The Lead

The Toronto Blue Jays got an MVP-caliber campaign from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in 2021, but the team came up just short of the playoffs on the final day of the season. Today, The Athletic’s Kaitlyn McGrath tells us how the Jays responded after the disappointment of missing out, and how they’ve rebuilt their roster after the losses of Robbie Ray and Marcus Semien to set the bar even higher in 2022. A...

It has already been an unbelievable ride for the Iowa State Cyclones, a No. 11 seed that has made a run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Today, The Athletic’s Jesse Temple tells us how this team — led by first-year head coach T.J. Otzelberger — has pulled off an unthinkable turnaround, going from 2-22 a year ago to now sitting on the verge of the Elite Eight. Plus, the role that the tr...

A year ago, Oregon basketball player Sedona Prince shamed the NCAA into a moment of reckoning. Her video about the "weight room" provided to women athletes in the NCAA tournament bubble stirred up a debate over discrepancies between the men's and women's tournaments, and turned Prince into an overnight celebrity. The Athletic's Charlotte Carroll caught up with Prince and her mother a year later, a...

The NFL offseason has had no shortage of storylines. Quarterbacks are playing musical chairs, big name free agents are on the move, and one of the best receivers in football was traded. Today The Athletic’s Lindsay Jones helps us make sense of it all by breaking down the controversial Deshaun Watson trade, Davante Adams’ move to Vegas, and Matt Ryan’s new start in Indy. Plus she reveals who she th...

We’ve had a full day to recover from the opening two rounds of March Madness, four days that brought us cheerleader heroics, iconic mustaches, and some truly stunning performances — none more so than the Sweet 16 run of the St. Peter’s Peacocks. Today, The Athletic’s C.J. Moore — who has been on site covering the tournament in Texas — helps us try to make sense of all the chaos we’v...

At his introductory press conference a few weeks ago, American soccer coach Jesse Marsch brought up the fictional TV character that he knew he would be asked about: Ted Lasso. It was Marsch's way of addressing the elephant in the room -- the fact that he, an American, had been selected to lead one of the most historic clubs in English football, and to try and rescue their season. Now, with four ga...

Thanks to the Netflix, the hottest sport in America right now might just be Formula 1. The series has brought international auto racing to a whole new audience and its popularity just keeps growing. So with the F1 season set to kick off this weekend, The Athletic’s Matt Slater joins us to talk about what makes 'Drive To Survive' so compelling, what the series has done to help the sport reach...

Major League Baseball Opening Day is just three weeks away, and we’ve seen a wave of significant deals as teams scramble to put together their rosters. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Stephen Nesbitt to break down some of those key moves — including the World Series champion Braves’ acquisition of Matt Olson, and the big waves made by the Mariners, Mets and others — as we fly towar...

When Zion Williamson came to town nearly three years ago, he was the hero that New Orleans Pelicans fans needed -- a Southern superstar who could pick up the pieces that Anthony Davis left behind. Fans welcomed him with open arms and a literal jazz ensemble. Now, after three injury-plagued seasons, more than 120 games missed, long periods of silence from Zion, and questions about his level of comm...

Every year, the average person spends six hours filling out their brackets to try and dominate their March Madness pool. But what if I told you there was a way to get the perfect bracket in minutes instead of hours? Today, The Athletic’s resident college hoops guru, Seth Davis, gives us the skinny on who to watch in the tournament, which teams will bust your bracket, and who is going to come out o...

NFL free agency starts this week, but the fireworks have already started flying around the league, from Tom Brady to Russell Wilson to Aaron Rodgers to Carson Wentz. Today, The Athletic’s Stephen Holder breaks down the big QB deals that have already happened, and the off-field stories that have shaken the NFL lately, including the impact of Calvin Ridley's gambling suspension on the league, and wh...

The Paralympics are in full swing in Beijing, and there have been plenty of great moments to savor. Today, we look at the incredible performance of athletes from Ukraine, who are winning loads of medals even while their friends and families back home remain under siege, the rise of China as a dominant force at the Paralympics, and the most memorable performances so far from Team USA. See Privacy P...

Caitlin Clark is one of the most exciting players in all of college basketball. She launches shots from near half-court, spins audacious passes, and she has the numbers to back up the style too. But she’s not content with just dominating the basketball court, the sophomore point guard has dreams of becoming a mogul down the line. Today, The Athletic’s Brian Hamilton joins us to talk about where Cl...

The struggling L.A. Lakers lost again on Monday night, part of a second-half slide that has seen their record drop to eight games under .500. And in the midst of all that losing, there are big questions on the horizon when it comes to the future of LeBron James. Today, The Athletic’s Bill Oram tells us where things stand with LeBron and the Lakers, and why his struggling superstar teammate, Russel...

Roman Abramovich endeared himself to Chelsea fans almost immediately when he purchased the club back in 2003. He quickly spent more money than any Premier League club owner in history, and the results on the field followed: league titles, Champions League victories, and many more trophies. But now, in the wake of Russia's war against Ukraine, questions and concerns about Abramovich, his past, and...

NFL Free Agency is just around the corner, but the quarterback rumor mill is already in full flow. Today, The Athletic’s Mike Sando joins us to talk about the latest signal caller scuttlebutt from the combine and to tell us which team should feel the most angst about their quarterback situation headed into the 2022 season. Plus, the story of a retired NFL veteran who went from dishing out hits on...

This week, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred announced that for the first time since 1994, the league is canceling games due to a work stoppage. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Nick Groke — who covers the Colorado Rockies — to look at why that team’s owner, Dick Monfort, has emerged as a key figure in the failed negotiations. And, with both sides currently at an impass...

There’s another superstar emerging for the USWNT — Catarina Macario. The excitement around the 22-year-old is at a fevered pitch after she scored two incredible goals against Iceland to help the Americans seal their third straight SheBelieves Cup. Today, The Athletic’s Meg Linehan joins us to talk about how the Brazilian-born forward came in to the national team setup and just how high her ceiling...

In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week, international sports organizations have issued unprecedented penalties against Russia, including a ban on playing in international soccer games. Today, reporter Tariq Panja joins us to explain how and why these dramatic actions were taken, and why FIFA took so long to make its decision. Plus, the inside story of a group of professional soccer...

No NBA team has experienced more ups and downs this season than the Brooklyn Nets. The one-time favorites have gone from first place in the East to eighth, and have seen plenty of drama -- on and off the court -- along the way. Now, after a signature win over the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, followed by a spectacular defeat by the Toronto Raptors on Monday, plenty of concerns re...

The tallest man to ever play in the NHL, Zdeno Chara, set a record on Thursday by playing in his 1,652nd game -- the most ever by an NHL defenseman. And while the 6-foot-9-inch Slovakian has been a household name to hockey fans for nearly three decades now, his path to greatness was certainly not written in stone. Today, The Athletic's Kevin Kurz joins us to explain how Chara -- who turns 45 years...

Chet Holmgren is one of the most unique basketball players you will ever see. The Gonzaga freshman stands 7’1" but weighs just 195 pounds, he has the height of a big man but can play on the perimeter like a guard, and in spite of his slight frame he’s a defensive menace in the paint. Today, The Athletic’s Dana O’Neil joins us to talk about Holmgren’s journey from playing AAU with Jalen Suggs to fo...

Last week in a courtroom in Fort Worth, Texas, a jury found Eric Kay, the former Los Angeles Angels communications director, guilty of distributing counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl that led to the death of Tyler Skaggs in 2019. Today, The Athletic's Sam Blum tells us some of the key points that were argued in the trial, what we learned in explosive testimony from some of Skaggs...

Lusia Harris is one of the best basketball players to ever live: a 3-time collegiate national champion, an Olympics silver medalist, and the only woman to be officially drafted by an NBA team. But, chances are, you've never heard of her. A documentary about Harris's life drew upon mountains of previously unseen footage, and was recently nominated for an Academy Award. Today, the director of that f...

We’re headed into the final stages of the NBA season and the hottest team in the NBA resides in Boston. Today, The Athletic’s Jared Weiss gives us insights into how the Celtics overcame their early season struggles on both sides of the floor and he tells us if this team actually has a chance to make it out of a loaded Eastern Conference come June. Read all of Jared Weiss’ Celtics coverage here: ht...