Sports In America with David Greene

Latest Episodes:

Super Bowl Highs and Heartbreaks with Larry Fitzgerald Feb 05, 2026

Show notes

As we get ready for Super Bowl LX, we sit down with one of the greatest football players to never win a Super Bowl.

Larry Fitzgerald is an 11-time Pro Bowler who spent his 17-year career with the Arizona Cardinals. His first and only shot at a title was in 2009 when his team lost a squeaker to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In this episode, we relive all the key moments of that fateful game with the star wide receiver, who shares what it feels like to be so close to winning it all, only to have the opportunity snatched away in the final seconds. Plus, we sit down with The Athletic’s Madeline Hill and Charlotte Wilder to break down this year’s matchup between the Patriots and Seahawks.

Show Notes

Show Credits

Executive Producer: Tom Grahsler

Senior Producer: Michael Olcott

Producer: Michaela Winberg

Associate Producer: Bibiana Correa

Talent Booker: Britt Kahn

Engineer: Mike Villers

Tile Art: Bea Walling

Sports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.

Tom Coughlin’s Measure of a Life Well Lived Jan 27, 2026

Show notes

Tom Coughlin’s first Super Bowl was one of the most famous games in NFL history. It pitted the New York Giants, considered massive underdogs at the time, against the New England Patriots, who hadn’t lost a game all season. To many people, the Giants seemed doomed from the start.

But Coughlin and his team showed that with discipline and determination, anything was possible. Tom Coughlin is a three-time Super Bowl Champion, NFL Coach of the Year, and, more recently, a 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist. But perhaps the most important title he’s had is that of caregiver to his wife Judy, who passed away in November 2022 after a long battle with a rare brain disorder.

In this episode, Coach Coughlin talks us through that first Super Bowl with the Giants. We learn about his meticulous old-school style of coaching and how staying by his wife’s side in her final days changed his perspective on success.

Show Notes

Show Credits

Host: David Greene

Executive Producers: Joan Isabella, Tom Grahsler

Senior Producer: Michael Olcott

Producer: Michaela Winberg

Associate Producer: Bibiana Correa

Talent Booker: Britt Kahn

Engineer: Mike Villers

Tile Art: Bea Walling

Sports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.

Andrew Whitworth’s Journey from Recruit to Champion to Mentor Jan 20, 2026

Show notes

Andrew Whitworth is an NFL legend. A four-time Pro Bowler, he played for 16 seasons into his 40s, then retired as the oldest tackle in NFL history. He was known not just for his skill on the field and his longevity — but also widely recognized for his character, and his charity work in his personal life.

In this week’s episode, we sit down with Andrew to hear everything he learned from his 16 seasons in the NFL, like how to sweet-talk the defenders he was up against, and how the game helped him learn to take care of himself and the people around him.

Show Notes

Show Credits

Host: David Greene

Executive Producers: Joan Isabella, Tom Grahsler

Senior Producer: Michael Olcott

Producer: Michaela Winberg

Associate Producer: Bibiana Correa

Talent Booker: Britt Kahn

Engineer: Mike Villers

Tile Art: Bea Walling

Sports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.

Eye in the Sky Don’t Lie: Benjamin Watson on Faith, Effort and Accountability Jan 13, 2026

Show notes

Benjamin Watson spent 16 seasons in the NFL as one of the league’s most reliable tight ends. He was known for being a model teammate, always willing to do the dirty work of blocking in the trenches just as much as catching touchdown passes.

Not as well known is the perfectionism and self-doubt he struggled with throughout his time in the league. When the Patriots won the Super Bowl his rookie year, the injured Watson refused to wear his ring because he felt he hadn’t earned it. In this episode, we hear about his challenges with mental health, his passion for faith and family, and how he became a fierce advocate for social justice after a prolific career.

Show Notes

Show Credits

Host: David Greene

Executive Producers: Tom Grahsler and Joan Isabella

Senior Producer: Michael Olcott

Producer: Michaela Winberg

Associate Producer: Bibiana Correa

Engineer: Mike Villers

Tile Art: Bea Walling

Sports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.

Playing Through Pain, with RGIII and Elena Delle Donne Jan 06, 2026

Show notes

For many athletes, it’s their worst nightmare: getting an injury that could end their season — or even their career.

In this episode of Sports in America, we sit down with two star athletes who’ve competed through painful moments. Robert Griffin III, or RGIII, had one of the most promising rookie campaigns in NFL history — but got injured soon after he made his debut. And in an attempt to lead the Washington Mystics to victory, two-time WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne played through three herniated discs, a broken nose, and a knee injury.

What’s the line between a heroic performance in the game, and the risk of permanent damage to an athlete’s body? And in the end, who’s responsible for protecting a player from themselves?

Show Notes

Kareem Rosser’s Ride of a Lifetime Dec 23, 2025

Show notes

Kareem Rosser was just eight years old when his brothers stumbled across the Chamounix Stables in a Philadelphia park. That wrong turn would change his life forever. In 2011, he captained the first all-Black team to win the National Interscholastic Polo Championship.

Today, we learn all about the sport of competitive polo, which is less genteel than it looks. It’s almost like a mix of ice hockey and NASCAR. Kareem opens up about the whiplash of traveling from the rough neighborhood where he grew up to the Hamptons and back in a weekend. He also talks about how he uses the tragedies he’s experienced to drive his passion to help others.

Show Notes

Show Credits

Host: David Greene

Executive Producers: Joan Isabella, Tom Grahsler

Senior Producer: Michael Olcott

Producer: Michaela Winberg

Associate Producer: Bibiana Correa

Talent Booker: Britt Kahn

Engineer: Mike Villers

Tile Art: Bea Walling

Sports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.

His Dream Through Me, Pt. 2: Seth Jensen Dec 16, 2025

Show notes

Last week, we heard from former Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Ryan Jensen about how going pro was never supposed to happen to him; that dream was his brother Seth’s. This week, we sit down with Seth to talk about his own rugged athletic career, cut short by injury. We hear the highs of being a 5-star recruit, the lows of when the game was taken away from him, and how this all tested the bond between brothers.

Show Notes

Seth Jensen Athlete Profile | University of Nebraska- Lincoln
Ryan Jensen: My Life as an NFL Offensive Lineman | CBS
Back home in Colorado, the Bucs’ Ryan Jensen is still inspired by his family | The Athletic
Retired Buccaneers Center Ryan Jensen Finds Post-NFL Purpose Alongside A Former D2 Rival | Forbes
For sworn, retired, or family members of the law enforcement community who might be struggling with mental health, please call 1-800-267-5463 (1-800-COPLINE)

Show Credits

Host: David Greene

Executive Producers: Joan Isabella, Tom Grahsler

Senior Producer: Michael Olcott

Producer: Michaela Winberg

Associate Producer: Bibiana Correa

Talent Booker: Britt Kahn

Engineer: Mike Villers

Tile Art: Bea Walling

Sports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.

His Dream Through Me, Pt. 1: Ryan Jensen Dec 09, 2025

Show notes

Ryan Jensen made a name for himself as a center for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with quarterback Tom Brady. But even as he looks down at his Super Bowl ring, Ryan knows: None of this success was supposed to happen to him. It was supposed to be his brother’s. When Ryan was a kid, his older brother Seth was the one who seemed destined for greatness in the NFL. It caught everyone by surprise when Ryan got there instead.

Over the next two episodes, we’re bringing you a story about family, expectations, and the times when fate has something else in mind. What happens when two brothers seem to switch places, and their destinies shift in a way that shocks their family, friends, and each other?

Show Notes

Nattie Neidhart From the Top Rope Dec 02, 2025

Show notes

Nattie Neidhart is part of the legendary Hart family that produced professional wrestling greats, like Bret and Owen Hart. But none of the women in her family wrestled professionally. That is, until Nattie came along. This week, we talk to Nattie about her new memoir, “The Last Hart Beating.” She shares stories from her decades-long career in the WWE, how her family dealt with the tragic loss of her uncle in a wrestling accident, and why her legacy is more than what we see on TV. We also ask the question that wrestling skeptics have always wondered: If the results of a match are predetermined, can we even call it a sport?

Show Notes

The Man Behind the Tush Push Nov 25, 2025

Show notes

It’s the most successful and the most maddening play in professional football right now: the tush push. If you’re a football fan, you have probably seen the play in action — the one where the Philadelphia Eagles seem to push their quarterback Jalen Hurts over the line to gain a first down, or to score. But you might not know its surprising backstory. In this episode, we bring you the man who helped create this controversial play: Richie Gray, a former rugby coach from a small town in Scotland. Richie tells us how he made his way into the NFL, what he thinks about the tush push controversy, and what makes the play so unstoppable.

Show Notes

Show Credits

Executive Producer: Tom Grahsler

Senior Producer: Michael Olcott

Producer: Michaela Winberg

Associate Producer: Bibiana Correa

Engineer: Mike Villers

Tile Art: Bea Walling

Sports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.