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Special Investigation: Dysfunction In The Desert Feb 16, 2021

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The struggles of the Arizona Coyotes have been well documented over the years. There has been a revolving door of owners, difficulty building a permanent fan base, and a bankruptcy filing that led to an NHL takeover of the team back in 2009. So, when self-made billionaire Alex Meruelo swooped in to purchase the team in 2019, the future finally looked bright for 'Yotes fans. But after a series of high-profile departures and reports of strange financial practices, The Athletic's Katie Strange decided to investigate what life under the new ownership group has actually been like, and she found a deeply troubling picture.

Read Katie Strang's full story about the Arizona Coyotes:

https://theathletic.com/author/katie-strang/?source=theleadpodcast

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When Gronk and Brady Reunited In Tampa Feb 15, 2021

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When Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski connected for two touchdown passes in Super Bowl LV, it marked the latest chapter in their storied history. So, in honor of their record-setting partnership, we're revisiting the moment when, to many people's surprise, Gronk came out of retirement and signed with the Bucs. The Athletic's Greg Auman joined us to discuss how the move came about and what it could mean for the prolific due and the Buccaneers. (This story originally aired on April 22, 2020)

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The Tao of Bill Walton Feb 12, 2021

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There has never been a sports broadcaster quite like Bill Walton. For more than three decades, the NBA legend has graced the airwaves with his unique blend of goofiness, passion, head-scratching analogies, and all of the Grateful Dead t-shirts. So, what can a reporter learn from a late-night conversation with the broadcaster who makes on-air references to everything from 50,000 year-old meteors to former Idaho Senator Larry Craig? The Athletic's Christopher Kamrani went to find out -- and found himself inspired.

Read Christopher Kamrani's story about Bill Walton:

https://theathletic.com/2361958/2021/02/03/bill-walton-espn-the-athletic-interview/?source=theleadpodcast

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Two Kids From 'The Other Miami' Feb 11, 2021

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When Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David won the Super Bowl on Sunday, it was the culmination of years and years of hard work. And the victory also meant the world to someone from David's past -- his best friend and former high school teammate (who outshined him on the gridiron growing up), Quavon Taylor. The Athletic's Andy Staples joins us to tell the story of two best friends who forged a brotherly bond growing up in Northwest Miami, and how Taylor drew life-changing inspiration from David's success after spending time in prison.

Read Andy Staples's story about Lavonte David, Quavon Taylor, and the Miami Northwestern High School football team:

https://theathletic.com/2362823/2021/02/03/miami-northwestern-2007-lavonte-david/?source=theleadpodcast

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Fred VanVleet’s Big Bet On Himself Feb 10, 2021

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Last week, Fred VanVleet scored 54 points against the Orlando Magic, passing DeMar DeRozan for the Toronto Raptors’ franchise record, and Moses Malone for the most ever by an undrafted player in the NBA. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Eric Koreen to look at VanVleet’s rise as a player, including the big bet he made on himself the night of the draft in 2016 — and how that gamble is now paying off.

Read Eric Koreen’s story about Fred VanVleet: https://theathletic.com/2364939/2021/02/03/fred-vanvleet-raptors-record/?source=theleadpodcast

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What’s Wrong With Duke Basketball? Feb 09, 2021

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The Associated Press released its new Top 25 for men’s college basketball on Monday, and for the first time in 60 years, the Top 25 has no UNC, no Kentucky, no Kansas, no UCLA — and no sign of the suddenly struggling Duke Blue Devils. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Dana O’Neil to look at everything that has gone wrong for Mike Krzyzewski’s team this season, and whether they still have enough time to turn things around.

Read Dana O’Neil and Brendan Marks’s story about Duke: https://theathletic.com/2359480/2021/02/02/duke-blue-devils-ncaa-tournament-coach-k-jalen-johnson-matthew-hurt/?source=theleadpodcast

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Super Bowl LV: Tom Brady Cements His Legacy Feb 08, 2021

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Tom Brady is a champion once again, this time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs defense shut down Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs' offense, and Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and Leonard Fournette propelled the Bucs to a surprisingly easy 31-9 Super Bowl victory on Sunday night. The Athletic's Lindsay Jones joins us from Tampa Bay, where she watched the game live, to break down the action.

More from Lindsay Jones:

https://theathletic.com/author/lindsay-jones/

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The GOAT Whisperer: The Man Who Lured Tom Brady To Tampa Feb 05, 2021

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Before this season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had not been to the playoffs in twelve years, and most of those seasons they weren’t even close. But now, in a remarkable turn of events, the team is heading to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2002. It might seem like a dramatic one-year turnaround, fueled entirely by the signing of Tom Brady. But the team has been quietly building toward a Super Bowl run for some time under GM Jason Licht. Today, The Athletic’s Greg Auman joins us to discuss on how Licht has rebuilt the Bucs from the ground up during his seven years at the helm, and how the team and staff he assembled helped lure Tom Brady to Tampa. Plus: What the Bucs will have to do to upset the Chiefs' juggernaut offense.

Read Greg Auman's full story about Jason Licht:

https://theathletic.com/2339835/2021/01/22/the-goat-whisperer-jason-licht-has-built-a-new-bucs-identity-around-tom-brady/?source=theleadpodcast

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Inside The Chiefs' Pursuit Of Patrick Mahomes Feb 04, 2021

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In just his third season as the starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes will face off against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers on Sunday trying to win his second straight Super Bowl title. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Nate Taylor to look at why the Chiefs first fell in love with Mahomes as a young college quarterback, and how they pulled off the stunning trade to get him in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Read Nate Taylor, Mike Sando, Jayson Jenks and Dan Pompei’s story about Patrick Mahomes: https://theathletic.com/2330642/2021/01/21/chiefs-draft-trade-patrick-mahomes/?source=theleadpodcast

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Super Bowl LV: A Broadcast Like No Other Feb 03, 2021

Show notes

Like just about everything else this year, the broadcast of Super Bowl LV will be unusual. The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch, who covers sports media, joins us to explain what to expect -- from poems, to commercials, to health care workers, to halftime entertainment -- and why he believes Tony Romo, who will doing color commentary for CBS, is the best NFL analyst of all time.

Read Richard Deitsch's interview with Tony Romo:

https://theathletic.com/2345754/2021/01/27/tony-romo-super-bowl-cbs-future-jim-nantz/?source=theleadpodcast

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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