The NFL season starts tonight when the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs take on the rival Baltimore Ravens. So for those anxious fans out there, rest easy, because that means there’s football every week from now until February. And most of you want to know if your squad is going to make the playoffs at year’s end. So today - instead of a crystal ball - we bring in Bill Barnwell, to tell us who is going to climb out of the cellar, and into the playoffs this winter. And which teams that made it last season, are in for a rude awakening this year. You can get more of Bill Barnwell on The Bill Barnwell Show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NFL gets underway this week with games on multiple continents and various franchises with a lot to prove.  The Chiefs open up their championship defense against the Ravens on Thursday, but not every division is looking like chalk.  So today, NFL Live’s Mina Kimes joins us to take a division by division look at the 2024 NFL season and tells us who she thinks might end up on the big stage in New Orleans for Super Bowl 59. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The rolling hills of Central Pennsylvania are home to Howard J. Lamade Stadium – one of the most fabulous baseball sites in America and the site of the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Every year teams from around the globe travel to this small town to showcase their grit, hope, sportsmanship and will to win. While this represents everything that’s great about the game of baseball, there’s also a special brand of magic that takes place that’s hard to explain if you’ve never been. So today, ESPN’s Sebastian Salazar joins us to break down exactly what makes Williamsport so special from the families, to the competition and, of course, the food. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When the starter’s gun goes off on Monday for the 128th Boston Marathon, sadly Kelvin Kiptum will not be among the runners. The Kenyan running superstar lost his life earlier this year and that tragedy has been compounded by what appeared to be limitless potential. In a brief three year marathon career, Kiptum had built a Hall of Fame resume that seemed to push the boundaries of what a human can accomplish. So today, ultramarathoner Kelaine Conochan joins us to explain just how much the world lost with Kiptum’s death and breaks down the possibility of the elusive record he was chasing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John Calipari’s tenure at Kentucky included a national championship and four Final Fours. At most other programs, that kind of resume would have guaranteed him a job for life. But things are different in Lexington, as the Wildcats’ five year streak of no Sweet 16 appearances made Calipari’s recent decision to jump to Arkansas shocking but not surprising. So today, SportsCenter anchor and lifelong Kentucky fan Michael Eaves gives us the view inside the Big Blue fanbase and explains why picking the next head coach is an unenviable challenge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the eve of the Masters, it’s no secret that the world of men’s professional golf is currently in chaos. And there is nobody more in tune with anything and everything going on in that universe than Michael Collins, America’s Caddy. So as this year’s Masters gets ready to tee off down in Augusta, Collins delivers everything from the latest on the PGA/LIV cold war, who to watch on the course and why Tiger Woods isn’t ready to walk away just yet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This past Sunday, 18.7 million sets of eyes were on the women's NCAA Basketball National Championship game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the South Carolina Gamecocks.  But beyond the meteoric rise in the game’s popularity, there was another underlying story unfolding on the sidelines. That was the coaches, rocking all types of exciting fashion, from bold prints, to designer pieces worth thousands of dollars. The ladies leading these teams are setting a trend for how a coach can look.  So today, Andscape writer Mia Berry breaks down the looks she's been watching, and explains how the styles mean so much more than just looking good. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The finale of the men’s NCAA tournament is tonight, and features a matchup of the best two teams in the nation, UConn and Purdue, and the best big men in the country, Purdue’s Zach Edey and UConn’s Donovan Clingan. ESPN basketball writer and host Myron Medcalf breaks down the battle between the two behemoths, and explains how each side can come out on top. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We spent much of the men’s college basketball season lamenting the lack of buzz and star power on the court. But few sporting events are as good at building stars and storylines as the NCAA tournament. And despite fewer upsets and no true buzzer-beaters, the 2024 edition has still delivered.  It all comes to a head in Saturday’s Final Four as DJ Burns and NC State face Zach Edey and Purdue, followed by Mark Sears and Alabama taking on Donovan Clingan and Connecticut.   So today, our Myron Medcalf shares everything you need to know about Saturday’s slate and gives his take on who’s on the verge of a history-making moment, as the tournament nears its end. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you need any more evidence of the explosive growth of women’s basketball, look no further than Monday night, when Iowa’s elite eight victory over LSU drew 12.3 million viewers. It’s not just the most ever for a women’s college game, it also eclipsed average viewers for last year’s World Series and NBA Finals. So as the Final Four gets ready to tip off in Cleveland Friday night, our expert Alexa Philippou reads between the now-officially measured lines to tell us everything we need to know. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As expected, Max Verstappen and his Red Bull team are off to a strong start in the 2024 Formula 1 season. But despite Verstappen and his teammate Sergio Perez finishing first and second in two of the season’s first three races, the focus has been on things happening off the track. Team principle Christian Horner has had a complaint of sexual harassment, coercion, and abusive behavior lodged against him by a female employee of the team, leading to questions about whether Verstappen’s future is with Red Bull. So today, ESPN F1 Editor & co-host of the Unlapped podcast, Laurence Edmondson explains how this allegation opened the door to a power struggle at the top of Red Bull, that could ultimately lead to Verstappen switching lanes in the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ippei Mizuhara was more than a friend and interpreter for Shohei Ohtani. He was the man that held the door shut between Ohtani and the outside world. With Mizuhara gone in the wake of this massive sports betting scandal, Ohtani is now a man alone. Tim Keown spent time watching the Dodgers’ newest star up close and personal recently, and he explains to us how Ohtani’s newfound isolation might actually be the key to him opening up to the Dodgers, and maybe eventually the rest of us all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He may have been the biggest such star to become entangled in a gambling drama, but Dodgers’ star Shohei Ohtani was not the first. Days after the scandal surrounding the global baseball star’s interpreter came to light, a different set of suspicious bets emerged. Last Monday, news broke of an investigation into Toronto Raptors reserve center Jontay Porter. As more and more states have legalized sports betting, we’ve seen more and more athletes, many of them lesser known players, drawing headlines for potential betting violations.  So today, David Purdum joins us to explain this latest case out of the NBA and how it suggests that an even bigger scandal, somewhere down the road, is more likely than you may think.   Note: ESPN launched ESPN Bet in partnership with Penn Entertainment in November 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While we are still enjoying the last moments of summer, the college football machine is already off and running as a fully operational battlestation. The CFB Top 25 rankings were just released and while some teams are looking poised to be some serious competition, others have fallen in the rankings leaving many questions up in the air. There have been so many changes in 2024, from the new sheriff in town for the Crimson Tide, to the SoCal teams swimming in the ultra-competitive Big Ten waters. Not to mention the chaos that will be the new playoff format. So today, college football uber-expert Ryan McGee joins us to make sense of all of this and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The women’s NCAA Tournament is back in action tonight with a slate of Sweet 16 games that could set the stage for an unforgettable weekend. Will Iowa and LSU renew their championship rivalry? Can UConn make a triumphant return to the Final Four? And can anyone even come close to stopping the South Carolina juggernaut?  ESPN women’s basketball expert Alexa Philippou joins us from Portland, to answer our questions, tell us what she’s seen so far in the tournament and predict what’s to come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

March Madness returns tonight with the Sweet 16, and the storylines are just getting good. Following a pair of stunning losses by blue bloods Kentucky and Kansas, and a return to form by Gonzaga, we’re asking ourselves if UConn can be villainous enough to capture the first two-peat since the 2007 Florida Gators? Whether Zach Edey can get Purdue over the top? And if NC State can be the Cinderella story to sweep through this tournament? ESPN host and college basketball writer Myron Medcalf gives us his take on that and more as the tournament action gets back underway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Even as the Shohei Ohtani sports betting scandal dominates the headlines, there are other off-the-field stories bouncing around Major League Baseball.  Just last week, for example, following an offseason that saw free agent spending decline by nearly a billion dollars, there was a battle for control within the MLB Players Association. So today, ESPN MLB writer Jeff Passan details a story full of palace intrigue, conniving characters, and breaks down a battle for the future of the MLBPA more suited to a Hulu drama than a SportsCenter segment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For any star, the path to greatness is paved with pitfalls most of us will never encounter. The burden of being the best person on the court. The challenges of trusting teammates who’s physical gifts and talents are so far removed from your own. The responsibility of setting the tone for everyone around you. That is the road Iowa’s Caitlin Clark walks.   So today, in the wake of the Hawkeyes’ second Sweet 16 birth in as many years, our Wright Thompson brings us closer to Clark’s inner circle and reveals the personal conflict she copes with everyday.  Wright’s ESPN.com article is titled ‘Being Cailtin Clark: Inside the world of the player who redefined the game.’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas has been the biggest story in the world for months. And it’s been devastating for Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 30,000 people have been killed. But through it all, the Palestine national football team has continued to compete, as it seeks a World Cup bid for the first time ever.  So with their fourth of six qualifying matches scheduled for Tuesday, ESPN investigative reporter T.J. Quinn tells us what he’s learned about the team, and how in the player's eyes, just being on the pitch sends a powerful message to their people and the world. T.J. Quinn's Report: Palestinian men's soccer team unites amid Israel-Hamas conflict Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This isn’t the kind of attention that Major League Baseball was looking for to open the season.  Almost as soon as the league got to celebrate Shohei Ohtani leading his new Dodgers teammates to victory in South Korea, news broke that Ohtani’s name was being dragged into a sports betting scandal involving his longtime friend and interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. ESPN investigative journalist Tisha Thompson takes us through her reporting to tell us what happened, and how baseball's biggest unicorn finds himself embroiled in a massive controversy.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There’s a new level of excitement surrounding the women’s college basketball game as the NCAA Tournament approaches. That’s because the rivalries are tougher, the game is faster, and the stars are shining brighter than maybe ever before. So today, ESPN women’s basketball reporter, Alexa Philippou, takes us through the teams, matchups, and players she has her eyes on, as the madness gets ready to begin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This season of men's college basketball has lacked the buzz and attention we're used to seeing, but now that the tournament is here and bracket bets are rolling in, that is sure to change. We already saw the drama ramp up last weekend as several “bid-thieves” won their conference tournaments and stole slots from a handful of bubble teams.  So can UConn become the first back-to-back champ in 17-years? Can Purdue overcome the stigma of last year's first-round upset? And what’s the deal with Long Beach State? Our college basketball guide Myron Medcalf is here to explore it all and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the first time in 38 years, the University of Southern California has earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. It’s the culmination of coach Lindsey Gottlieb’s three-year rehabilitation project for the once proud program.  But for former high school phenom Aaliyah Gayles, who’d committed to the Trojans before Gottlieb took over, injuries from a shooting in 2022 had her wondering if she’d ever be able to play basketball again.  ESPN Writer Katie Barnes started reporting on Gayles shortly after the shooting and over several months got intimate access to her family and the USC program. Today, Katie takes us inside Gayles’ long and courageous effort to return to the court. Katie’s E60 documentary on Aaliyah Gayles, titled “Only the Strong Survive,” premieres this Saturday at 11am ET on ESPN2 and will be available afterward on ESPN+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2019, Dr. Gregg Nigl, a neuropsychologist in Columbus, Ohio put forth what many consider the best bracket in history, correctly picking the first 49 games of the tournament while briefly bedridden with an illness. But the exact details of how he pulled it off have remained a secret for years.  So today, with this year’s bracket now revealed and fans everywhere entertaining their own dreams of perfection (looking at you dear listener), our Ryan Hockensmith gets to the bottom of the greatest run of tourney picks ever seen. And uncovers the method, or maybe lack thereof, behind the madness.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today, as the Little League World Series brings youth sports front and center, ESPN’s Courtney Cronin explains how George McCaskey, a scion of the legendary Halas family who owns the Chicago Bears, became a community fixture in youth sports as an umpire. Plus, Courtney’s been watching the Bears closely this preseason and tells us whether or not they’ve found their dream team with the rookie duo of quarterback Caleb Williams and wide receiver Rome Odunze. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In December, Ted Leonsis, owner of the Washington Wizards and Capitals, announced the teams were leaving their downtown home of 26 years and building a new arena south of the city in the Virginia suburbs. For many longtime fans of the team, moving to a community they didn’t feel welcome was seen as a betrayal. But it’s also a trend we’re seeing throughout sports, as owners increasingly use new venue projects as a tool to expand their real estate empires.  So today, Clinton Yates and Martenzie Johnson unpack the relationship between a downtown neighborhood, a fan base, and a team. And the charming state senator who’s made it her mission to stop Leonsis’ Potomac Yard project in its tracks.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s hard not to notice that championships are often the end all, be all in sports discourse. But in the case of the 2023-24 Boston Celtics, it may just be true. Boston has been one of the most successful franchises in the NBA in recent seasons, but the Celtics have not yet captured a ring in 16 years. Today, ESPN NBA writer Tim Bontemps explains why this Celtics team has been as good as almost any other squad in basketball history. But he also tells us that without a title at the end of the day, that doesn’t matter at all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The day that college administrators have long dreaded has finally arrived.  Last week, the Dartmouth men's basketball team officially formed the first-ever labor union in college sports. And though it may prove to be a union-in-name-only, it is a watershed moment for student athletes, schools, conferences, and the NCAA itself. So today, ESPN senior writer Dan Murphy explains what it all means and why the professionalization of college athletes looks ready to go into hyperdrive. You can watch Dan Murphy’s interview with NCAA President Charlie Baker at the ESPN YouTube Channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Six years ago, a simple 3am tweet from All-star DeMar DeRozan inadvertently kicked off a new conversation about mental health in the NBA. And in the years since, he's embraced his role as a mental health advocate.  Now, DeMar has launched a new web series, titled Dinners with DeMar featuring some of the likes of Draymond Green, Dwyane Wade, and Damian Lillard opening up about their own internal struggles. So today, our Jamal Collier takes us inside DeMar DeRozan's mental health journey, and how he's helping players around the league to up their game by elevating and advancing their minds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NFL free agency is set to start this week, meaning teams are looking to add talent, and players are looking to get paid. So today, Mina Kimes helps us understand who is available, and which teams will be looking to buy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the NBA’s top contenders right now, battling for the #1 seed in the West. But it hasn’t always been this way. As a lifelong T-Wolves fan: author, critic, and poet Hanif Abdurraqib is a historian of the many eras of this franchise, from the Kevin Garnett era in the early 2000s through some dismal seasons in the 2010s.  Throughout it all, Abdurraqib has nurtured a love for the team and its key players.  Today he joins the show to tell the story of how the T-Wolves found their way back to the top of the rankings, and where they could go from here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Big 12 Women’s basketball tournament starts today, but of all the teams in attendance, none have had a season of ups and downs like the Texas Christian University. After starting out the year surprisingly strong and entering the top 25, a series of injuries sidelined several players, including stars Sedona Price and Madison Connor. By mid-January, the Horned Frogs had only six players available.  So head coach Mark Campbell put an emergency plan into effect: hold open tryouts.   Today, Dave Wilson, who wrote about the team for ESPN, joins the show to explain how things got so dire for TCU, what it was like to walk-on to this team midseason, and why this real-life-sports-movie-in-the-making may still have a crazy final act.  The bracket for the Big 12 Tournament can be found here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Oklahoma City Thunder are currently sitting at the top of the Western Conference, which is not bad for a team that’s also one of the youngest in the NBA. But how are they dominating the league the way that they are so quickly? ESPN Senior Writer Chris Herring recently wrote about how the Thunder’s on-court presence is starting to resemble a 2014 Golden State Warriors team preparing to make a dynastic, four-championship run. With an emerging big three featuring an MVP candidate in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a standout rookie in Chet Holmgren, and a fast rising second-year star in Jalen Williams. Oklahoma City is playing at a high level, despite barely having played together. But the results speak for themselves. So today, Herring breaks down the numbers and tells us how the Thunder’s rise just might be inevitable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Chicago Bears are facing a critical decision as the NFL off-season kicks into gear. Do they stick with their incumbent quarterback, Justin Fields, who the Bears have spent a couple of seasons surrounding with talent. Or, do they draft Caleb Williams with the first pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, a player that some see as a generational prospect. It’s not as simple a decision as it might seem from the outside, especially when you look at how little Fields had around him early in his career, and how much he has grown alongside an improving roster. ESPN Chicago Bears reporter Courtney Cronin takes us through the most important off-season in recent memory for the Bears. And reminds us that this is a position the Bears haven’t gotten right since they drafted Sid Luckman…in 1939. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

March is a month synonymous with college basketball. The NCAA Tournament is just a few weeks away, but with the Super Bowl, the NBA, Spring Training, and the stars of women’s college basketball shining a spotlight on the sport like never before, it’s been a difficult men’s season to get a firm grasp on. ESPN Senior Basketball Reporter Myron Medcalf explains how schools are looking to draw fans in during a period of declining attendance, and then explains how the men’s side is facing more trouble than ever in connecting with casual fans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga took the mound on June 2, 2010 he was just looking to prove to the team that he deserved the stay in the starting rotation. But what began as a routine outing, turned into one of the most dramatic and historic moments in baseball history. Galarraga sat down the first 26 Cleveland hitters that he faced, leaving him one out away from a perfect game. But moments later, instead of glory, a blown call by the umpire, Jim Joyce, kicked off a nightmare for Major League Baseball. Today, ESPN’s Jen Lada explains what we can learn about justice and equity from this moment in time. Jen’s report, E-60 Presents 28 Outs: An Imperfect Story, airs August 18 at 4pm ET on ESPN and ESPN+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Long before stealing scenes, as Ashtray, in HBO’s hit drama “Euphoria”, Javon Walton was making waves as a young boxing prodigy. And this weekend, he goes back to his roots…. heading to Puerto Rico to make his global professional boxing debut, alongside Jake Paul and featherweight champion Amanda Serrano. So today, ESPN staff writer Marc Raimondi explores the potential of Javon “Wanna” Walton in the ring, and tells us why this fresh-faced 17 year old appears ready to conquer the fight game. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All eyes are on the circuit as the Bahrain Grand Prix gets set to kick off Formula 1’s 2024 season this Saturday, on ESPN. It's not just the sexy cars and extreme speed driving the growth of the planet’s fastest sport, there's plenty of drama to go around as well. Today ESPN F1 editor Laurence Edmundson takes us through Lewis Hamilton’s bombshell decision to leave Mercedes, where he's been for more than a decade, at the end of 2024, to fulfill a childhood dream and drive for Ferrari, who haven't won a title since 2007.  Defending champion Max Verstappen is coming off his third straight title with Red Bull, but questions are starting to emerge about whether his teammate Sergio Perez can keep up.  So Edmondson, on the ground in Bahrain, breaks down what to watch for on Saturday, and all season long. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tonight, the Clippers and Lakers will play for the final time as co-tenants of Crypto.com arena, as Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is set to open the team’s shiny new arena next fall. It’s a big moment for the team as they continue to seek a path out of the Lakers shadow.  But on the court, that emergence may be even closer. After a disastrous start to the James Harden era in November, the Clippers went on an 8-game win streak in December, have won nearly 70% of their games since, and now have the third-best odds to win the title, per ESPN Bet.  So today, our resident Clippers reporter Ohm Youngmisuk explains how the four-year-old bet on Kawhi Leonard and Paul George is finally paying off, how Russell Westbrook found his place, and how this squad is set to be a force in this year’s playoffs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The second half of the NBA season is underway, and the MVP picture is starting to take focus. ESPN NBA writer Tim Bontemps conducts several straw polls every season, getting input from 100 media members across the country to get a sense of where the race sits at various points on the calendar. And with Joel Embiid ineligible for the award due to injury, Bontemps walks us through who the front runners are, and tells us what to make of the recent international flavor of the NBA’s most prestigious regular season award. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As ESPN MLB Insider Jeff Passan tells us, spring training should be about hope and new beginnings. Relaying the smell of freshly cut grass, enjoying the Florida or Arizona sunlight, hearing the crack of the bat and the slap of the leather. But for Major League Baseball, there are still a number of issues that have caught people’s attention, and none of them relate to position battles, or players making debuts with new teams. The Athletics are still trying to find their way to Las Vegas, and with the city of Oakland less than enamored with them, they don’t even have a clear home beyond this season. Commissioner Rob Manfred has announced that he wants to retire in five years time, but first he wants to make sure that the league is ready to grow through expansion. And there are concerns about the new uniforms that players will be sporting this season, and how much they - ahem - reveal. So today, Passan tells us where the league is on all of these issues, and helps us clear the way for talk about baseball, on the field. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There are more household names in women’s basketball than ever before, and another star is shooting her way to the top of the list. USC’s freshman phenom JuJu Watkins has been turning heads since the moment the season tipped off, dropping 32 points in her first collegiate game to upset current No. 2 Ohio State. And since then, she hasn’t let up, posting 30 or more points in 9 other games, culminating in a 51-point explosion in another upset over Stanford. So as the No. 7 Trojans stare down two top 20 matchups this weekend, Alexa Philippou is here to explain what has fueled the rise of JuJu. And how, despite the stiff competition, she may ultimately go down as the best of her generation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s been a long time since the New York Knicks have been one of the NBA’s premier franchises. And even names like Pat Riley, Patrick Ewing, and Allan Houston, weren’t able to deliver a championship to New York City’s rabid basketball fans. But according to writer, host, and displaced New Yorker Jason Concepcion, that all may be starting to change. After decades of being the joke in many basketball circles, this Knicks team is suddenly loaded with talent and depth, and being run as competently as any franchise in the sport. And Knicks fans are getting excited again, something they’ll gladly tell you all about. Concepcion, a Knicks fanatic himself, joins the show to break down the culture shift at Madison Square Garden, decipher a lingo and fan base that you needed to grow up around to understand, and explain why New York City will always belong to the Knicks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Despite huge expectations and two of the top five players in the world the Edmonton Oilers got off to a disastrous start, finding themselves near the bottom of the standings. But after a coaching change, suddenly they started winning … and winning … and winning.  So today, our NHL expert Emily Kaplan explains how the Oilers found their way – and gauges whether they’re ready to get where they always intended to be. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1994, Steve McNair turned in one of the greatest seasons in college football history. He put his alma mater Alcorn State on the map, and finished third in the Heisman Trophy race. But nearly 30 years later, players at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) face a difficult path to the NFL. Jay “Sky” Walker, one of the great quarterbacks in black college football history, and a contemporary of McNair, helps us remember that amazing performance. And then explains how the HBCU Legacy Bowl is one attempt to help level the playing field for prospects coming from HBCUs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 2023 NBA All-Star Game marked a new low for the event. A lack of effort (and defense) from the players prompted “Team LeBron” head coach Michael Malone to call it “the worst basketball game ever played.” And after years of declining competitive spirt, the contest saw its lowest television ratings on record.  So today, our NBA oracle Brian Windhorst explains what’s gone wrong, why the players no longer care to win this thing, and why it will be a hard problem to fix.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Olympic games are over and on the hardwood, both the men and women of Team USA brought home gold.  But while the guys head off to vacation, the WNBA athletes are getting back to work. The league’s four-week break for the Paris Olympiad is over with teams taking the court tonight to kick off the season’s home stretch. And many storylines are still up in the air. Today, ESPN’s Rebecca Lobo, an Olympic gold medalist and former WNBA All-Star herself, drops by to tell us about the playoff push and what it’s like to represent your country on the hardcourt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NASCAR season is back, America. And it's time to tune in or, well … you’ll be missing out. Because where else in the sports world are you going to find drama, crashes, hugs, fights, confetti cannons, fireworks, oh and not to mention, Michael Jordan. And all of this is happening at 200 miles per hour.   So today, just ahead of the 2024 Daytona 500 – and the start of the NASCAR season – our resident motorsport savant Ryan McGee enlightens everyone on everything we are missing and why you should tune in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The puck dropped on the inaugural season of the Professional Women’s Hockey League, or PWHL, in January 2024, and fans have been excited so far. The nascent league has attracted eyes, and dazzled with its play, while big names like Hilary Knight, Marie-Philip Poulin, Alex Carpenter and Natalie Spooner have packed fans into arenas, proving that there’s room in North America for women to take the ice. But this is the fourth swing at establishing a professional women’s league since 2007, leaving some to ask, what makes the PWHL different from its predecessors? Today ESPN Senior NHL Writer Greg Wyshynski takes us through the PWHL’s inception, explores the history of women’s professional hockey in North America, and explains why there’s optimism that this time, it’ll stick. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Everyone hopes that the NBA Trade Deadline is filled with thermonuclear Woj Bombs that stop us in our tracks. But this year it all ended with a whimper. Still, there were enough players on the move and that leads us to ask some questions: What happens next? What do you do with your family, your pets … and most importantly, your sneakers? As the NBA is past the midpoint of the season, with trades that did and didn't happen, the big question circling around is what’s next? Are there new title contenders in our midst? So today, our Ohm Youngmisuk joins us to break down what’s next and the realities of life in the league when you suddenly find yourself shipped out of town. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices