ESPN Daily

The end of the action on Sunday afternoon marked the mathematical midpoint of the 2024 NFL season. Exactly 186 games had been played, and Sunday Night’s matchup between the Colts and Vikings kicked off the season’s second half. So we figured it was time to check in on some teams midterm grades. Michele Steele and Ben Solak go through who is acing text after test across the league, and who could use a little extra time in study hall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The hype for an all time classic World Series was real when the Dodgers-Yankees matchup was locked in. Two of the most iconic franchises in MLB history battling for a ring for the 12th time in history, and the game's two biggest stars — Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge – shining on baseball’s biggest stage. But in the end, this series was over before it even got started, and the Dodgers celebrated their 8th world championship on enemy soil. So today, ESPN Daily’s own Clinton Yates reports from the heart of New York City to explain what happened in The Bronx and explore how legacies were defined on 161st Street. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ahead of this weekend’s New York City Marathon, filmmaker and long-distance runner Nicole Teeny shares the incredible story behind her new 30 for 30 podcast GIRL v. HORSE. The conversation encompasses the surprising history of humans facing animals in contests of endurance and her own personal quest to accomplish the unthinkable: defeating a literal horse in a 50-mile ultramarathon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Monday brought news that head coach Stephanie White was leaving the Connecticut Sun, followed by speculation that she would be moving to a new team in the coming days. White was the seventh head coach to leave or be fired in the WNBA this offseason, meaning a majority of the league’s twelve teams will be under new leadership next season. Considering the explosive growth the league saw in 2024, it’s clear that the stakes are ramping up for leaders at every level. So with college basketball tipping off next week and the intrigue of the WNBA offseason heating up, Alexa Philippou looks back at the year that was, examines the college stars ready to fill Caitlin Clark’s shoes, and explores what it all means for where this game is going in 2025 and beyond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the eve of November, the college football calendar finds itself in a rare situation for this time of year as it is chock full of chaos. From undefeated teams looking to make school history, to historic powerhouses trying to hold on to their relevance, all eyes are now focused on what’s next and who will be able to claim the coveted spots in the expanded college football playoff. And this looks to be the new normal as NIL, the transfer portal and conference realignment have given birth to a whole new era of college football that has definitely shaken up our Saturdays. So today, our omniscient college football expert Ryan McGee joins us to break down how it started, how it’s going and why all this chaos might be just what everyone needed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This year, week 8 in the NFL was a holiday. No, not Halloween, but, National Tight Ends Day. And the Tight Ends were front and center, none more than George Kittle - the holiday’s “creator.” But since you heard plenty about it on every broadcast, today, Ben Solak is here to break down the Sunday night brawl between the 49ers and Cowboys. And to explain just how wild the end of the Commanders and Bears game was. To say nothing of the Lions putting up 52 points on the Titans, or the Browns upsetting the Ravens in the Dawg Pound. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yankees, Dodgers, World Series. Those words evoke memories of Major League baseball becoming the national pastime generations ago. Both franchises fielded some of the absolute giants in the history of the sport. Babe and Jackie. Mantle and Koufax. And today Ohtani and Judge. So as the baseball world gets ready for game one of the Fall Classic, we turn to Claire Smith, a legend in her own right, to tell us about the legacies of these two teams. And to put into perspective the passing of another legend, Fernando Valenzuela, who played a part himself in this historic rivalry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The story told of World War II and America is one of triumph over the Axis powers of Germany and Japan; a time when our entire nation stood together as one. It has served as both an anchor and a beacon of virtue in our nation’s history. But often forgotten from this time is the Executive Order signed by President Roosevelt that called for forcible removal of all Japanese Americans from the West Coast to inland internment camps. This order ripped apart families, their homes and their livelihoods. But as these immigrants and citizens were forced to make a new life, one thing that kept their communities together was the competition and pageantry of baseball. So today, we visit with Dan Kwong, a descendant of those held at the Manzanar internment camp, to hear about how in the coming days, his decades-long quest to bring America’s pastime back to a dark place in American history will finally reach a resolution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There’s one thing for certain, the San Antonio Spurs sure can pick ‘em. From David Robinson to Tim Duncan and now Victor Wembanyama, whenever the Spurs have the No. 1 pick in the draft, they always seem to get their hands on a generational talent. And no one knows that more than lifelong Spurs superfan Shea Serrano, who has lived and breathed all of it. Today Serrano joins us to break down the vibe in San Antonio, gauge how close they are to a championship, and game out how long Gregg Popovich, the architect of it all, will stick around. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NBA season starts tonight, and much has happened since the end of the NBA Finals. The Eastern Conference has loaded up on top, with the Knicks and the 76ers making big moves over the summer to compete with the reigning champion Celtics. Over in the Western Conference there is as competitive a race to the playoffs as ever, where almost every team has a chance to make it to the postseason. Today Tim Bontemps joins the show to survey which off-season moves are most likely to pay off, why the stakes for the champs in Boston are bigger than you think, and why generational change is coming across the league. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Week 7 in the NFL featured several of the biggest regular season battles that we’ve seen this season. While a Super Bowl rematch between the Chiefs and 49ers sort of fizzled out. Games between the Packers and Texans, and Lions and Vikings came down to the wire. And that’s before we even look at the newest toy in Aaron Rodgers toybox. So today, Ben Solak helps us understand all the highlights and stand out moments from Sunday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It wasn’t until the late 1960s that Black men were really allowed to play quarterback in professional football. And it took another 20 years or so for Black stars to emerge at the position. The lineage of runs from James “Shack” Harrris, the first black player to start a season at quarterback in the history of pro football, to Doug Williams, the first black player to start and win a Super Bowl, to Michael Vick, the first black quarterback to go first in the draft, to Warren Moon, the first black quarterback enshrined in the Hall of Fame. But in the past few years, we’ve gone from the presence of a black man under center being remarkable, to being, well, unremarkable. Andscape’s Senior NFL writer Jason Reid literally wrote the book on this, Rise of the Black Quarterback: What it Means for America, and he’s on the show to discuss how we got to this era, and also look at the future of the next man up. Jayden Daniels. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Though the play has been a bit ugly at times, the New York Yankees are sitting pretty with a 2-0 lead over the Cleveland Guardians in the ALCS. Meanwhile, the New York Mets are looking to keep their improbable run alive as they face a crucial Game 4 against the prohibitive favorite L.A. Dodgers. No doubt October baseball takes on a different flavor when both New York teams make deep runs. So today, as these two series swing to new venues, Jeff Passan gives us his insider’s view on the League Championships, including why the Mets and Dodgers have more in common than you may think, and why Yankees v. Guardians is starting to look like varsity versus JV. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The New York Liberty were one of the original franchises when the WNBA debuted in 1997. And despite the chaos of getting a professional sports team off the ground in six months, they were able to hit the ground running, making multiple appearances in the Finals. That magic run screeched to a halt as quickly as it started and the Liberty suddenly found themselves exiled out of New York City and playing in a 90-year-old arena in front of a handful of fans So today, Michael Voepel tells the story of how the Liberty were reborn in Brooklyn and are now a superteam in search of that elusive first WNBA Championship. Game 3 of the WNBA Finals between the Liberty and the Lynx airs tonight at 8pm Eastern on ESPN. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Sunday, Jerry West became the first person inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and contributor. West, who passed away in June of this year, left behind a legacy as a player, coach, executive, and is known for literally being the logo of the NBA. But he was also known for his obsessive pursuit of greatness, one that often left him incapable of enjoying the fruits of his labor. Today, ESPN senior writer Baxter Holmes details the impact that the feud between West and the Los Angeles Lakers left on the basketball great’s life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One season, one achilles injury, and a meager two wins in 2024 is all the Robert Saleh - Aaron Rodgers pairing has to show for itself with the Jets. Saleh is out as head coach of Gang Green after a rough start to the season. But for Saleh, his team, and pundits everywhere, it came as a surprise. Especially considering that with a win tonight, the Jets would be in first place in the AFC East. So today, ESPN NFL Nation reporter Rich Cimini, who’s covered the Jets since the first Bush administration, explains: how it all went down, what, if anything Rodgers had to do with Saleh’s dismissal, and wonders if there’s time left, to save the Jets season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the eve of yet another chapter of the iconic Red River Rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma, Barry Switzer – at the age of 87 – stands alone as the link from college football’s colorful past to its explosive present. And his story is a true American tale. From growing up as the son of a bootlegger to winning national titles at Oklahoma to running a sought-after Airbnb on game days, Coach Switzer has always pledged to take care of everyone in his world. But what happens when that world isn’t complete? What happens when a phone call from his past changes everything? Today, Dave Wilson answers all those questions and delivers an incredible story of how the King of Oklahoma discovered roots he didn’t know he ever had. The Red River Rivalry – No. 1 Texas vs. No. 18 Oklahoma – comes to you live from the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, October 12th, at 3: 30 EST on ABC and ESPN+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With NBA media days behind us and preseason games under way, we are officially counting down the days until the start of the NBA season on October 22. And though the defending champion Boston Celtics are looking to run it back with more or less the same roster, there are plenty of new faces in new places for us to get used to. Today, Brian Windhorst tells us why Bronny James’ arrival might actually be exactly what LeBron and the Lakers need, why the Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the most unique favorites we’ve ever seen, and why Paul George doesn’t solve the Sixers biggest problem. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Postseason baseball is theater in the greatest sense. Taking the scale of sport’s longest season and distilling it down to a short series just ratchets up the intensity like nowhere else. And this year, the bad blood between the teams in all four of the divisional series creates a soap opera like none other. So today, MLB Insider, Jeff Passan, looks ahead at tonight's ALDS action and checks in on the vibes in the NLDS. And explains how hatred is okay, as long as you mind the line between tension and toxicity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In June, we saw the NHL season culminate in an epic Stanley Cup Final. Connor McDavid, the biggest star in the game, nearly led his Oilers back from a three, nothing deficit. But in the end, the Florida Panthers, once the laughing stock of the league, took the title in a decisive game seven. So today, with a new season getting underway, Greg Wyshynski is here to help us get used to the idea of a prestige franchise in South Florida, explain what the Oilers did in the offseason to take some pressure off their team, and take stock of one of hockey's greatest records and when it may finally fall. For more on the Panthers’ “rat trick” tradition, check out our episode from 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices