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How Pro Athletes Are Helping (And Hurting?) in the COVID-19 Fight Mar 30, 2020

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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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Rick Pitino Gets Yet Another Shot Mar 27, 2020

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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.

Follow Seth Davis's coverage of college basketball: https://theathletic.com/author/seth-davis/?source=theleadpodcast

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Olympic Gold Medalist Nathan Adrian Eyes 2021 Mar 26, 2020

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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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Will U.S. Soccer Stop Insulting Women Now? Mar 25, 2020

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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.

Follow Megan Linehan's coverage of the USWNT:

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As Pressure Mounts, Olympics Postpone Mar 24, 2020

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(Note: A few hours after we published this episode, Japan and the IOC announced that the Olympics will, in fact, be postponed until 2021.)

Yesterday, a member of the International Olympic Committee told a reporter that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be postponed until next year. This came a day after the IOC announced that it would make a decision within the next four weeks, and after both Canada and Australia said they would not participate in the Games if they were held this summer. The Athletic’s Matt Slater joins us to explain how the IOC has gone about making this complicated decision, how exactly a country delays an event as massive as the Olympics, and what challenges the imminent delay poses to athletes.

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A WNBA Player's Escape From Italy Mar 23, 2020

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Last week, Italy surpassed China as the country with the most deaths from COVID-19. Italy also happens to be a country where a number of WNBA players go in the offseason to supplement their income. The Athletic’s Alexis Mansanarez joins us to tell the story of an American player who was quarantined in Italy and attempted to get out of the country as it went into lockdown.

Read Alexis Mansanarez's story about Dearica Hamby:

https://theathletic.com/1683506/2020/03/18/i-really-want-to-go-home-wnba-players-overseas-face-unique-covid-19-concerns/?source=theleadpodcast

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Was That Vince Carter's Last Hurrah? Mar 20, 2020

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With the NBA season cut short because of the coronavirus, 43-year-old Vince Carter -- the only NBA player to play in four different decades -- might have played his final game much earlier than expected. The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner joins us to look back at Carter’s high-flying career, to unpack his complicated relationship with the city of Toronto, and to walk us through what might have been his final moments in the NBA.

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Baseball's Uncertain Future Mar 19, 2020

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There's a lot of uncertainty in baseball right now, just like every other facet of our lives. The Athletic’s Jayson Stark joins us to talk about how Major League Baseball has handled the situation with COVID-19 so far, what a delayed start could mean for the long-term relationship between players and MLB, and how the coronavirus outbreak is causing all of us to reevaluate the role of sports in our lives.

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Tom Brady is Heading to Tampa Mar 18, 2020

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One of the NFL’s biggest offseason questions was finally answered on Tuesday: Tom Brady is leaving New England and heading to Tampa Bay. The Athletic’s Steve Buckley joins us to talk about Brady’s unprecedented run of success with the Pats, his relationship with head coach Bill Belichick, and how New England fans should be dealing with the news of Brady's departure.

Read Steve Buckley's ode to Tom Brady:

https://theathletic.com/1680949/2020/03/17/heres-to-tom-brady-who-transformed-the-patriots-into-nfls-premier-franchise/?source=theleadpodcast

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No Season, No Pay: How Ballpark Workers are Getting By Mar 17, 2020

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Major League Baseball announced Monday it would postpone opening day until at least mid-May. Commissioner Rob Manfred made the announcement after the CDC on Sunday recommended gatherings of 50 people or more be canceled nationwide. According to some reports, GM's are bracing for the possibility that the season won't start until July. Even though MLB is making it sound like there’s a chance we’ll see some baseball in the near future, there are a lot of unanswered questions, like: What is going on with all of the stadium workers who sell beer and hot dogs, or who check bags and work in parking lots? What are they going to do as their livelihoods are on hold? The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan spoke to 22 stadium workers at Spring Training in Arizona about how they’re planning to get by, and he joins us to talk about what they're doing in the meantime and why promised donations from players and owners might not be such simple transactions.

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