The Lead

Before coronavirus brought sports to a halt, Liverpool was having a historically great Premier League season and was about to clinch its first top flight title in three decades. The Athletic's David Ornstein joins us to explain how the EPL is now desperately trying to find a way to finish the season, why some owners are taking heat over their business decisions, and what the uncertain future of the season means for Liverpool’s title hopes.

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Many people only know Dick Vitale through his happy-go-lucky, extremely energetic and at times almost cartoonish on-air persona. Today, on what would have been the day of the men's college basketball national title game, Seth Davis of The Athletic joins us to talk about the iconic broadcaster's remarkable career — and some of the very human struggles he has endured over the years.

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Just about every professional sports league has come to a grinding halt in recent weeks, with one notable exception: the NFL. As other leagues have shut down because of COVID-19, the NFL has allowed new player signings, plans to hold the NFL draft as planned in late April, and has said that its season will start on time in September. The Athletic’s Lindsay Jones joins us to talk about how the NFL’s business-as-usual approach has been rubbing some people the wrong way, but how it might also be what fans and the league need right now.

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Normally, this weekend would have been the Final Four of the women’s NCAA tournament, and potentially a big sendoff for the best player in college basketball, Sabrina Ionescu. Instead, Oregon’s superstar now turns her focus to the WNBA Draft, where she will almost certainly be the number one pick. Today, we’re joined by Seth Davis of The Athletic to discuss Ionescu’s rise from unassuming kid to triple-double machine, the struggles her family had to overcome, and how her trademark intensity has fueled her career.

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After months of speculation, the Carolina Panthers released longtime quarterback Cam Newton on March 24. While the move was expected by some, it still came as a shock to fans and the football world. And the whole separation itself was rather messy. After the Panthers announced they would allow Newton to seek a trade, Cam took to the comments on the team's Instagram page to give his side of the story. It was a far from elegant way to let go of a quarterback who is also a former MVP and considered by many to be an all-time great. Today, The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue joins us to discuss why the Carolina Panthers franchise QB was released so unceremoniously, what could be next for Superman, and why he has meant so much to the Carolina community.

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Just before the coronavirus put a halt to every sport seemingly overnight, there were some big developments in the WNBA. The union signed a new contract with the league, players started making more money and some big trades generated a lot of excitement. But it could be argued that none of this would have been possible without pioneering women like Nancy Lieberman, whose legacy includes a legendary college career, a spot on the first-ever women's Olympic basketball team and two stints in the WNBA, one of them at 50 years old. Today, in honor of Women’s History Month, hoops legend Nancy Lieberman joins us to talk about her achievements, how the women’s game has changed and the way basketball shaped her life from an early age.

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Steph Curry interviewed Dr. Anthony Fauci about COVID-19 live on Instagram last week. Joel Embiid has pledged half a million dollars to help laid off arena workers. Karl-Anthony Towns recently opened up about his mother being in a medically-induced coma because of the coronavirus. In short, pro athletes are doing a lot to help in the fight against the pandemic. But are they also benefitting from a double standard when it comes to access to tests and medical care? The Athletic's Sam Amick joins us to discuss.

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In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, some big college basketball news flew under the radar last week, with Hall of Famer Rick Pitino returning to the NCAA to coach Iona after nearly three years out of the college game. Today, we speak with The Athletic's Seth Davis about Pitino's rise to prominence with Providence in the 1980's, the series of scandals that left him without a job, and whether the legendary coach ultimately deserves another chance.

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With the Tokyo Olympics now officially postponed, 5-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Nathan Adrian joins us to talk about what the uncertainty of the past few weeks has been like, how he and his fellow Olympic athletes will now be adjusting their lives to meet this new timetable, and how the threat of postponement impacted him in unexpected ways (hint: he developed an unexpected affinity for sweets).

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Earlier this month, U.S. Soccer made a legal argument that many people found deeply offensive, and that led to the resignation of the organization’s president. As part of an ongoing lawsuit over equal pay, U.S. Soccer essentially argued that men deserve to be paid more money than women because they are biologically superior and play in more difficult conditions. The Athletic’s Megan Linehan joins us to explain how that drama unfolded, why U.S. Soccer took such an inflammatory stance, and what all of this means for new U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone and the future of women’s soccer.

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