The Lead

On Sunday night, the Colorado Avalanche hoisted the Stanley Cup for the first time in 21 years, and just the third time in team history. And the unanimous winner of the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP was their superstar defenseman, Cale Makar. In fact, Makar was so dominant during the playoffs that The Great One himself, Wayne Gretzky, compared him to the legendary Bobby Orr. Today, The Athleti...

Plus: The Phillies playoff hopes take a major blow in San Diego. And Hornets fans are feeling deja vu all over again. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

On Thursday night, when he was widely expected to be the top overall pick in the NBA Draft, Jabari Smith Jr. instead became one of the new faces of the Houston Rockets — after a freshman year at Auburn that sent his draft stock soaring. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Brian Hamilton to look at how Smith, in the span of just five years, went from “a wiry, skinny kid with a little baby fat” to...

Tomorrow marks the 50-year anniversary of Title IX, the landmark civil rights law that prohibits gender discrimination at schools that receive federal funding. The law has completely transformed the landscape of girls and women's sports in the U.S. in ways that were once unimaginable. But it turns out, most colleges and universities today are actually not complying with the law -- usually to the d...

The Atlanta Braves are riding a wild hot streak so far in June (14-0 this month), and a big reason why has been the arrival of top prospect Michael Harris II, who’s hitting .328 in his young big league career. Today, Justin Toscano — who covers the team for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution — tells the story of three key days that led the Braves to fall in love with Harris as a player, wh...

Two years ago, Deion Sanders left the comfort of his expansive home outside of Dallas -- a place he calls "Lake Prime" -- to become the next head football coach at Jackson State, the historically black university in Jackson, Mississippi. At times, his welcome speech felt more like a Sunday sermon than a press conference, and he pledged to do everything he could to restore the program to its former...

Plus: The Lightning look to strike down the juggernaut coming out of Colorado. And Sabrina Ionescu is unimpressed with making history. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

New York Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant has made a habit of achieving near immediate success -- and then promptly getting fired. This season, Gallant has once again worked some hockey coaching magic, steering the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Finals in his first year at the helm (they currently trail the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 in the series). Today, The Athletic’s Michael Russo joins us to...

Back in the early 2000’s, Josiah Johnson was a benchwarmer for one of the most storied college basketball programs in the nation: the UCLA Bruins. It was the closest he came to being a basketball star, and a long way from the heights reached by his dad, five-time NBA All-Star Marques Johnson. However, Josiah Johnson found a different path to basketball success, and today, Ben Bolch of the L.A. Tim...

Plus: The Warriors go full steamroll mode in Game 2. And Max Scherzer wants you to know that nothing happened with his dog. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

From the minute the Green Bay Packers called his name with the 34th pick of this year’s NFL Draft, wide receiver Christian Watson has had to answer questions about becoming the new face of the team’s wide receivers room — as he steps into the void created by the trade of Davante Adams. Today, The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman tells the story of Watson’s amazing rise from 4-year-old on a dirt bik...

We're just over two rounds into the NHL Playoffs, and the league's brightest star -- Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid -- has already put in a performance for the ages. Today, reporter Jonathan Willis joins us to discuss how the 24-year-old McDavid has somehow taken his game to yet another level, the records he’s breaking and minds he’s blowing along the way, and what his continued ascent mean...

Plus: Another European triumph for the kings of the Champions League. And two major leaguers take a fantasy football dispute way too far. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Back in December, just a couple of days before his wedding, San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb and his family endured a devastating tragedy. Today, The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly joins us to talk about how it upended the life of the Webb family, and what they are doing now to try to fight a growing epidemic. Read Andrew Baggarly’s full story about the Webb family: https://theathletic.com...

A title race for the ages. A dramatic comeback victory for the champions. And a desperate battle to avoid relegation. The Premier League's final weekend had all the drama -- and then some. Roger Bennett of the Men In Blazers Media Network joins us today to break down all the action from Championship Sunday, and to preview this weekend's Champions League Final. More from Roger Bennett: www.meninbla...

Plus: Justin Thomas defies the odds at Southern Hills. And a dramatic Premier League title race comes down to the wire. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

We’re nearly one fourth of the way through the 2022 MLB season, and after a devastating finish last year, one of the best teams in baseball so far this year has been the National League East-leading New York Mets. Today, The Athletic’s Rustin Dodd tells us about some of the key factors that have powered the Mets’ renaissance, including a box of T-shirts, a squirrel, and big-spending billionaire ow...

Plus: Tiger is back on the prowl at the PGA Championship. And a boozy Luka Doncic beer conspiracy takes flight. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

One year ago, Phil Mickelson was riding the highest of highs, having won the PGA Championship, and becoming the oldest major champion in golf history. But now, after making controversial comments about Saudi Arabia and a new Saudi-backed golf league, “Lefty” has found himself in hot water and a self-imposed exile from the PGA. Mickelson's unofficial biographer, Alan Shipnuck, who published the com...

Plus: Another head coach is leaving Las Vegas. And the Heat and Celtics gear up for a rock fight in the Eastern Conference Finals.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Plus: The NHL shows the NBA what a dramatic game 7 really looks like. And Major League Baseball’s worst team finds an inventive new way to lose.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

When he was drafted late in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft, some experts called Jordan Poole — the Golden State Warriors’ selection — the worst pick of the draft. Three years later, Poole has emerged as a bona fide star, and provided the already talent-rich Warriors with another potent offensive threat. The Athletic’s Sam Amick recently spoke with Poole about his rise to stardom, and Sam jo...

Plus: The Urban Meyer hiring continues to haunt the Jaguars. And a former-MVP makes baseball history in Cincinnati. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

After two years of anticipation, Angel City FC, the Los Angeles-based women’s professional soccer team founded and supported by celebrities like Natalie Portman, Jennifer Garner, Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach, Eva Longoria, and Christina Aguilera (just to name a few), finally made its NWSL debut two weekends ago -- and it was quite the event. The Athletic's Meg Linehan walks us through the drama of their...

Plus: The Sixers look to keep the good vibes going in Miami. And the NFL schedules two Monday night games... at the same time? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .