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The Quiet Stardom of Katie Ledecky Aug 09, 2024

Show notes

After winning two golds, a silver, and a bronze in Paris, Thursday brought news that Katie Ledecky will carry the flag for the United States in Sunday’s Olympic closing ceremonies. It’s just another item on a very, very long list of career records and milestones.

But despite the wild success, Ledecky’s unassuming personality and predictable dominance have made her more of a steady champion than a cultural phenomenon.

Today, our D’arcy Maine helps peel back the curtain to understand what makes Ledecky tick, how she’s achieved such greatness, and whether we’ll see her on the Olympic stage one more time.

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Track and Field in Paris Has Lived up to Its Olympic Billing Aug 08, 2024

Show notes

The second week of the Olympic Games means one thing – the promise that stars will either fall or be made in track and field. And from what we’ve seen so far, Paris has delivered.

Noah Lyles claimed the title of Fastest Man Alive and has his sights set on claiming more gold in today’s 200M event. And while Sha’Carri Richardson lived up to her 2020 promise that she would be a presence in these Games, despite so many counting her out.

Then there’s the newly minted national heroes like Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia and Thea LaFond of Dominica bringing home the first medals in the history of their respective countries.

So today, from Paris, Coley Harvey shares his front row seat in Stade de France and lets us know that the drama in these Games is just getting started.

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How Simone Biles Became an Agent of Change Aug 07, 2024

Show notes

Paris’ women’s gymnastics events were flooded by Olympics fans looking to get one last peek at Simone Biles on the sports’ biggest stage.

But her ultimate legacy will likely go far beyond what took place in this competition, or any other for that matter.

Today, our Alyssa Roenigk draws on her years of reporting on Biles and explains how generations of gymnasts will have Simone to thank for a sport with a far healthier outlook on the body and the mind.

Alyssa’s project on Simone Biles is titled “The Eras Tour - Simone’s Version.”

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Olympic Boxers Reignite Debate Over Inclusion in Women’s Sports Aug 06, 2024

Show notes

When Imane Khelif of Algeria defeated Italy’s Angela Carini in just 46 seconds at the Paris Olympics, she should have been celebrating her advancing to the quarterfinals.

Instead, Khelif found herself at the center of a firestorm focused on her gender. Because even though she was born a woman, has lived her life as a woman, and was verified by the International Olympic Committee as a woman. There were loud voices spreading the misinformation that a man had just beaten up a woman in an Olympic boxing match.

It’s a familiar debate that has raged at different points in the modern sports world. About who is and isn’t eligible to take part in women’s athletics. And a fight that hits even harder against women of color.

So today, ESPN’s Katie Barnes joins the show to explain how the history of eligibility in women’s athletics is tied to a complicated science that doesn’t lend itself to simple regulations.

And to explore why we keep weaponizing gender when it comes to women’s sports.

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Ben Solak on the NFL’s Young Quarterback Landscape Aug 05, 2024

Show notes

We’ve seen how a good quarterback can change everything for an NFL franchise nearly overnight.

Brett Favre started a chain of succession that is looking to anoint its third champion in Green Bay. Tom Brady turned the Patriots into the greatest dynasty the sport has ever seen. And Patrick Mahomes is looking to three-peat in Kansas City.

And in today’s NFL, it seems like the path to becoming an iconic signal caller is happening faster than ever before.

So today, with the NFL season just around the corner, ESPN’s newly cemented NFL Analyst Ben Solak tells us what we can expect from this rookie class of QBs, and how ready this new generation is to take the league by storm.

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Volleyball legend Jordan Larson’s quest for peace Aug 02, 2024

Show notes

From a national title with the legendary Nebraska Huskers to bronze, silver and gold with Team USA in the Olympics, Jordan Larson has won every volleyball honor imaginable.

For many people that is a complete resume, but for Larson that was never enough.

What she sought from the game was an emotional connection to her peers, her hometown and her family. And as her career winds down she often finds herself reflecting on those lost connections of what could have been and – since the loss of her mother – what should have been.

Today, Aishwarya Kumar shares the time she spent with Jordan Larson and reveals an intimate portrait on one Team USA’s Olympic legends.

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Jeff Passan’s MLB Trade Deadline Post-Mortem Aug 01, 2024

Show notes

The dust has settled, and the MLB trade deadline is behind us. The rosters are more or less set for the stretch run of the MLB regular season.

And what a deadline it was. 30 deals were struck on Tuesday alone, to say nothing of the moves that happened in the weeks leading up to July 31st.

So Jeff Passan joins the show today to breakdown the comings and goings across the league.

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Can anyone stop Team USA’s quest for women’s basketball gold? Jul 31, 2024

Show notes

With the Olympic games well under way, so is the quest of the US women’s basketball team as they go for their eighth-straight gold medal.

And with names like Diana Taurasi, A’ja Wilson, Nepheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart in tow, the odds are definitely in their favor.

But who's got next for this juggernaut? And more importantly, when will the rest of the world catch up with Team USA?

Today, Alexa Philippou joins us to break down everything we will see in Paris and beyond as Team USA continues to write their own elite history.

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Bill Barnwell on the 49ers Contract Conundrum Jul 30, 2024

Show notes

The NFL season is almost upon us. Training camps are open and preseason games start on Thursday, but in many corners of the league, the action is already well underway in the negotiating room.

Like in San Francisco, where the 49ers are trying to figure out how to pay their Mr. irrelevant QB Brock Purdy the huge money he has coming his way while also trying to keep the rest of the Niners stars in town. And out in Texas, what will the Cowboys, and their checkbook, do about Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb?

Today, Bill Barnwell breaks down all these decisions and more as he gets us ready for another year of America’s favorite TV Show – the NFL

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A Look at the New College Football Landscape Jul 29, 2024

Show notes

It’s not hyperbole to say that this may be the biggest shake-up college football has gone through in decades. The Pac-12 is extinct, the Big Ten stretches from coast-to-coast, the Big 12 and ACC are fighting to stay alive, and the SEC just keeps on gaining steam.

Oh, and the College Football Playoff is expanding from four teams to an even dozen.

So ESPN senior college football writer Heather Dinich, fresh off trips to both SEC and Big Ten media days, explains how things are going to work in college football’s new chapter.

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