Episodes
For Washington Commanders fans, the Daniel Snyder ownership era was a brutal 24-year stretch. The once proud franchise became a laughingstock both on the football field and off, as the NFL and Congress launched various investigations into misconduct, sexual harassment, and financial improprieties.  Then in 2023, financial executive Josh Harris bought the team and oversaw its decision to draft budding superstar quarterback Jayden Daniels. Even with close losses to good teams over the last two...
Published 11/21/24
Published 11/21/24
11 weeks into the NFL season, playoff possibilities are starting to take shape. But who has a shot at each conferences’ coveted Number 1 seed? It's the envious position every team desires as it ensures not only an extra week of rest and recovery when the playoffs start, but also home field advantage all the way through the conference championship round. That would be the easy road to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. So today, we are joined by our intrepid NFL expert Bill Barnwell, who looks at...
Published 11/20/24
A generation later, the images of one of the worst scenes to ever take place in an NBA arena are still shocking. A cup full of liquid hurtling through the air, striking Indiana Pacers small forward Ron Artest, and setting off a powder keg - as coaches, security, members of the Pacers, and fans came to blows in the stands, the tunnel, and on the court itself. When the bad blood between the Pacers and rival Detroit Pistons boiled over in Auburn Hills, it was impossible to ignore the sight of...
Published 11/19/24
There was a lot of action across the NFL in week 11. And games ending on blocked field goals in back to back weeks was just the tip of the iceberg.  Because even as the Chicago Bears failed to end their now 11 game losing streak against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field, we also saw Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs and the rest of the Detroit Lions put up a league high 52 points on a hapless Jacksonville Jaguars team missing Trevor Lawrence. In one of...
Published 11/18/24
On Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, UFC 309 will take place, and the main event will be the long-delayed match between arguably the greatest of all time in Jon Jones and possibly the greatest heavyweight of all time in Stipe Miocic.  Even though these two are getting all the hype, there are still plenty of questions. Is this the fight everyone wants to see? What do these two fighters have to prove? When it’s over, will these two legends fight anymore or walk away with their...
Published 11/15/24
In 1986, 20-year-old Mike Tyson became the youngest Heavyweight Champion ever, kicking off four years of utter dominance that made him one of the biggest icons in sports. But by the time he officially retired in 2005, it was hard to imagine ever seeing him in a ring again. So news that, in 2024, he would fight a 27-year-old Jake Paul in an officially sanctioned fight caught everyone by surprise.  Today, Andreas Hale joins David Dennis Jr. to explain why Mike Tyson remains a fixture of sports...
Published 11/14/24
The Bears were already a mess coming into last Sunday’s matchup against the Patriots. But since they fell 19-3 to the hapless Pats at Soldier Field, things have gotten even worse.  On Tuesday, head coach Matt Eberflus announced the firing of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron as one last hail mary to try and rescue this season. Courtney Cronin covers the Bears and is here to discuss what made this team crumble and what is to come for quarterback Caleb Williams and the whole team as they...
Published 11/13/24
The NBA season is officially in full swing and for many it’s a start that no one could have predicted. Who would have thought that even a few weeks into the season the Milwaukee Bucks would be fighting to stay out of the NBA cellar? Or that the Cleveland Cavaliers would be putting up numbers that King James couldn’t even muster during his reign? And let’s not forget the Golden State Warriors, who are going back to their old championship playbook and now find themselves sitting near the top of...
Published 11/12/24
Coming into the season, few, if any, NFL watchers would have picked the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals to win their divisions. But here we are, after ten weeks of play, and both teams are in first place and control their own destiny toward a division title. For each of them, the sudden resurgence of once written-off quarterbacks have been a crucial piece of the puzzle.  Today, Ben Solak joins Michele Steele to break down how Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray got their grooves back....
Published 11/11/24
The National Women's Soccer League playoffs kick off tonight with a matchup between No. 1 Orlando Pride and No. 8 Chicago Red Stars, followed by more quarterfinal round matches on Saturday and Sunday.  But both on and off the pitch, the NWSL has arrived in a new era. Jeff Kassouf, lead women’s soccer writer at ESPN, is here to discuss the league’s recent seismic shifts, including the players’ new collective bargaining agreement – both the unprecedented power it gives players and the ripple...
Published 11/08/24
Jerry Jones has built the Dallas Cowboys into the most valuable sports franchise in the world. But the 28 years since they last won a Super Bowl have been marked by a remarkable string of playoff failure. And this season, after three losses in a row, it looks like the letdowns in Big D will continue.  Back in the offseason, former Cowboys tight end Dalton Schultz identified a challenge very unique to Jerry’s team when he said “there’s [fans] literally going on tours while you’re lifting in...
Published 11/07/24
The dawn of a new college basketball season is here, and as we have all learned, change,and lots of it, is the new normal. From rosters rebuilt through the transfer portal, to programs making a name for themselves with the power of NIL deals – all we can say is welcome back to the chaos on the road to the Madness. There are some notable faces to follow this year like Cooper Flagg, the generational talent looking to bring a title to Duke and the duo of dynamic freshman at Rutgers (yes...
Published 11/06/24
Who’s in and who’s out? Tonight’s reveal of the college football playoff rankings should serve as a less contentious appetizer to your election night viewing. And with the sport expanding the field to twelve teams for the first time in history, the eager anticipation is coupled with some confusion about how this whole thing is going to work.   Today, Heather Dinich, who’s been using her weekly column to play-act as a committee-of-one all season, is here to answer all your questions. How can...
Published 11/05/24
The end of the action on Sunday afternoon marked the mathematical midpoint of the 2024 NFL season. Exactly 186 games had been played, and Sunday Night’s matchup between the Colts and Vikings kicked off the season’s second half. So we figured it was time to check in on some teams midterm grades. Michele Steele and Ben Solak go through who is acing text after test across the league, and who could use a little extra time in study hall.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...
Published 11/04/24
The hype for an all time classic World Series was real when the Dodgers-Yankees matchup was locked in. Two of the most iconic franchises in MLB history battling for a ring for the 12th time in history, and the game's two biggest stars — Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge – shining on baseball’s biggest stage. But in the end, this series was over before it even got started, and the Dodgers celebrated their 8th world championship on enemy soil. So today, ESPN Daily’s own Clinton Yates reports...
Published 11/01/24
Ahead of this weekend’s New York City Marathon, filmmaker and long-distance runner Nicole Teeny shares the incredible story behind her new 30 for 30 podcast GIRL v. HORSE.  The conversation encompasses the surprising history of humans facing animals in contests of endurance and her own personal quest to accomplish the unthinkable: defeating a literal horse in a 50-mile ultramarathon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Published 10/31/24
Monday brought news that head coach Stephanie White was leaving the Connecticut Sun, followed by speculation that she would be moving to a new team in the coming days. White was the seventh head coach to leave or be fired in the WNBA this offseason, meaning a majority of the league’s twelve teams will be under new leadership next season. Considering the explosive growth the league saw in 2024, it’s clear that the stakes are ramping up for leaders at every level. So with college basketball...
Published 10/30/24
On the eve of November, the college football calendar finds itself in a rare situation for this time of year as it is chock full of chaos. From undefeated teams looking to make school history, to historic powerhouses trying to hold on to their relevance, all eyes are now focused on what’s next and who will be able to claim the coveted spots in the expanded college football playoff. And this looks to be the new normal as NIL, the transfer portal and conference realignment have given birth to...
Published 10/29/24
This year, week 8 in the NFL was a holiday. No, not Halloween, but, National Tight Ends Day.  And the Tight Ends were front and center, none more than George Kittle - the holiday’s “creator.” But since you heard plenty about it on every broadcast, today, Ben Solak is here to break down the Sunday night brawl between the 49ers and Cowboys. And to explain just how wild the end of the Commanders and Bears game was. To say nothing of the Lions putting up 52 points on the Titans, or the Browns...
Published 10/28/24
Yankees, Dodgers, World Series. Those words evoke memories of Major League baseball becoming the national pastime generations ago.  Both franchises fielded some of the absolute giants in the history of the sport. Babe and Jackie. Mantle and Koufax. And today Ohtani and Judge.  So as the baseball world gets ready for game one of the Fall Classic, we turn to Claire Smith, a legend in her own right, to tell us about the legacies of these two teams.  And to put into perspective the passing of...
Published 10/25/24
The story told of World War II and America is one of triumph over the Axis powers of Germany and Japan; a time when our entire nation stood together as one.  It has served as both an anchor and a beacon of virtue in our nation’s history. But often forgotten from this time is the Executive Order signed by President Roosevelt that called for forcible removal of all Japanese Americans from the West Coast to inland internment camps. This order ripped apart families, their homes and their...
Published 10/24/24
There’s one thing for certain, the San Antonio Spurs sure can pick ‘em. From David Robinson to Tim Duncan and now Victor Wembanyama, whenever the Spurs have the No. 1 pick in the draft, they always seem to get their hands on a generational talent. And no one knows that more than lifelong Spurs superfan Shea Serrano, who has lived and breathed all of it.  Today Serrano joins us to break down the vibe in San Antonio, gauge how close they are to a championship, and game out how long Gregg...
Published 10/23/24
The NBA season starts tonight, and much has happened since the end of the NBA Finals. The Eastern Conference has loaded up on top, with the Knicks and the 76ers making big moves over the summer to compete with the reigning champion Celtics. Over in the Western Conference there is as competitive a race to the playoffs as ever, where almost every team has a chance to make it to the postseason.  Today Tim Bontemps joins the show to survey which off-season moves are most likely to pay off, why...
Published 10/22/24
Week 7 in the NFL featured several of the biggest regular season battles that we’ve seen this season. While a Super Bowl rematch between the Chiefs and 49ers sort of fizzled out. Games between the Packers and Texans, and Lions and Vikings came down to the wire. And that’s before we even look at the newest toy in Aaron Rodgers toybox. So today, Ben Solak helps us understand all the highlights and stand out moments from Sunday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Published 10/21/24