A Must Win Game with Maggie Gray

By AudacySports

A Must Win Game with Maggie Gray episodes

July 01 Episode 4: Linda Cohn Opens Up About ESPN, SportsCenter & Why She Believes She Deserved More Opportunities | A Must-Win Game
One of the most accomplished broadcasters in sports television joins A Must-Win Game this week.
Award-winning broadcaster Linda Cohn sits down to discuss her remarkable 34-year career at ESPN, where she became the longest-tenured SportsCenter anchor in network history, hosting more than 5,600 episodes of the iconic show. Linda opens up about the highs, the challenges, and the lessons learned during one of the most influential careers in sports media.
Among the topics discussed:
Why Linda believes she "should have gotten more opportunities" during her ESPN career.
The pressure ESPN personalities faced to create a memorable signature catchphrase—and how "For the love of elevation!" became one of hers.
The emotional decision to retire from ESPN after 34 years.
The surprising celebrities who reached out after her retirement announcement, including Lil Wayne and Charles Barkley.
Behind-the-scenes stories from SportsCenter.
The evolution of sports media over the past three decades.
Advice for the next generation of sports broadcasters.
Her exciting new YouTube channel and podcast launching in late July.
Then, former Maggie and Perloff co-host Andrew Perloff joins the show for another edition of Stock Up / Stock Down, where we break down the biggest stories in sports, including:
📈 LeBron James' legacy after announcing his departure from the Los Angeles Lakers.
📈 FIFA, the World Cup, and the fascinating contradiction between football's most beloved tournament and one of sports' most controversial governing bodies.
📉 Phil Mickelson and the latest controversy surrounding one of golf's greatest champions—and what it could mean for his legacy.
📈 The biggest winners and losers across the sports world this week.
Whether you're passionate about the NBA, NFL, golf, soccer, sports media, or the biggest conversations shaping today's sports landscape, Episode 4 delivers insightful interviews, thoughtful analysis, and engaging debate.
Timecodes
00:10 Welcome, Perloff likes the intro music
00:30 - LeBron James will not resign with the Los Angeles Lakers. Why he's not an all time Laker.
4:00 - Perloff thinks LeBron James is damaging his legacy if he joins Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr with the Golden State Warriors.
10:45 - Maggie thinks FIFA is getting credit for how amazing the World Cup has been, but they are one of the most corrupt organizations in sports.
14:18 - Perloff is intrigued by Ja Morant joining the Portland Trailblazers. Can Ja Morant redeem his career? Will it work with Damien Lillard and Scoot Henderson? Will this be the JailBlazers all over again?
17:20 - Phil Mickelson is ruining his legacy. In a recent article by Alan Shipnuck, Phil Mickelson's boorish behavior is revealed and the details are alarming. While their scandals are different, Phil Mickelson is started to resemble Tiger Woods and how Tiger Woods has had multiple negative scandals over the years.
21:02 - We're saddened by the news that Chris Johnson revealed he has been diagnosed with ALS. Maggie tells a story about the time Chris Johnson came to visit Sports Illustrated and brought fellow running back LenDale White with him unexpectedly.
23:04 - Perloff thinks the National Basketball Association is the most ripe for gambling scandals after Malik Beasley was arrested.
24:33- Perloff is dressing up like a Revolutionary War general for the 250th anniversary of the United States winning independence. This is how he celebrated the fourth of July in Philadelphia.
26:27 Linda Cohn just retired from ESPN and Sportscenter and she joins the show!
28:38 - Fighting for every opportunity that came her way.
32:26 - Linda's evolution from not wanting to mess up, to finding her voice and confidence as a sports broadcaster on SportsCenter.
34:04 - Linda is starting her own YouTube Channel and the hot takes are going to be on full display
34:57 - The pressure at SportsCenter to come up with a catchphrase. One of Linda's was "for the love of elevation"
38:09 - Specific SportsCenter episodes that she will always remember, including the day that Muhammad Ali died.
44:29 - Buying her own tickets to sporting events, and making her life about moments and memories more than material things.
47:39 - The celebrities who reached out to her after her announcement that she was retiring from ESPN included Lil Wayne and Charles Barkley.
49:11 - Linda questions the strategy from her favorite team, The New York Rangers. Especially the recent signing of Pavel Dorofeyev. Also the pressure is on the New York Rangers now that the New York Knicks have broken their long championship drought.

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55 min
June 26 SETH DAVIS SAYS THERE ARE NO "GENERATIONAL PLAYERS" IN THIS NBA DRAFT
COLLEGE BASKETBALL ANALYST SETH DAVIS SAYS HE DOES NOT SEE ANY GENERATIONAL PLAYERS IN THE 2026 NBA DRAFT. SETH ALSO EXPLAINS THAT FORMER MICHIGAN WOLVERINES BASKETBALL COACH DUSTY MAY TAKING THE HEAD COACHING JOB FOR THE DALLAS MAVERICKS IS NOT A BAD SIGN FOR COLLEGE BASKETBALL BECAUSE COACHES LIKE JON SCHEYER AT DUKE UNIVERSITY AND DANNY HURLEY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT HAVE STAYED IN COLLEGE. SETH ALSO EXPLAINS WHY FORMER VILLANOVA COACH JAY WRIGHT DOES NOT REGRET TURNING DOWN THE NEW YORK KNICKS, EVEN THOUGH THREE OF HIS FORMER PLAYERS, JALEN BRUNSON, JOSH HART, AND MIKAL BRIDGES, JUST WON A CHAMPIONSHIP IN NEW YORK. SETH ALSO GIVES HIS TOP FIVE ALL TIME COLLEGE BASKETBALL PLAYERS OF THE 1990'S.
BEFORE SETH DAVIS, MAGGIE TELLS YOU WHOSE STOCK IS UP AND WHOSE STOCK IS DOWN. STOCK DOWN TO THE NEW YORK TIMES FOR THEIR STORY ABOUT DIANNA RUSSINI. STOCK UP TO THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE FOR HOW THEY HAVE HANDLED BRENDAN SORSBY WHO BET ON HIS OWN TEAM WHILE PLAYING QUARTERBACK.
TIMESTAMPS:
00: 02 INTRO
01:26 - STOCK DOWN - THE NEW YORK TIMES FOR THEIR DIANNA RUSSINI ARTICLE
02:55 - WHY DIDN'T ANY EXECUTIVES GO ON THE RECORD FOR THEIR OWN STORY?
03:13 - WHY IT WAS WRONG TO PUBLISH DIANNA'S SALARY
08:35 - REPORTERS ASK PLAYERS AND COACHES FOR PERSONAL FAVORS ALL THE TIME
11:24 - STOCK UP - THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE FOR HOW THEY HANDLED BRENDAN SORSBY
15:56 - THE ONE THING NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT WHEN IT COMES TO BRENDAN SORSBY
17:16 - COLLEGE BASKETBALL REPORTER AND AUTHOR SETH DAVIS JOINS THE SHOW!
18:30 - WHY SETH IS "THE BEST SPORTS DAD EVER"
20:10 - SETH DOESN'T BELIEVE THIS NBA DRAFT HAS ANY "GENERATIONAL PLAYERS"
24:42 - IS DUSTY MAY LEAVING THE MICHIGAN WOLVERINES FOR THE DALLAS MAVERICKS A BAD SIGN FOR COLLEGE BASKETBALL
27:58 - WILL JON SCHEYER EVER LEAVE THE DUKE BLUE DEVILS FOR THE NBA?
30:26 - DOES JAY WRIGHT REGRET NOT TAKING THE NEW YORK KNICKS JOB NOW THAT THREE OF HIS FORMER VILLANOVA WILDCATS WON A TITLE IN NEW YORK?
33:43 - SETH GIVES HIS TOP FIVE GREATEST COLLEGE BASKETBALL PLAYERS OF THE 1990'S
39:10 - SETH IS WRITING LARRY BROWN'S MEMOIR

#SETHDAVIS #COLLEGEBASKETBALL #NBADRAFT #KNICKS #NEWYORKKNICKS #DIANNARUSSINI #NEWYORKTIMES #BRENDANSORSBY #NFL #SPORTS #BASKETBALL #HOOPS

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42 min
June 23 WILL GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP WITH THE MIAMI HEAT??
GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO WAS TRADED TO THE MIAMI HEAT IN A BLOCKBUSTER DEAL! MAGGIE GRAY AND ANDREW PERLOFF DISAGREE ON WHETHER GIANNIS CAN LEAD MIAMI TO AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP AND SOLIDIFY HIS LEGACY AS ONE OF THE GREATEST BASKETBALL PLAYERS OF ALL TIME. MAGGIE AND PERLOFF ALSO DISCUSS FORMER MICHIGAN WOLVERINES BASKETBALL COACH DUSTY MAY'S SURPRISE MOVE TO THE DALLAS MAVERICKS, WATCHING NORWAY DEFEAT SENEGAL IN THE WORLD CUP BEHIND ERLING HAALAND'S TWO GOALS, AND WHETHER CROWDS AT THE US OPEN WERE TOO HARSH ON WYNDHAM CLARK?
00:16 GIANNIS IS TRADED! WILL THE MIAMI HEAT WIN WITH HIM?
07:56 HOW MUCH DOES GIANNIS NEED TO WIN IN MIAMI FOR HIS LEGACY?
09:02 THE DALLAS MAVERICKS HIRING DUSTY MAY IS A GAMBLE
13:46 MAGGIE WENT TO THE WORLD CUP TO WATCH NORWAY DEFEAT SENEGAL AND HAS THOUGHTS ON ERLING HAALAND
19:35 THE TIME WYNDHAM CLARK CANCELED AN APPEARANCE ON OUR SHOW. WHY WERE THE CROWDS AT THE US OPEN SO MEAN TO HIM?

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23 min
June 22 EVERYONE HATES WYNDHAM CLARK!
WHY DOES EVERYONE HATE WYNDHAM CLARK? DAVID DUSEK, SENIOR WRITER FOR GOLFWEEK EXPLAINS THAT FANS FEEL CLARK HAS NOT BEEN HUMBLED SINCE HE DESTROYED A LOCKER AT OAKMONT LAST YEAR. ALSO, WHO PLAYS A PRO TOURNAMENT FIRST, TIGER WOODS OR HIS SON CHARLIE WOODS? AND FINALLY WHOSE STOCK IS UP AND WHOSE IS DOWN IN THE WORLD OF GOLF? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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23 min
December 23, 2025 12-23-25 Maggie and Perloff Hour 1
The Niners pull away from the Colts in Indy on MNF so we ask is Brock Purdy a top 10 QB? I Philip Rivers' uniform caught our eyes I Is Maggie getting FOMO?

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46 min
December 23, 2025 12-23-25 Maggie and Perloff Hour 2
DK Metcalf gets suspended for two games after throwing a punch at a Lions fan. Will this sink the Steelers? I Is there recency bias in our Brock Purdy discourse? I Biff Poggi wants to fix Michigan, badly.

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46 min
December 23, 2025 12-23-25 Maggie and Perloff Hour 3
What were some of the top sports headlines in 2025? I "Playoffs? You kiddin' me?" I Will the alternate broadcasts take off in 2026?

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46 min
December 23, 2025 12-23-25 Maggie and Perloff Hour 4
We give out a special shoutout to our regular callers I Will EJ's Canes make it to the CFP Semifinals? I From the bottom of our hearts, thank you, listeners!

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46 min
December 22, 2025 12-22-25 Maggie and Perloff Hour 1
Steelers survive the Lions in Detroit after a wild final play I Perloff reveals he is actively rooting against the Knicks I Jerry Jones discusses Cowboys' underachieving season.

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46 min
December 22, 2025 12-22-25 Maggie and Perloff Hour 2
Should DK Metcalf be suspended after throwing a punch at a fan? I Finding time to consume Shawshank Redemption I Shedeur Sanders and the Browns push the Bills to the limit.

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46 min