The Lead

There’s been a lot of speculation about whether the NFL’s embrace of the Black Lives Matter movement would impact television viewership. After the first week of play, some media outlets jumped on preliminary reports to argue that fan support was waning because of the league's support for social justice causes. But it turns out, the truth is more complicated. The Athletic's Dan Kaplan joins us to break down the numbers and to explain what conclusions the experts are reaching about viewership trends.

More from Dan Kaplan:

https://theathletic.com/2068692/2020/09/15/kaplan-the-nfls-week-1-ratings-are-down-but-not-as-dramatic-as-reported/?source=theleadpodcast

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After a wild couple of games, the Chicago Bears are 2-0 with Mitch Trubisky at the helm. Many questioned whether or not the often erratic QB should still be the starter after the Bears acquired former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles in the offseason, but so far the team has managed to pull two vital wins with Trubisky as their play caller. The Athletic's Kevin Fishbain joins us to break down Trubisky's performance in the first two weeks, the roller coaster that has been his NFL career thus far, and whether or not we're seeing him turn a corner.

More from Kevin Fishbain:

https://theathletic.com/2074879/2020/09/18/the-athletics-guide-to-bears-giants-can-mitch-trubisky-find-consistency/?source=theleadpodcast

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The LA Clippers' historic playoff curse continues, as the team lost to the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals on Tuesday night. The Athletic's Sam Amick was in the arena, sitting about twenty feet from the Clippers' bench, and he joins us to share his observations on what went wrong for the former title favorites. Sam also tells us about his post-game conversation with Nuggets star Jamal Murray, including how he and his Denver teammates have stayed positive and well-rested in the bubble.

Read Sam's post-game story:

https://theathletic.com/2070278/2020/09/16/power-naps-and-team-chemistry-a-chat-with-jamal-murray-after-another-game-7-win/?source=theleadpodcast

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The WNBA Playoffs are underway, and the two top-seeded teams — the Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm — are both powered by superstar players, with A’ja Wilson dominating the paint for Las Vegas, and Breanna Stewart’s all-around game at the center of everything for Seattle. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Chantel Jennings to look at the battle for league MVP, and some first-round playoff drama, with Diana Taurasi, Skylar Diggins-Smith and the Phoenix Mercury narrowly escaping on a Shey Peddy game-winner.

Follow Chantel Jenning’s coverage of the WNBA: https://theathletic.com/author/chantel-jennings/?source=theleadpodcast

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James Rodriguez was once the toast of the soccer world. The Colombian won the Golden Boot at the 2014 World Cup, signed a massive deal with Real Madrid, and thrived for a year under manager Carlo Ancelotti. But, after the Italian coach was fired, James failed to see the field for much of the next five seasons. Now, he has been reunited with his old mentor at Everton, a club which is trying to build its global brand and break into the upper echelon of the Premier League. The Athletic's Greg O'Keefe joins us to discuss the impact of James's arrival, and what's at stake for both him and the club.

More from Greg O'Keefe:

https://theathletic.co.uk/author/greg-okeeffe/?source=theleadpodcast

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The Lakers are headed to the Western Conference Finals — awaiting the winner of the Nuggets against the Clippers on Tuesday night — and recently, they’ve gotten a big lift from Rajon Rondo. The veteran point guard helped fuel the Lakers to a five-game victory over James Harden, Russell Westbrook and the Houston Rockets, and has arguably been L.A.’s third-best player lately behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Bill Oram to look at the surprise return of “Playoff Rondo.”

Follow Bill Oram’s coverage of The Lakers: https://theathletic.com/author/bill-oram/?source=theleadpodcast

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Lamar Jackson took the field on Sunday for the first time since the Ravens' shocking playoff exit last season, and the unanimous league MVP showed signs that he might have gotten even better. The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec joins us to discuss how Lamar has rebounded, physically and mentally, from that tough loss, and why he might be even more dangerous to opponents this fall.

Jeff Zrebiec's analysis of Lamar Jackson's performance:

https://theathletic.com/2063854/2020/09/13/with-less-flash-lamar-jackson-every-bit-as-impressive-in-ravens-dominating-win/?source=theleadpodcast

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The Las Vegas Golden Knights have been cruising through the playoffs with a somewhat unexpected goaltender: Robin Lehner, who has taken over for franchise netminder Marc-Andre Fleury. Lehner's current playoff tear is the latest in a remarkable journey for the talented Swede, who opened up about his struggles with addiction and mental health issues in an article on The Athletic two years ago. Katie Strang, who interviewed Lehner for a video documentary on The Athletic, joins us to discuss how the netminder overcame what he calls the demons in his mind, and what his success means for other athletes with mental illness.

Watch a video about Robin Lehner, from Katie Strang and Producer Adam Berger:

https://theathletic.com/video/26-lehner/?source=theleadpodcast

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The 2020 NFL season gets underway Thursday night with the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Houston Texans, and that means the much-anticipated debut of former LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Today, The Athletic’s Nate Taylor joins us to discuss what Andy Reid and the Chiefs see in the rookie, why Patrick Mahomes went out of his way to get him on the team, and whether the dynamic running back is ready to live up to KC’s expectations.

Follow Nate Taylor’s coverage of the Kansas City Chiefs: https://theathletic.com/author/nate-taylor/?source=theleadpodcast

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Two thirds of the way into baseball’s 60-game season, the New York Yankees have reached a critical juncture of their season, as they’re fighting to stay in the playoff chase, and facing off against one of the teams ahead of them in the standings: the Toronto Blue Jays. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Lindsey Adler to discuss everything that’s gone wrong for the Bronx Bombers in 2020, why we’ve seen such a dramatic shift in power in the AL East, and whether Gerrit Cole, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and the Yankees still have time to start looking like a contender.

Follow Lindsey Adler’s coverage of the Yankees: https://theathletic.com/author/lindsey-adler/?source=theleadpodcast

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