The Lead

After losing to the Titans on Saturday, Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens are out of the playoffs. That has sparked a debate around the team, its young star quarterback, and his ability to show up in big games. The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia  joins us to break down the Ravens' loss to the Titans and to help us wade through the many opinions swirling around Jackson. Read Sheil Kapadia's sto...

Clemson is about to play in its fourth CFP National Championship game in five years. But, historically, the Tigers have not been a top program. And in many ways, the deck is stacked against them. The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel joins us to talk about how Clemson has overcome the odds to become a dynasty-in-the-making -- and why they’re about to get even stronger. Read Stewart Mandel's story about Cl...

Last week, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin made a controversial hiring decision: he brought in D.J. Durkin, who was fired by Maryland in 2018 after an offensive lineman died following a preseason workout. An internal investigation then revealed disturbing behaviors within the Maryland football program. The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach joins us to discuss that investigation, why Kiffin and Ole Miss a...

An exclusive report from The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich reveals that the Boston Red Sox used video replay rooms to steal pitchers signs during the 2018 season, the year the team last won the World Series. Three people who were with the organization in 2018 told The Athletic that players would visit the replay room during games, learn signs and communicate them to batters at the pla...

The Lakers have the best record in the Western Conference and the second best record in the NBA. But LeBron just turned 35 years old, spent most of last season injured, and hasn't been rested much this season. The Athletic's Andy and Brian Kamenetzky join us to discuss the Lakers' impressive start, how they've been managing their aging superstar, and what might happen if he went down. Listen to An...

The New England Patriots are out of the playoffs after a 20-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans. As they enter the post-season, there are a number of questions facing the organization -- the biggest being the future of #12. The Athletic’s Steve Buckley joins us to discuss this new era for Pats fans and whether or not after two decades the New England Patriots dynasty has finally reached its end. Read...

The Lead is featuring some of the episodes from its first year about how sports changed in 2019 or signaled a major trend that’s shaking up a particular league or sport. Yes, the World Champion Astro’s Cheated. An investigation by The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich revealed that the Houston Astros used a high-powered camera to steal other teams' pitching signs during the 2017 season, t...

In the wake of former NBA commissioner David Stern's death, we speak with The Athletic's David Aldridge about how Stern took a league that was at a crossroads in the early 1980s and helped transform it into the hugely successful, global enterprise that it is today. Read David Aldridge's story about David Stern's legacy: https://theathletic.com/1502570/2020/01/01/he-made-the-lamps-rattle-rememberin...

The Ravens ended the regular season with a 14-2 record, clinching home field advantage throughout the playoffs. And much of it was thanks to Lamar Jackson, their star dual-threat quarterback. He‘s lit up the NFL all season, and broke Michael Vick's single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback. He’s seen by many as the leading candidate for league MVP. Over the holidays The Lead is featu...

Over the holidays The Lead is featuring episodes from its first year about how sports changed in 2019 or signaled a major trend that’s shaking up a particular league or sport. Women’s Soccer is here to stay. The North Carolina Courage defeated the Chicago Red Stars 4-0 in the final of the NWSL on October 27, 2019. This summer's World Cup generated a lot of talk about equal pay, and also led to a n...

Over the holidays The Lead is featuring episodes from its first year about how sports changed in 2019 or signaled a major trend that’s shaking up a particular league or sport. Paul George and Anthony Davis did something this off-season that rattled the NBA to its very core — they forced their teams to trade them, despite the fact that they were still under contract. The Athletic's Sam Amick joins...

Over the holidays The Lead is featuring episodes from its first year about how sports changed in 2019 or signaled a major trend that’s shaking up a particular league or sport. There’s a new youth movement this season in the NHL. The Toronto Maple Leafs have one of the best young teams in professional hockey. The team is also led by a very young general manager who has placed a premium on locking i...

Nine years ago, Indianapolis Colts GM Chris Ballard and his wife Kristen Ballard received an unexpected phone call. It challenged them in a way they never could have imagined, and caused their family to grow in size. Warning: This is a heartwarming tale of humanity, just in time for the holidays. Read Zak Keefer's story about the Ballard family: https://theathletic.com/1311425/2019/10/29/can-we-ha...

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray entered the NFL surrounded by hype, but along with the fanfare came a lot of doubt. The football world at large didn't think a quarterback of his stature could thrive in the NFL, but so far he's proving the doubters wrong. The Athletic's Lindsay Jones joins us to talk about Kyler Murray's rookie campaign, how his skills have translated on the big stage an...

The FBI recently charged 10 former NFL players, including Clinton Portis, with defrauding a health care program meant to benefit retired players and their families. The indictment cites more than 3 million dollars in fraudulent claims for medical equipment, including a device normally used on horses. The Athletic’s Daniel Kaplan joins us to break down this unusual case, to discuss what NFL players...

The once untouchable Warriors are now the worst team in the NBA, with a 5-23 record. And the last man standing from the dynasty years, at least for now, is the notoriously intense Draymond Green. The Athletic’s Anthony Slater sat down with Draymond to talk about how he’s dealing with all this losing, how he's rehabilitating his offensive game, and growing up a bit in the process. Read Anthony Slat...

After a 2-year-old was hit in the head by a foul ball back in May during a Cubs-Astros game, pressure began mounting on Major League Baseball to make stadiums safer for fans. The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma, who was at that game, joins us to talk about the incident, last week's announcement that MLB teams will be expanding protective netting, and how this new development might affect players and fan...

The Heisman Trophy Award ceremony is Saturday, and LSU's Joe Burrow is virtually certain to win. The Athletic's Jon Greenberg went to Burrow's hometown of Athens, Ohio and interviewed his family, friends, and former coaches to learn about the star QB's past and to see how people there have been following his success. Read Jon Greenberg's story about Joe Burrow's legacy in Athens, Ohio: https://the...

Longtime Mets owners Fred and Jeff Wilpon are reportedly selling the team to billionaire hedge fund manager (and minority owner) Steve Cohen. Mets fans have long had a contentious relationship with the Wilpons, often criticizing them for mismanagement and not spending as much on free agents as their cross-town rivals the Yankees. The Athletic's Tim Britton joins us to talk about the sale and how i...

The Bengals have accused the Patriots of filming their sideline ahead of Sunday’s matchup between the two teams. Meanwhile, the Patriots say the hired cameraman was just shooting B-roll of a team scout for a documentary film. The Athletic’s Lindsay Jones joins us to break down the accusations, the Patriots’ history of spying, and what the NFL might do next. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/...

David Fizdale became the latest in a long line of head coaches to be fired by the New York Knicks on Friday. After missing out on the number one draft pick and free agent targets Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving this summer, the Knicks began the season with a sense of disappointment -- and then got off to a 4-18 start. Kavitha and The Athletic's Frank Isola break down Fizdale's short tenure, two deca...

The Ravens rattled off their ninth straight win on Sunday, defeating the Bills 24-17 and moving to first overall in the AFC. In the process, Lamar Jackson became just the second quarterback in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, and the 22-year-old is seen by many as the leading candidate for league MVP. The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia joins us to talk about how the Ravens gambled on Jac...

Andy Ruiz Jr. shocked the world in June by knocking out heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua at Madison Square Garden. Joshua is 6'6" and sculpted, with endorsement deals from Hugo Boss and Beats (among others), and the Brit was considered by many to be the next great heavyweight. Meanwhile, Ruiz was a relatively unknown Mexican-American with a noticeably pudgy build who grew up fighting in the street...

The Pistons-Pacers brawl known as “Malice at the Palace” rocked the NBA fifteen years ago. Many people saw it as a low point for the league. The melee, which included flying beer bottles and fans getting punched in the face, forced the league to implement new rules in an attempt to recreate its image. With the Palace now being deconstructed, The Athletic’s Michael Lee joins us to look back at the...

A massive, state-sponsored doping program was unearthed in Russia several years ago, leading to the country being banned from the 2018 Olympics. Last week, it was reported that Russia had violated the terms of its new oversight, by submitting bogus data to the World Anti-Doping Agency. There is now the possibility that Russia will be banned from international sports competitions for four years. Re...