trade went down, what it all says about quarterbacks in the modern era, and how Cabo, apparently, is the nexus of power in the NFL. Then, a look back at the play that changed not only Tom Brady's career...but also the NFL itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Beijing Olympics began this week, and while many will be supporting their country’s athletes from afar, the shadow of China’s complicated human rights record will be dimming the glamour of the games. From the disappearance of tennis star Peng Shaui to the horrific treatment of the Uyghurs in the Xinjiang province to China’s anti-democracy and free speech crackdowns, the moral and ethical complications of placing the games in China have highlighted tensions within the International Olympic Committee. Sam Borden explains the sociopolitical context of the Beijing Olympics, and why these games feel so much more complicated. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores filed a lawsuit this week against the NFL and three teams, alleging discrimination and racism in their hiring practices. The suit includes shocking details, alleging that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered Flores $100,000 per loss to improve the team’s draft position. Flores also allegedly learned that the New York Giants’ head coaching job he was set to interview for was no longer available, through an accidental text from Bill Belichick. Ryan Smith explains the lawsuit, its relationship to the NFL’s Rooney Rule for coach hiring, and what’s next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you’re not paying attention to the Memphis Grizzlies this season, you might want to start now. Led by the electric Ja Morant, the Grizzlies have the NBA’s third best record, and have earned a reputation for their swagger and fearlessness. Tim MacMahon shares why things are finally clicking in Memphis, tracks Ja Morant’s rise, and explains what makes this team so entertaining - and if they can make a run in the NBA postseason. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Winter Olympics begin this week, but if you’re anything like us, you probably need some help getting up to speed on who to watch out for in Beijing. There’s Red Gerard, defending gold medalist in snowboarding from the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, whose family just might be the Gronkowskis of the Olympics. There is the most decorated American skier ever, Mikaela Shriffin, who finally gets the spotlight to herself with the retirement of Lindsey Vonn. And then there’s Chloe Kim, who famously won gold in 2018 at the age of 18…but her path back to the snow has been a rocky one. Our resident Olympics correspondent Alyssa Roenigk is here to fill you in on everything you need to know for the 2022 Winter Games. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Bengals and Rams are going to Super Bowl LVI! In the AFC Championship, Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ defense took the Chiefs to overtime and won in Arrowhead, sending Cincinnati to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1988. And, in the NFC Championship in Los Angeles, the Rams capitalized on a lackluster performance from Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers’ offense. Alex Smith breaks down the games, and shares his memories of the maybe-soon-to-be-retired Tom Brady. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Thicc Six.” It’s a phrase that has exploded across Twitter this NFL season, 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

When the Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook last summer, championship expectations were set. But now, they currently sit in the eighth seed of the Western Conference with a .500 record. They might even miss the playoffs. It’s become clear that the Westbrook experiment playing out on this Lakers team is failing. So who’s at fault? And what’s next? Ramona Shelburne takes us inside Crypto.com Arena to answer all of our questions, and game out solutions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It has been exactly 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

On Tuesday, the Baseball Hall of Fame will announce the results of what may be the most controversial ballot in Cooperstown history. It’s not only the final year players like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, and Curt Schilling can appear on the writers’ ballot, but also the first year David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez are eligible. So our baseball insider Jeff Passan walks us through the process of HOF voting and what’s at stake. He also explains why he chose to give us his own Hall of Fame vote, and how he thinks Cooperstown should tell the history of baseball’s PED era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The football was very, very good this weekend. Mere seconds were the difference in NFL seasons living and dying, as all four games came down to their final play. Our Monday Morning QB, Alex Smith is here to unpack what may be the best couple days of playoff football ever. Mahomes vs. Allen lived up to the heavyweight billing with a quarterback duel for the ages, trading touchdowns and finally ending in overtime. Smith also takes us through why Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense froze out in Green Bay, why Matthew Stafford and the Rams are inching closer to the ultimate home field advantage, and how Joe Burrow and the Bengals stunned the top seeded Titans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NFL divisional round playoffs are here! In the NFC, the Niners are looking for another upset on the road: this time in Lambeau, vs. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. And Matthew Stafford’s LA Rams have a date with Tom Brady and the Bucs, in Tampa. Over in the AFC, Joe Burrow and the Bengals will face a healthy Derrick Henry and the Titans, while Josh Allen and the Bills meet Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, in a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship. Mina Kimes takes us inside each matchup, and tells us what she’s watching for in this weekend’s games. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NFL longsnapper lives and dies in football’s “game of inches.” These unsung heroes have to aim the ball and get it to the kicker when the game is on the line. But what goes into the art and science of longsnapping? Dave Fleming brings us onto the field and shows us what the world looks like from a longsnapper’s point of view, and shares how these niche players do their high-precision, high-pressure jobs upside down where perfection is the only acceptable standard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Despite decades of mediocrity, the New York Knicks inspire an almost religious devotion from their rabid fanbase. The Nets may play across town with three of the biggest stars in NBA history, but New York still bleeds blue and orange. That was never more evident than in the 1990s, when you could watch the Knicks fight on the court…figuratively and literally…at Madison Square Garden. Under the direction of head coach Pat Riley, and led by players like Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley and John Starks, the Knicks pioneered a style of basketball that was physical, intimidating, and rarely beautiful. Chris Herring, author of Blood in the Garden: The Flagrant History of the 1990s New York Knicks, explains how a team known for its tough guy image paved the way for the modern NBA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over the summer, Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks was struck and killed by fireworks at a 4th of July celebration in Michigan. It was a tragedy that hit especially hard for Kivlenieks’ friend and teammate, fellow netminder Elvis Merzlikins. The two goaltenders shared more than just their position: they were among just a handful of NHL players from the tiny nation of Latvia. Merzlikins even invited Kivlenieks to live with him and his wife in Columbus. Emily Kaplan joins the show to share the story of their friendship, the tragedy that took one life far too young, and how the Blue Jackets plan to honor their fallen teammate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The heroics and heartbreak of the NFL playoffs are here! Our Monday QB Alex Smith breaks down all the action from a Super Wild Card weekend that delivered…from Cincinnati breaking its 31-year playoff curse, to the Cowboys finding yet another year of heartbreak as the clock ran down to 0…to the Bills decimating the Patriots. Then, ESPN’s Louis Riddick previews the first Monday Night Wild Card matchup in over 30 years…a rubber match between two familiar NFC West foes in the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NFL Super Wild Card Weekend is here! This supersized first round of playoff action has it all. The AFC playoffs will see the Raiders travel to Cincinnati to take on Joe Burrow - who’s in danger from Las Vegas DE Maxx Crosby, the Patriots and Bills grinding through single digit temperatures, and T.J. Watt making a stand, as the Steelers visit the Chiefs. The NFC side of things sets up an Eagles team who may be getting hot at the right time vs. the Super Bowl champion Bucs, a matchup laden with playoff history between the Cowboys-Niners, and Kyler Murray’s playoff debut when the Cardinals play the Rams. Bill Barnwell helps us make sense of every playoff game, under-the-radar player and storylines you may have missed, and what comes next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The end of the NFL regular season inevitably means a round of firings of head coaches from the league's underperforming teams. But this year, one name came as a shock: Brian Flores. He was fired by the Miami Dolphins after compiling a record of 24-25 in his three seasons at the helm. The Dolphins nearly made it to the playoffs in 2020, and bounced back from an 0-7 start this season to finish 9-8. ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques explains what led to Flores’ ousting…and why it may have had nothing to do with football. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The most surprising MVP candidate in the NBA this season basically spent a dozen years hiding in plain sight: DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls. Remembered by many as being the player on the other end of the Raptors’ Kawhi Leonard trade, DeRozan is having his best season yet at age 32. Now playing for the upstart Chicago Bulls, DeRozan isn’t just leading the 1st place team in the Eastern Conference: he’s feeding into a championship hunger that dates back to Michael Jordan and the 90s. Bulls beat writer Jamal Collier sat down with DeRozan, and he joins the show to share his story, and tells us what the mood is like in Chicago now that the Bulls are back. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Georgia Bulldogs are your 2022 College Football Champions! The biggest night in CFB was a thriller until the very end, with Georgia and Alabama trading touchdowns late into the fourth quarter. After a season that saw continued discussion of changing the College Football Playoff, the introduction of NIL freedom for players, and SEC omnipresence, Mike Golic Jr. breaks down the game that won the title, what the win means for Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, a former assistant of Nick Saban’s, and what’s ahead for the ever-dominant SEC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NFL’s regular season has left us with wider eyes than when it started. Our Monday QB Alex Smith breaks down the Sunday chaos where the improbable ruled: the Raiders won in overtime, narrowly evading the vaunted tie scenario and keeping the Chargers out of the playoffs. Earlier, the 49ers pulled off the comeback to beat the Rams in LA in OT. And the Colts, who had a win-and-in scenario in Jacksonville, will now have to settle for front row seats at the college National Championship Game – by the way that’s where we found ESPN’s Dave Fleming and his daughter Ally, decked out for the Dawgs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NFL finishes its first 17-game regular season this weekend, and stakes around the league are high. With numerous records across the sport on the verge of breaking this Sunday, Bill Barnwell reflects on what a weird football season it’s been, and answers our most burning questions headed into the playoffs, like: could the Saints sneak into the NFC race with Taysom Hill under center, or even unknown QB Ian Book? Are the Titans the worst #1 seed the AFC has ever seen? And should the Raiders and Chargers declare a temporary truce so they both can make the playoffs? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices