30 for 30 Podcasts

After Hobey Baker makes his triumphant Princeton hockey debut against Williams, we travel back to his early days attending St. Paul’s School in New Hampshire. He develops a reputation as both an athletic phenom and a kind, generous sportsman. After the economic crash of 1907, his father struggles to send him to college at Princeton where he becomes a two-sport star in football and hockey. After gr...

Every hockey fan knows the name Hobey Baker - collegiate hockey’s most prestigious trophy is named after him - but very few know the real story of this all-time great athlete. Using an archive of personal letters and source materials provided by the Mudd Library at Princeton University, as well as original research, the series charts Hobey’s glory days as the best collegiate hockey and football pl...

This is Let’s Talk Clipped, a companion podcast for FX’s Clipped, a Hulu sports drama based on the 30 for 30 Podcasts series, The Sterling Affairs.  In our final episode, host Ramona Shelburne chats with returning guests Gina Welch (showrunner, writer, and executive producer of Clipped) and writer and producer Rembert Browne about the sixth and final episode of Clipped, “Keep Smiling.” Learn more...

This is Let’s Talk Clipped, a companion podcast for FX’s Clipped, a Hulu sports drama based on the 30 for 30 Podcasts series, The Sterling Affairs.  In this episode, host Ramona Shelburne chats with Jacki Weaver, the actor who plays Shelly Sterling, and Ed O’Neill, who plays Donald Sterling, about the fifth episode of Clipped, “The Best Words.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoice...

This is Let’s Talk Clipped, a companion podcast for FX’s Clipped, a Hulu sports drama based on the 30 for 30 Podcasts series, The Sterling Affairs.  In this episode, guest host Clinton Yates (host of ESPN Daily) speaks with actor Kelly AuCoin, who plays Clippers Executive Andy Roeser, and director Kevin Bray about the fourth episode of Clipped, “Winning Ugly.” Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

Welcome to Let’s Talk Clipped, a companion podcast for FX’s Clipped, a Hulu sports drama based on the 30 for 30 Podcasts series, The Sterling Affairs.  Each week, Ramona Shelburne, host and reporter of The Sterling Affairs and executive producer of Clipped, sits down with cast and writers from the show to talk about the latest episode.  In this episode, Ramona chats with Cleopatra Coleman, the act...

Welcome to Let’s Talk Clipped, a companion podcast for FX’s Clipped, a Hulu sports drama based on the 30 for 30 Podcasts series, The Sterling Affairs.  Each week, Ramona Shelburne, host and reporter of The Sterling Affairs and executive producer of Clipped, sits down with cast and writers from the show to talk about the latest episode.  In this episode, Ramona chats with show runner, writer, and e...

It’s been ten years since Donald Sterling was banned for life from the NBA. In this very special bonus episode, we check in with our Sterling Affairs’ mainstays: Shelly, V., and of course, the Los Angeles Clippers. A whole lot has changed for the allegedly cursed team in the past decade, from a new owner to a new arena. But can they actually take home a title?  Guests: Marc Spears, Zach Lowe, Stev...

The Donald Sterling story comes to an end where it all started — with a showdown in court. This time, though, it’s Donald vs. Shelly.  This series was originally aired in 2019. We’re re-releasing it in anticipation of the FX and Hulu series, Clipped, a six-part sports drama based on The Sterling Affairs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When the explosive tape of Donald Sterling broke, it came at a moment when power in the NBA was changing. Players, owners, and a new commissioner were faced with a major test that would re-shape the league.  This series was originally aired in 2019. We’re re-releasing it in anticipation of the FX and Hulu series, Clipped, a six-part sports drama based on The Sterling Affairs. Learn more about your...

Donald and Shelly Sterling escaped poverty, reinvented themselves, and became the biggest residential landlords in LA. But in housing and basketball, they never had to face the consequences of their actions.  This series was originally aired in 2019. We’re re-releasing it in anticipation of the FX and Hulu series, Clipped, a six-part sports drama based on The Sterling Affairs. Learn more about you...

Throughout the 80s and 90s, the Clippers were horrible and Donald Sterling was known as the worst owner in sports. But Donald Sterling wasn't the joke we all thought he was.  This series was originally aired in 2019. We’re re-releasing it in anticipation of the FX and Hulu series, Clipped, a six-part sports drama based on The Sterling Affairs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices...

A domestic battle boils over and sends the NBA into crisis when secretly recorded tapes of Donald Sterling and his mistress V. Stiviano leak on TMZ.  This series was originally aired in 2019. We’re re-releasing it in anticipation of the FX and Hulu series, Clipped, a six-part sports drama based on The Sterling Affairs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 30 for 30 Podcast, The Sterling Affairs, is turning into a TV show! It’s called Clipped. It starts streaming on Hulu on Tuesday, June 4.  In anticipation of FX’s Clipped, we’re re-releasing The Sterling Affairs. If you’re new, check it out. If you’ve already heard the series, stick around. We have a brand new, never-been-aired bonus episode coming out on Friday, May 31.  Finally, we’re releasi...

NFL Films producer Courtland Bragg investigates the mysterious 1996 burning of Reggie White’s church in Knoxville, Tennessee, and in the process, shines a light on the greater legacy of the NFL Hall of Famer. In the midst of a rash of mid-1990s church burnings across the United States, White’s Inner City Church boasts a growing interracial congregation, and after the building is firebombed and red...

NFL Films producer Courtland Bragg investigates the mysterious 1996 burning of Reggie White’s church in Knoxville, Tennessee, and in the process, shines a light on the greater legacy of the NFL Hall of Famer. In the midst of a rash of mid-1990s church burnings across the United States, White’s Inner City Church boasts a growing interracial congregation, and after the building is firebombed and red...

To unravel how a top college recruit’s NBA dreams ran into a sprawling federal investigation, reporter Paula Lavigne explores his early years. Billy Preston and his mom struggle to get by in L.A. An active kid, Billy finds basketball through his mom’s partner, a high school coach and former professional player. Billy’s star rises in youth leagues. He generates buzz as an NBA prospect. Top colleges...

Billy’s mom Nichole lets her son focus on improving his game. Meanwhile she fields all the onlookers who want Billy on their team. To play for a top college, Billy couldn’t accept any money or he’d ruin his eligibility. Yet offers to circumvent that abound: aka, the bag game. In the college recruitment dance, Billy gets his top pick and Nicole makes a connection that promises to secure the family’...

The NCAA’s amateurism rules kept schools from paying players like Billy, so money wouldn't sway their college decision. But Paula learns how the youth teams delivering top recruits could serve as a go-between, where influence could be peddled. We hear one youth coach in Florida court much-needed funding from big-time shoe companies, only to land in hot water for what he promises in return. He didn...

Federal prosecutors tell the college sports world, “We have your playbook." As court cases begin, details come out on secret payments. Who made them and for whose benefit? Who was the victim of all this and what, exactly, was the crime? Why were no head coaches called to testify? Prosecutors break their silence and reveal their legal strategy. After playing overseas, Billy returns for the NBA draf...

ESPN and 30 for 30 Podcasts present "The Bag Game." Investigative reporter Paula Lavigne shines light on the biggest pay-to-play scandal in college basketball, through the story of Billy Preston. He was a five-star recruit set to start for Kansas, when his path crossed a sprawling federal investigation. The complex case ensnared major athletic programs, coaches, apparel executives and agents. But...

Growing up Iranian American, Shima Oliaee found her mother didn’t talk much about where she came from. Watching soccer, though, was a portal to Iran, a place that was in large part a mystery. Shima delves into the stories she didn’t hear growing up: Iran's mandated modernization and how soccer played a role, the women-led 1979 revolution, and her parents’ mistaken-identity love story.  Shima and h...

This episode starts with two questions: If women equally led the 1979 revolution, why were their rights stripped away first? How does this happen to an emboldened part of the population? At first, the women fight back, chanting “Azadi! Azadi!” [translation: “Freedom! Freedom!”] in the streets until the clerics back down. But in a story told by legendary writer and activist Mehrangiz Kar, women’s r...

One game sets off a movement. In 1997 Iran surprisingly makes the World Cup in the last three minutes of play against Australia. When Iran's national team gets helicoptered into Azadi Stadium to celebrate, women are asked to stay home. They don't listen, and thousands rush the stadium. This is the origin story of the White Scarves, a group that uses international soccer matches to defy the regime...

(Warning: this episode includes description of a suicide). The newest generation of Iranian girl soccer fans take a bold new approach. They cross-dress as men to sneak into Azadi Stadium, documenting their rebellion live on social media - an irreverent middle finger to the government. One of those girls is Zeinab Sahafy, from Episode 1. One night four of her friends are arrested and she flees for...