Sportly

Daniel Sandoval has spent two decades near the top of action sports, and this year he helped deliver one of the wildest finishes in X Games League history, riding through injuries doctors told him to sit out and sealing his team's championship in the final minutes. In this conversation he talks about growing up in Corona, California, discovering BMX at ten years old, and building a career that took him from amateur contests to sponsorships with Red Bull and now Monster Energy. He opens up about losing his father as a teenager and finding a photo after his death that revealed his dad had once ridden bikes himself, a moment that changed how he thinks about his own path in the sport.

In this conversation with Kavitha Davidson he talks about fatherhood, the physical toll of two decades of competition, and what it means to be one of BMX's veterans as a new generation of riders comes up behind him. Daniel reflects on the mental side of competing through pain, the shift from individual competition to a team format this year, and where he sees the sport heading as it competes for attention with the Olympics and social media. It's a candid look at what keeps an athlete going long after the easy years are behind him.

Host: Kavitha A. Davison | Producer & Writer: Paroma Chakravarty I Executive Producer: Saadia Khan | Research & Script: Juan Sebastian Camacho| Sound Designer & Editor: Paroma Chakravarty I Sportly Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art Graphic Designer: Sarah DiMichele

Please share the love and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify to help more people find us! 

You can reach the host, Kavitha, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Sportly is an Immigrantly Media Production

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This week, Kavitha Davidson traces how ESPN's X Games built the stage that made Tony Hawk, Dave Mirra, Travis Pastrana, and Shaun White into household names - and how it's evolved into the X Games League, the team-based reboot that just posted a 78.5% ratings jump in its first summer season, and whether the novelty can hold.

Host: Kavitha A. Davison | Producer & Writer: Paroma Chakravarty I Executive Producer: Saadia Khan | Research & Script: Juan Sebastian Camacho| Sound Designer & Editor: Paroma Chakravarty I Sportly Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art Graphic Designer: Sarah DiMichele

Please share the love and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify to help more people find us! 

You can reach the host, Kavitha, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find Sportly on Instagram @sportlypod

Follow us on TikTok @immigrantly 

Sportly is an Immigrantly Media Production

For advertising inquiries, you can contact us at [email protected]

Want to go deeper into your own identity? Download Belong on Your Own Terms, the app helping first-gen, second-gen, and third-culture kids reclaim belonging on their own terms. 

link below

⁠http://studio.com/saadia⁠

Join us in creating new intellectual engagement for our audience. You can get more

information at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://immigrantlypod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Remember to subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠Apple podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠channel⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for insightful podcasts. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Step into the bleachers of Comiskey Park, where the Boston Red Sox face off against the Chicago Cubs in the 1918 World Series. With America deep in the throes of World War I, baseball offers a brief escape from the harsh realities of war and loss. This pivotal game, featuring Babe Ruth as the Red Sox’s starting pitcher, also marks the moment when the Star-Spangled Banner begins its journey to becoming an iconic part of American sports.

Join Sportly host Kavitha Davidson as she explores the history of playing the national anthem at sporting events in the wake of World War II, the Civil Rights Movement, and 9/11. Davidson examines how these moments have sparked both unity and protest throughout U.S. history.

Listen to how athletes have used their platforms to unite and challenge the status quo, shedding light on the complex relationship between national identity, patriotism, and sports

___

Hosts: Kavitha A. Davison | Producers: Saadia Khan & Shei Yu I Content Writers: Michaela Strauther & Kavitha A Davidson I Sound Designer & Editor: Paroma Chakravarty I Immigrantly Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson | Other Music: Epidemic Sound

Sportly is an Immigrantly Media Production

For advertising inquiries, you can contact us at [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sportly is handing over the feed to our friends at Burn It All Down today. Listen to our previous episode with Amira and Jessica on Heated Rivalry here.

Amira, Brenda, and Lindsay review how sports betting has seeped into politics and provided the stuff of fantasies for people in dire economic need. Women represent the final frontier for exploitative betting companies, and BIAD asks how we can save women’s sports from such scourge. The hosts consider ways to regulate the industry in order to save sports. They also have plenty to burn (looking at you, Sophie Cunningham) and honor the torchbearers giving them hope. 

Support Burn It All Down and access bonus content by becoming a Patron: http://patreon.com/burnitalldownpod

Show notes:

Host: Kavitha A. Davison | Producer & Writer: Paroma Chakravarty I Executive Producer: Saadia Khan | Research & Script: Juan Sebastian Camacho| Sound Designer & Editor: Paroma Chakravarty I Sportly Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art Graphic Designer: Sarah DiMichele

Please share the love and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify to help more people find us! 

You can reach the host, Kavitha, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find Sportly on Instagram @sportlypod

Follow us on TikTok @immigrantly 

Sportly is an Immigrantly Media Production

For advertising inquiries, you can contact us at [email protected]

Want to go deeper into your own identity? Download Belong on Your Own Terms, the app helping first-gen, second-gen, and third-culture kids reclaim belonging on their own terms. 

link below

⁠http://studio.com/saadia⁠

Join us in creating new intellectual engagement for our audience. You can get more

information at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://immigrantlypod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Remember to subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠Apple podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠channel⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for insightful podcasts. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For decades, Pakistan's women football had no federation support, no funding, and no path to international competition. They built their own anyway, starting with a single club founded in a Karachi backyard and growing into a movement that survived internal warfare, government interference, and several takeovers of federation headquarters that got the banned by FIFA.

In this episode, Kavitha Davidson traces that fight from Pakistan's dusty rural pitches to a diaspora spread across Europe and North America, and follows the squad that came out the other side all the way to Ivory Coast, where Pakistan's women's team made its first-ever FIFA-sanctioned appearance and made history.

Host: Kavitha A. Davison | Producer & Writer: Paroma Chakravarty I Executive Producer: Saadia Khan | Research & Script: Juan Sebastian Camacho| Sound Designer & Editor: Paroma Chakravarty I Sportly Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art Graphic Designer: Sarah DiMichele

Please share the love and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify to help more people find us! 

You can reach the host, Kavitha, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find Sportly on Instagram @sportlypod

Follow us on TikTok @immigrantly 

Sportly is an Immigrantly Media Production

For advertising inquiries, you can contact us at [email protected]

Want to go deeper into your own identity? Download Belong on Your Own Terms, the app helping first-gen, second-gen, and third-culture kids reclaim belonging on their own terms. 

link below

⁠http://studio.com/saadia⁠

Join us in creating new intellectual engagement for our audience. You can get more

information at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://immigrantlypod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Remember to subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠Apple podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠channel⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for insightful podcasts. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is a rerun of "Courtside Stories: Rivalries, Redemption, and Prison Reform?"

Prison sports are about to become California law. Before the policy fight, hear from the men inside San Quentin on what the game has meant to them - and from the critics who say programs like these teach the wrong lesson.

What if a basketball game could offer more than just a win? This week on Sportly, we head to San Quentin, where the Golden State Warriors face off against incarcerated players in a decade-long rivalry that’s redefining second chances. But are these programs as beneficial as they seem, or do they risk perpetuating systemic injustices?

From historic prison sports leagues to global initiatives like the Twinning Project, host Kavitha A. Davidson uncovers the untold stories of how sports inspire hope, foster connections, and spark debate about the role of rehabilitation in the justice system.

Host: Kavitha A. Davison | Producers: Saadia Khan & Shei Yu I Content Writers: Nicholas Black, Suhasini Patni, Shei Yu & Kavitha A. Davidson I Sound Designer & Editor: Paroma Chakravarty I Immigrantly Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art Graphic Designer: Sarah DiMichele

Join us as we create new intellectual engagement for our audience. You can get more information at ⁠http://immigrantlypod.com⁠.

Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ & ⁠Spotify⁠ to help more people find us! 

Remember to subscribe to our Apple podcast⁠ channel ⁠for insightful podcasts. 

Follow us on ⁠social media⁠ for updates and behind-the-scenes content.

You can reach the host, Kavitha, at ⁠[email protected]⁠

Follow us on TikTok ⁠@immigrantlypodcast⁠

IG ⁠@immigrantlymedia⁠

Sportly is an Immigrantly Media Production

For advertising inquiries, you can contact us at [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the final episode of our FIFA series, host Kavitha Davidson sits down with Jeff Rueter, soccer correspondent for The Guardian US and formerly a staff writer at The Athletic, to unpack how this World Cup actually ended. Jeff, who spent the tournament embedded with the U.S. men's national team, walks Kavitha through the strangest week of his career: the eve-of-match red card reversal that turned a soccer story into a geopolitical one overnight, and the questions still swirling about how and why it happened.

They also dig into the final itself, breaking down how Argentina built its entire knockout-round game plan around grinding to penalties, a strategy that never got the chance to pay off, and what this tournament likely being Lionel Messi's last World Cup means for how his career gets remembered.

Previously in the Sportly FIFA series:

"Who Gets Rich When the World Cup Comes to Town?"

"What World Cup Fans Are Discovering About the Real America"

Host: Kavitha A. Davison | Producer & Writer: Paroma Chakravarty I Executive Producer: Saadia Khan | Sound Designer & Editor: Paroma Chakravarty I Sportly Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art Graphic Designer: Sarah DiMichele

Please share the love and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify to help more people find us! 

You can reach the host, Kavitha, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find Sportly on Instagram @sportlypod

Follow us on TikTok @immigrantly 

Sportly is an Immigrantly Media Production

For advertising inquiries, you can contact us at [email protected]

Want to go deeper into your own identity? Download Belong on Your Own Terms, the app helping first-gen, second-gen, and third-culture kids reclaim belonging on their own terms. 

link below

⁠http://studio.com/saadia⁠

Join us in creating new intellectual engagement for our audience. You can get more

information at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://immigrantlypod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Remember to subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠Apple podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠channel⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for insightful podcasts. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Part wrestling, part tag, part martial arts, and all breath control. In this episode, Kavitha dives into the world of kabaddi, the high-octane South Asian sport that's quietly going global.

You'll meet fearless raiders, strategic defenders, and women breaking barriers through the sport. With teams from India, Pakistan, Iran, Bangladesh and beyond gearing up for the Asian Games this fall — and Europe's biggest kabaddi league launching this summer — there's never been a better time to learn why this game is more than a sport. It's a movement.

Host: Kavitha A. Davison | Producer: Paroma Chakravarty I Executive Producer: Saadia Khan | Sound Designer & Editor: Paroma Chakravarty I Sportly Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art Graphic Designer: Sarah DiMichele

Please share the love and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify to help more people find us! 

You can reach the host, Kavitha, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find Sportly on Instagram @sportlypod

Follow us on TikTok @immigrantly 

Sportly is an Immigrantly Media Production

For advertising inquiries, you can contact us at [email protected]

Want to go deeper into your own identity? Download Belong on Your Own Terms, the app helping first-gen, second-gen, and third-culture kids reclaim belonging on their own terms. 

link below

⁠http://studio.com/saadia⁠

Join us in creating new intellectual engagement for our audience. You can get more

information at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://immigrantlypod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Remember to subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠Apple podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠channel⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for insightful podcasts. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

World Cup 2026 fan culture takes center stage as Kavitha Davidson explores the viral moments defining this tournament - from Scottish fans turning Boston into "New Scotland" to Dutch, Norwegian, and Japanese supporters going viral worldwide.

But beneath the wholesome clips lies a deeper story of visa denials, price barriers, and fandom's darker history, from Andrés Escobar's 1994 murder to Iceland's iconic Viking clap reminds us that intense fan emotions can lead in many ways.

Previously in the FIFA series: "Who Gets Rich When the World Cup Comes to Town?"

Host: Kavitha A. Davison | Producer & Writer: Paroma Chakravarty I Executive Producer: Saadia Khan | Research: Juan Sebastian Camacho I Sound Designer & Editor: Paroma Chakravarty I Sportly Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art Graphic Designer: Sarah DiMichele

Please share the love and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify to help more people find us! 

You can reach the host, Kavitha, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find Sportly on Instagram @sportlypod

Follow us on TikTok @immigrantly 

Sportly is an Immigrantly Media Production

For advertising inquiries, you can contact us at [email protected]

Want to go deeper into your own identity? Download Belong on Your Own Terms, the app helping first-gen, second-gen, and third-culture kids reclaim belonging on their own terms. 

link below

⁠http://studio.com/saadia⁠

Join us in creating new intellectual engagement for our audience. You can get more

information at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://immigrantlypod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Remember to subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠Apple podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠channel⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for insightful podcasts. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sportly was recently featured in Forbes, where Kavitha spoke about what makes this show's approach to sports storytelling different. Read it here:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/frankracioppi/2026/06/15/sports-podcasts-are-looking-to-score-that-golden-goooaalll/

What do you get when two friends, a wiffle ball, and a summer day collide? The answer is Pickleball.

Pickleball is a sport born from a moment of boredom in 1965 that’s now taking the world by storm. In this episode of Sportly, host Kavitha Davidson dives into the quirky origins of pickleball, exploring how this simple backyard game invented by Joel Pritchard has become America’s fastest-growing sport. From its humble beginnings on Bainbridge Island to celebrity-filled tournaments and public park controversies, Kavitha uncovers the story behind the paddle and how a game meant to pass the time is now passing records.

Whether you're a seasoned pickler or just pickle-curious, this episode will undoubtedly offer some fascinating insights. Get ready to volley with history!

(This episode has originally aired on September 2024)

___

Host: Kavitha A. Davison | Producer: Paroma Chakravarty I Executive Producer: Saadia Khan | Content Writers: Emmanuelle Monahan & Kavitha Davidson I Fact Checking and Research: Suhasini Patni I Sound Designer & Editor: Paroma Chakravarty I Immigrantly Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art Graphic Designer: Sarah DiMichele

Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us! 

Remember to subscribe to our Apple podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠channel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for insightful podcasts. 

You can reach the host, Kavitha, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow us on TikTok @immigrantly 

IG @immigrantlypods

Sportly is an Immigrantly Media Production

For advertising inquiries, you can contact us at [email protected]: Kavitha A. Davison | Producers: Saadia Khan & Shei Yu I Content Writers: Michaela Strauther, Shei Yu & Kavitha A. Davidson I Sound Designer & Editor: Paroma Chakravarty I Immigrantly Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson | Other Music: Epidemic Sound

Sportly is an Immigrantly Media Production

For advertising inquiries, you can contact us at [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices