The Lead

Lior Asulin was a star player on a soccer team that was once a powerful symbol of peace and unity in Israel -- a team where Jews and Arabs played side by side. Nearly twenty years later, he was killed by Hamas in the October 7th attacks. This is the tragic story of his life and death.

Interviewees: Adi Rubinstein, Eyal Lahman, Gabriel Lima

Watch a documentary about the aftermath of Bnei Sakhnin's championship season, After The Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United, courtesy of the Kicking + Screening Soccer Film Festival.

Special thanks for this episode: Chris Browne, Daigo Oliva, Itai Anghel, Rund Abdelfatah, Greg Lalas, Geoff Walker

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Minnesota Vikings quarterback Josh Dobbs was the author of one of the most dramatic wins of the NFL season, leading his team to a victory over the Falcons — and learning plays on the fly — just five days after coming over from the Cardinals in a trade. Today, we look at why Dobbs — an actual rocket scientist — was in the rare position to rise to that occasion. And, after a disastrous performance against the Bears on Monday night, where does Dobbs’s story go from here?

Guest: Alec Lewis, The Athletic

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In 1983, musical legend Marvin Gaye stepped to the microphone at The Forum in Los Angeles, to sing the national anthem before the NBA All-Star Game. What happened next set in motion a cultural transformation within the NBA that still reverberates today. (This episode first aired on March 1, 2023)

Guests: David Aldridge and Marcus Thompson II, The Athletic

Read David and Marcus's story about Marvin Gaye at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game

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Travis Kelce might be the most talked-about man in all of American pop culture right now. But his rise from football star to A-List celebrity actually began months before he began courting Taylor Swift with a friendship bracelet. Tom Kludt spent time with Kelce earlier this year and wrote an in-depth profile of him for Vanity Fair, and Tom joined us to discuss Kelce's remarkable ascent, the origins of his off-field ambitions, and just how bright his star could become. (This episode originally aired in July.)

Guest: Tom Kludt, Contributing Editor at Vanity Fair

Read Tom's profile of Travis Kelce here

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At age 14, Mikey Williams was considered by some to be the best basketball player his age in the country. He had millions of followers on Instagram and celebrities like Drake asked for his jersey and invited him backstage. He even had LeBron James serving as a mentor. But questions about his basketball abilities began to pile up. And then, earlier this year, his life took a very dark turn. Today, we bring you a cautionary tale about pressure, fame, and basketball in the age of social media.

Guest: Jeff Eisenberg, Yahoo! Sports

Read Jeff's full story about Mikey Williams here

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You might not guess it from watching him play football, but for much of his life, the odds have not been in C.J. Stroud’s favor. He saw his father go to prison at age 13, and reportedly did so poorly on the S2 cognition test that many people expected him to fail in the NFL. Today, we look at how Stroud’s self-belief helped propel him past the obstacles in the path, and redefine what’s possible for a rookie quarterback as he powers a Houston Texans renaissance.

Guest: Zak Keefer, The Athletic

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If you’ve watched a Philadelphia Eagles game recently, chances are you’ve gotten a close look at arguably the NFL’s most controversial play. The Tush Push (or Brotherly Shove, or Two-Cheek Sneak, if you prefer) has become the Eagles not-so-secret weapon, a play that’s been both criticized — and imitated — across the NFL. Today, we look at why the play has become so polarizing in such a short amount of time, how Jalen Hurts and the Eagles do it better than anyone else, and what the future holds for this particular kind of shove. 

Guest: Kalyn Kahler, The Athletic

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A living nightmare finally came to an end for Liverpool's Luis Diaz on Thursday when his father was released by kidnappers in Colombia. Luis Manuel Diaz had been held captive for nearly two weeks, despite a massive push by the Colombian government to have him set free. Today, we look at how the kidnapping took place, the group behind it, and how Diaz’s teammates -- and the soccer community -- ultimately rallied around the man they call 'Lucho.'

Guest: James Pearce, The Athletic

Find more of James's coverage here

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At age 22, in his fourth year in the league, Anthony Edwards is on the verge of making the leap to NBA superstardom — a journey that can be traced back to the gritty neighborhood in southwest Atlanta that made him who he is. Today, we look at Edwards’s unlikely rise, and full circle return to his hometown, and the loving family that propelled him forward in the aftermath of tragedy. Plus, the hope that Edwards is bringing to long-disappointed Timberwolves fans in his new home city of Minneapolis.

Guest: Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic

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