The Lead

As massive protests over the killing of George Floyd continue to erupt across the country, athletes have once again been at the center of an important national conversation. The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar joins us to talk about the athletes, coaches, and sports figures who are (and are not) speaking up, including everyone from Colin Kaepernick to Michael Jordan. We also discuss why this feels like a significant moment in the history of the country and of athlete activism.

Follow Michael-Shawn Dugar's coverage of the NFL and more:

https://theathletic.com/author/michael-shawn-dugar/?source=theleadpodcast

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While pro sports in the U.S. remain on hold, overseas soccer leagues are picking up steam. After getting approval from the British government on Saturday, the Premier League is now officially scheduled to resume play on June 17th. The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke joins us to discuss what these games will look like, which teams could benefit from a new rule change, and who will claw their way into the Champions League.

Follow Jack Pitt-Brooke's EPL coverage:

https://theathletic.com/author/jack-pitt-brooke/?source=theleadpodcast

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Ten years ago today, Phillies ace Roy Halladay made baseball history by throwing just the second perfect game in team history and 20th perfect game in Major League Baseball history. The Athletic's Matt Gelb joins us to remember that remarkable performance, to talk about Halladay’s tragic death in a plane crash three years ago, and to discuss the unexpected gift that the star pitcher gave to teammates and others in the organization.

Read Matt Gelb's story about Roy Halladay:

https://theathletic.com/1832548/2020/05/26/the-perfect-game-gift-with-time-roy-halladay-watches-mean-more-to-phillies/?source=theleadpodcast

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On Tuesday, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced that the regular season was officially over, and the league would go directly to a new playoff format when play resumes -- perhaps as early as late July or early August. The Athletic’s Craig Custance joins us to discuss this new, 24-team postseason format, which teams could benefit, and why the level of play actually might be higher than what fans are used to.

Follow Craig Custance's NHL coverage:

https://theathletic.com/author/craig-custance/?source=theleadpodcast

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Newcastle United is in the process of being purchased by a new ownership group, led by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman. MBS, as he is known, is widely believed to have ordered the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, an incident that sparked international outrage. James Montague, an author and contributing writer for The Athletic, joins us to discuss the highly polarizing takeover and one woman’s quest to stop it from happening.

Read James Montague's story about Newcastle's potential new owners:

https://theathletic.co.uk/1788335/2020/05/02/why-does-saudi-arabia-want-to-buy-newcastle-united/?source=theleadpodcast

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At the start of Memorial Day weekend, the basketball world lost an icon when Hall of Famer Jerry Sloan died at the age of 78. Sloan coached the Utah Jazz for 23 years, leading them to 19 postseason appearances, and back-to-back trips to the NBA Finals against Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls. Today, we're joined by Tony Jones of The Athletic to discuss Sloan's life and legacy, including the legendary toughness — and loyalty — that defined him throughout his career.

Read Tony Jones's tribute to Jerry Sloan: https://theathletic.com/1819959/2020/05/22/remembering-jerry-sloan-1942-2020/?source=theleadpodcast

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Warning: This episode contains graphic material related to sexual assault that may not be suitable for all audiences.

Sarah Klein is one of the first known victims of former gymnastics team physician and serial sexual predator, Larry Nassar. As an adult, Sarah struggled with anxiety, depression, and a range of physical ailments. Then, Sarah connected with a therapist named Dr. Liz Goldman, who also had been a victim of sexual assault -- by a middle school wrestling coach. The two women formed a powerful connection that eventually flipped the doctor-patient relationship on its head, and both women continue to draw strength from one another.

This story first aired in November of 2019 and won a Webby award last week, so we are re-airing it today.

Watch all three parts of Armen Keteyian's video story about Sarah and Liz:

https://theathletic.com/video/23-silent-no-more/?source=theleadpodcast

If you are a survivor of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit https://hotline.rainn.org/ and receive confidential support.

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After winning a championship with the Chicago Bulls in 1998, Dennis Rodman closed out his NBA career two years later with the Dallas Mavericks, a team that had been the laughing stock of the league for quite some time. It was a short, strange period during which Rodman lived in new team owner Mark Cuban's guest house and attracted unusual groups of fans to games. The Athletic's Saad Yousuf joins us to discuss how and why Rodman ended up with one of the league's worst teams and the bizarre way in which his career came to an end.

Read Saad Yousuf and Tim Cato's oral history of Dennis Rodman's time in Dallas:

https://theathletic.com/1819520/2020/05/18/dennis-rodmans-last-dance-the-oral-history-of-the-worms-month-with-mavericks/?source=theleadpodcast

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There’s a race going on to bring back pro sports, and the state of Florida is in the lead. The Sunshine State declared sports to be an essential service earlier this year, and is now recruiting leagues and teams far and wide. The Athletic’s Chris Perkins joins us from Miami to talk about who is pulling the strings behind the scenes in Florida, how people there feel about the possibility of pro sports returning to their cities, and the strange but special place that Florida holds in our national consciousness.

Read Chris Perkins's story about Florida's push to attract pro sports:

https://theathletic.com/1814085/2020/05/14/for-financial-and-other-reasons-florida-pushes-to-lead-americas-sports-restart/?source=theleadpodcast

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Major League Baseball players have had some extra time on their hands recently. And, it turns out, they've gotten into some pretty interesting activities. The Athletic's Brittany Ghiroli fills us in on how a few different MLB players have been spending their time, in ways that are surprising, inspiring, and colorful.

Read Britt Ghiroli and Eno Sarris's story about MLB players actions during lockdown:

https://theathletic.com/1807617/2020/05/12/gardening-podcasting-harp-how-mlb-players-are-passing-the-time-in-lockdown/?source=theleadpodcast

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