You may be familiar with some of the NHL’s biggest stars. Names like Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, and Connor McDavid have transcended the sport…but there’s a new star in Dallas who is currently rising above ALL of them. Jason Robertson is a 23-year-old winger for the Dallas Stars, leads the NHL in goals…and is in the conversation for MVP. So we called in our old friend Emily Kaplan, and she tells us everything about hockey’s latest phenom…including why he’s now Pablo’s favorite hockey player.

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Andrew Luck’s football career was bright. He was the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, a generational, cerebral quarterback who played for the Indianapolis Colts and actually lived up to the hype, making Pro Bowl after Pro Bowl after Pro Bowl. But in 2019, at the age of 29, Luck shocked the world when he suddenly announced he was retiring from football entirely. Since then, the onetime superstar and would-be face of the NFL has remained largely removed from public view…until now. Seth Wickersham conducted multiple in-depth interviews with Andrew Luck, where they discussed everything from his decision to leave football, where he’s been since…and if football is in his future.

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For San Francisco 49ers fans, Sunday was…tough. On the first drive of the game, Niners QB Jimmy Garoppolo was injured, and later revealed to have sustained a broken foot, placing him on injured reserve for the season. Enter Brock Purdy, aka “Mr. Irrelevant,” who took over for San Fran under center and beat the Tua and the Dolphins 33-17. In Cincinnati, Joe Burrow and the Bengals earned another victory over the Chiefs, in a thrilling rematch of the AFC Championship game. And the Vikings survived several 4th quarter comeback attempts by Mike White and the Jets. Mina Kimes helps us understand everything that happened in the NFL on Sunday…and we ask her how she feels about a certain team close to her heart playing a different type of football.

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If you thought that US match against Iran on Tuesday was stressful…just wait for Saturday. After years of anticipation, geopolitical strife, and endless debates about ethical concerns, the USMNT has finally made it back to the knockout stage of the World Cup. USA’s first quarterfinal berth in 20 years hangs in the balance, with just the Netherlands standing in the way. Sam Borden sets the scene for the game from Qatar, and then our old friend Roger Bennett, who has been traveling across America enthusiastically watching the World Cup, tells us what he’s learned about this country and its growing love affair with soccer…and why we should hate the Dutch.

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Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is having a season unlike any other. From a highlight reel catch against the Bills to breaking records for most receiving yards through a player’s first three seasons, Jefferson has been this season’s breakout player. But despite his almost immediate dominance in the NFL, Jefferson was just the 5th wide receiver taken in his draft class, and coming out of high school received only one scholarship offer from a Power 5 program–LSU. Tim Keown profiled Jefferson for ESPN’s Cover Story, and he tells us how the Vikings magical wide receiver went overlooked…until his play refused to be ignored.

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USC quarterback Caleb Williams does kinda look like Patrick Mahomes. They’ve got similar heights, and builds, and almost the same mop of curly hair, kept high and tight beneath a headband. And Williams also plays like Mahomes: making tackle-defying scrambles and ridiculous throws on the run. His playmaking magic has brought the Trojans back to life: they’re somehow one win away from the college football playoff. Paolo Uggetti has been covering Williams since he was a viral sensation at Gonzaga High School in Washington, D.C., and he helps us get to know Williams and understand his meteoric rise.

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Iran faces the US today in the final game of their group stage. It’s a win or go home for young Team USA, who earned two draws in their earlier group stage games vs. Wales and England. Off the field, Iran remains under a global spotlight after months of protests against their own regime because of the country’s stance on women’s rights. This isn’t the first time Iran and the US have met on the field during times of intense geopolitical opposition: back in 1998, the Americans lost to Iran and were eliminated from the World Cup, after the previous several decades of tensions between the two nations which saw the Iran Hostage Crisis and American support for Iraq in the Iran-Iraq war. Sam Borden is on the ground in Qatar, and he brings us up to speed on how the tournament’s gone for Team USA so far, and explains what’s at stake for both sides ahead of the match.

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Sunday’s slate of NFL action saw multiple game winning 2-point conversions, an 86 yard walk-off overtime TD run, and most unlikely of all, a dominant Jets QB performance. In Jacksonville, Trevor Lawrence led the Jags to a comeback win against the Ravens. Jets QB Mike White delivered 3 touchdowns in New York’s victory over the Bears, after replacing the currently benched Zach Wilson. And the Broncos haven’t been able to make their partnership with Russell Wilson work just yet…as tensions flared in their loss to the Panthers. Our Monday QB Alex Smith tells us what he saw on the field from these games and more.

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The story of Barry Bremen, a.k.a. “The Great Imposter” was already sufficiently ridiculous. Bremen was an average, suburban dad, husband, and insurance salesman who’d risen to national fame by sneaking into major sporting events. But in 2019, nearly a decade after Barry Bremen’s death, his family received a mysterious letter that changed everything. The Barry Bremen legacy was bigger and more profound than any of them had ever realized. In an encore of one of our favorite episodes of the year, Jeremy Schapp brings us Part 2 of a tale unlike any other: one of family, and identity, and how technology has changed so many lives…and revealed so many secrets.

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It’s a story so wild we couldn’t fit it into one podcast. If you’re of a certain age, you probably remember Barry Bremen. In the late 70’s, Barry was best known for dressing up as pro athletes and sneaking into televised sporting events…beginning with the 1979 NBA All-Star Game, where he shot layups on the court with stars like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Moses Malone. And while his “Great Imposter” persona brought him fame, an appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and more adventures, Barry was also a totally normal family man…and a beloved dad. Bremen died of cancer in 2011, but his story didn’t end there. In an encore of one of our favorite episodes of the year, “The Great Imposter and Me” reveals the most unbelievable part of the Barry Bremen story, which came long after he’d hung up his phony uniforms and disguises. Jeremy Schaap brings us this story in two parts, for ESPN Daily. 

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