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The Chicago Bears' QB Conundrum Mar 05, 2024

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The Chicago Bears are facing a critical decision as the NFL off-season kicks into gear. Do they stick with their incumbent quarterback, Justin Fields, who the Bears have spent a couple of seasons surrounding with talent. Or, do they draft Caleb Williams with the first pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, a player that some see as a generational prospect.

It’s not as simple a decision as it might seem from the outside, especially when you look at how little Fields had around him early in his career, and how much he has grown alongside an improving roster.

ESPN Chicago Bears reporter Courtney Cronin takes us through the most important off-season in recent memory for the Bears. And reminds us that this is a position the Bears haven’t gotten right since they drafted Sid Luckman…in 1939.

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How Men’s College Basketball is Looking to Connect with Fans Mar 04, 2024

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March is a month synonymous with college basketball. The NCAA Tournament is just a few weeks away, but with the Super Bowl, the NBA, Spring Training, and the stars of women’s college basketball shining a spotlight on the sport like never before, it’s been a difficult men’s season to get a firm grasp on.

ESPN Senior Basketball Reporter Myron Medcalf explains how schools are looking to draw fans in during a period of declining attendance, and then explains how the men’s side is facing more trouble than ever in connecting with casual fans.

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Javon “Wanna” Walton’s Euphoric Boxing Dreams Mar 01, 2024

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Long before stealing scenes, as Ashtray, in HBO’s hit drama “Euphoria”, Javon Walton was making waves as a young boxing prodigy.

And this weekend, he goes back to his roots…. heading to Puerto Rico to make his global professional boxing debut, alongside Jake Paul and featherweight champion Amanda Serrano.

So today, ESPN staff writer Marc Raimondi explores the potential of Javon “Wanna” Walton in the ring, and tells us why this fresh-faced 17 year old appears ready to conquer the fight game.

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Drama and Diesel: Formula 1 is back Feb 29, 2024

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All eyes are on the circuit as the Bahrain Grand Prix gets set to kick off Formula 1’s 2024 season this Saturday, on ESPN.

It's not just the sexy cars and extreme speed driving the growth of the planet’s fastest sport, there's plenty of drama to go around as well.

Today ESPN F1 editor Laurence Edmundson takes us through Lewis Hamilton’s bombshell decision to leave Mercedes, where he's been for more than a decade, at the end of 2024, to fulfill a childhood dream and drive for Ferrari, who haven't won a title since 2007.

Defending champion Max Verstappen is coming off his third straight title with Red Bull, but questions are starting to emerge about whether his teammate Sergio Perez can keep up.

So Edmondson, on the ground in Bahrain, breaks down what to watch for on Saturday, and all season long.

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Has the Clippers’ Moment Finally Arrived? Feb 28, 2024

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Tonight, the Clippers and Lakers will play for the final time as co-tenants of Crypto.com arena, as Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is set to open the team’s shiny new arena next fall. It’s a big moment for the team as they continue to seek a path out of the Lakers shadow.

But on the court, that emergence may be even closer. After a disastrous start to the James Harden era in November, the Clippers went on an 8-game win streak in December, have won nearly 70% of their games since, and now have the third-best odds to win the title, per ESPN Bet.

So today, our resident Clippers reporter Ohm Youngmisuk explains how the four-year-old bet on Kawhi Leonard and Paul George is finally paying off, how Russell Westbrook found his place, and how this squad is set to be a force in this year’s playoffs.

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Tim Bontemps Handicaps the NBA MVP Race Feb 27, 2024

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The second half of the NBA season is underway, and the MVP picture is starting to take focus.

ESPN NBA writer Tim Bontemps conducts several straw polls every season, getting input from 100 media members across the country to get a sense of where the race sits at various points on the calendar.

And with Joel Embiid ineligible for the award due to injury, Bontemps walks us through who the front runners are, and tells us what to make of the recent international flavor of the NBA’s most prestigious regular season award.

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Jeff Passan Explains MLB’s Off the Field Challenges Feb 26, 2024

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As ESPN MLB Insider Jeff Passan tells us, spring training should be about hope and new beginnings. Relaying the smell of freshly cut grass, enjoying the Florida or Arizona sunlight, hearing the crack of the bat and the slap of the leather.

But for Major League Baseball, there are still a number of issues that have caught people’s attention, and none of them relate to position battles, or players making debuts with new teams.

The Athletics are still trying to find their way to Las Vegas, and with the city of Oakland less than enamored with them, they don’t even have a clear home beyond this season. Commissioner Rob Manfred has announced that he wants to retire in five years time, but first he wants to make sure that the league is ready to grow through expansion.

And there are concerns about the new uniforms that players will be sporting this season, and how much they - ahem - reveal.

So today, Passan tells us where the league is on all of these issues, and helps us clear the way for talk about baseball, on the field.

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USC’s JuJu Watkins is Inevitable Feb 23, 2024

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There are more household names in women’s basketball than ever before, and another star is shooting her way to the top of the list. USC’s freshman phenom JuJu Watkins has been turning heads since the moment the season tipped off, dropping 32 points in her first collegiate game to upset current No. 2 Ohio State. And since then, she hasn’t let up, posting 30 or more points in 9 other games, culminating in a 51-point explosion in another upset over Stanford.

So as the No. 7 Trojans stare down two top 20 matchups this weekend, Alexa Philippou is here to explain what has fueled the rise of JuJu. And how, despite the stiff competition, she may ultimately go down as the best of her generation.

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Bing Bong: Jason Concepcion Deciphers the Knicks Fan Base Feb 22, 2024

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It’s been a long time since the New York Knicks have been one of the NBA’s premier franchises. And even names like Pat Riley, Patrick Ewing, and Allan Houston, weren’t able to deliver a championship to New York City’s rabid basketball fans. But according to writer, host, and displaced New Yorker Jason Concepcion, that all may be starting to change.

After decades of being the joke in many basketball circles, this Knicks team is suddenly loaded with talent and depth, and being run as competently as any franchise in the sport. And Knicks fans are getting excited again, something they’ll gladly tell you all about.

Concepcion, a Knicks fanatic himself, joins the show to break down the culture shift at Madison Square Garden, decipher a lingo and fan base that you needed to grow up around to understand, and explain why New York City will always belong to the Knicks.

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How the Edmonton Oilers Found Their Way Feb 21, 2024

Show notes

Despite huge expectations and two of the top five players in the world the Edmonton Oilers got off to a disastrous start, finding themselves near the bottom of the standings. But after a coaching change, suddenly they started winning … and winning … and winning.

So today, our NHL expert Emily Kaplan explains how the Oilers found their way – and gauges whether they’re ready to get where they always intended to be.

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