The Lead

With pro days being canceled, players on the cusp of getting drafted into the NFL are having to get creative as they try to get on the radar of teams. The Athletic’s Stephen Holder joins us to discuss how college players who are on the bubble have been scrambling to get noticed, by doing everything from producing their own videos to working out with sandbags and in public parks.

Read Stephen Holder and Nicki Jhabvala's story about NFL draft prospects:

https://theathletic.com/1736519/2020/04/13/how-the-nfl-dreams-of-draft-prospects-are-being-impacted-this-year/?source=theleadpodcast

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The NFL Draft is usually a spectacle, but this year will be different. Teams will make selections remotely, top prospects will be at home instead of walking across the stage and Commissioner Roger Goodell is running the whole thing from his basement. Despite all of that, this year's draft class is stacked with a few potentially franchise-changing quarterbacks, some amazing defenders and a wide receiver group that is not only incredibly talented, but also very deep. The Athletic's Dane Brugler joins us to run down the top 10 picks in his latest mock draft and talk about some of the broader trends surrounding this unique event.

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Steph Curry is considered by some to be the best shooter in the history of basketball. Now, a new documentary film (on which Curry is credited as an executive producer) tells the story of Kenny Sailors, the man who invented the skill that Curry has since perfected -- the jump shot. Filmmaker Jacob Hamilton joins us to discuss the film, why Kenny Sailors has largely been forgotten by the basketball world, and why stars like Curry and Kevin Durant are now trying to get him into the basketball hall of fame.

Watch the documentary "Jump Shot" online: www.jumpshotmovie.com

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Wednesday would have been the final day of the NBA regular season. With that in mind — and because we are all missing basketball — we’re looking back at one of the most amazing regular season performances of all time. That would be Russell Westbrook’s iconic 50-point triple-double to break Oscar Robertson’s single-season record in 2017, and The Athletic’s Erik Horne joins us to revisit Westbrook at what may have been his absolute peak.

Follow Erik Horne's coverage of the Oklahoma City Thunder: https://theathletic.com/author/erik-horne/?source=theleadpodcast

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One of the cities hit hardest by the coronavirus right now is New Orleans, where the number of confirmed cases is among the highest in the country. The city has faced daunting circumstances before, particularly during Hurricane Katrina. And its most celebrated sports team, the Saints, played a big role in the city’s recovery from that disaster. Today we’re joined by The Athletic’s Larry Holder to talk about how Saints fans today are drawing hope from the past by re-watching the team’s dramatic return to the Superdome after Katrina.

Follow Larry Holder's coverage of the Saints: https://theathletic.com/author/larry-holder/?source=theleadpodcast

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From NBA players playing HORSE to baseball announcers calling MLB The Show video games, it seems just about anything can make it onto the airwaves and pass for sports these days. The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi joins us to break down two recent broadcasts -- an iRacing event featuring real-life NASCAR drivers, and the recent NBA 2K competition featuring NBA stars -- to help us figure out what’s working for TV broadcasts and what’s not during the strange days of the coronavirus shutdown.

More from Jordan Bianchi:

https://theathletic.com/author/jordan-bianchi/?source=theleadpodcast

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The XFL officially called it quits on Friday, suspending operations and laying off all of its employees, except for a handful of executives. Vince McMahon's quirky league, which included a bunch of unusual rules, surprised a lot of people with its relative success over the past few months and in some ways seemed ready for the long run. The Athletic’s Arif Hasan, who covers the Minnesota Vikings (and formerly the XFL), joins us to talk about why the league folded, how the XFL evolved from its first iteration back in 2001, and what all of this means for the future of alternative football leagues.

Read more from Arif Hassan:

https://theathletic.com/author/arif-hasan/?source=theleadpodcast

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Actor Hank Azaria is perhaps best known for his work voicing multiple classic characters on The Simpsons, but he's also the star of the hit show Brockmire. Azaria plays the title character, Jim Brockmire, a washed-up baseball announcer with alcohol problems and a sharp wit. Today we're joined by Azaria, a big baseball fan himself, to talk about his love of the Mets and his work on Brockmire, which is airing its final season on IFC, and the Simpson. We'll also be joined by Jim Brockmire to talk about how he is getting through life without sports.

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The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal joins us to discuss a radical new plan from Major League Baseball, which would see the league returning to play as early as May. The plan, which reportedly has the support of high-ranking federal public health officials, would involve empty stadiums, players sitting six feet apart in the stands, and no touching or high-fives -- all broadcast live on national television. It comes with a tremendous amount of uncertainty and pitfalls, but could it possibly work?

Read Ken Rosenthal's story about MLB's unlikely plan:

https://theathletic.com/1729420/2020/04/07/rosenthal-some-in-government-support-plan-for-baseballs-return-obstacles-remain/?source=theleadpodcast

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Football and men's basketball are the main financial drivers of college sports. With March Madness having been canceled, many athletic departments are now more dependent than ever on a successful college football season. But will there be one? The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach joins us to talk about how colleges are (and are not) preparing for football season, why college sports are more financially vulnerable than pro sports, and how the coronavirus could change everything we know about the college sports landscape.

Read Nicole Auerbach and Chris Vannini's story about the potential reshaping of college sports:

https://theathletic.com/1718816/2020/04/02/college-sports-athletic-directors-financial-impact-covid-19-survey/?source=theleadpodcast

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