As we settle into the new year, the phrase “deer in headlights” feels like an apt description for the state many members of “sports Twitter” currently find themselves in. More than two years after Elon Musk took over Twitter, now known as X, the platform has become an increasingly unpleasant space for sports conversations. While many users have already migrated to other platforms like Threads and Bluesky, plenty more are staying put—unhappy with the current state of affairs but reluctant to abandon the communities they’ve carefully curated and built.Today, we’re joined by three guests who have been notable contributors to the sports Twitter community for more than a decade. TJ Adeshola (X, Instagram) formerly oversaw sports partnerships at Twitter, Reeta Hubbard, aka “The NFL Chick” (Bluesky, X), is a longtime sports commentator currently hosting Gridiron Gals, and Jason Concepcion (Bluesky, Instagram, X) is the Emmy-winning host of Six Trophies. They spoke with David Dennis Jr. to reflect on the glory days of sports Twitter, explore how and why it took a turn for the worse, and discuss where the community goes from here.Check out the playlist, featuring our favorite stories of 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The sports world is transforming in 2025, with new rule changes, new playoffs formats, and many other innovations across the landscape. So we brought on some of our favorite regular guests — Katie Barnes, Bill Barnwell, Elle Duncan, Luis Miguel Echegaray, Andreas Hale, Ryan McGee, Jeff Passan — and Clinton Yates, who will be back in the host’s chair later this month, to tell us not only what they’re most excited to cover in 2025, but also what they’re most excited to watch as fans. Plus, guest hosts Michele Steele and David Dennis, Jr. share their hot takes for the year and our team of ESPN Daily producers reveal what they’re most looking forward to covering on the show.Check out this playlist featuring our favorite stories of 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On September 26th, 2024, the Athletics played their final game ever in Oakland, the city they’ve called home for 57 years. As friend of the show Jeff Passan wrote, baseball in the East Bay was “killed by greed… John Fisher did not have to move this team… This was a choice. A wrong one. History will sneer.” For the conclusion of our Death of a Sports Town series, we trekked to the Oakland Coliseum and bore witness to the sights, sounds, and emotions of a city’s last gasp as a big time pro sports town. It was a poignant and passionate display from a vibrant and rich fanbase, defiant to the very end. Today, we share that experience with you. Check out the playlist, featuring our favorite stories of 2024. Death of a Sports Town Episodes:Apple Podcasts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, & Part 4Spotify: All episodes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In covering Oakland’s unraveling as a big time sports town, we’ve documented the greed, the loss, the dubious decisions, and the rich sports community soon to be left behind. But we’ve yet to fully examine the most pertinent question of all––does the Athletics planned move to Las Vegas make any sense at all? Today, in part four of our series Death of a Sports Town, we take stock of why the A’s (and MLB) are so enamored with Las Vegas––a city soon to be the smallest market in the league––why this move will be extraordinarily messy, and why Oakland is America’s most-underappreciated sports town. Check out the playlist, featuring our favorite stories of 2024. Death of a Sports Town Episodes:Apple Podcasts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, & Part 5Spotify: All episodes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The loss of three professional sports teams in five years has thrust Oakland into the media spotlight, with coverage focusing on every twist, turn, stadium proposal, and relocation rumor. But amid all that noise, a central experience has been overshadowed: the story of the fans.In part three of our series, Death of a Sports Town, we turn our attention to the diehard Oakland sports fans who refuse to let their city’s reputation define them. We explore the thriving, tight-knit community that grew within the walls of the Coliseum and how, even after the teams have left, those bonds strive to endure in the face of an uncertain future.Check out the playlist, featuring our favorite stories of 2024. Death of a Sports Town Episodes:Apple Podcasts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 4, & Part 5Spotify: All episodesStatement from the Athletics:ESPN emailed the Oakland Athletics, asking “What does the team feel it owes its fans and the city of Oakland as September 26th approaches?” The team responded with the following statement: “We are deeply grateful to Oakland for being home to the A’s for nearly 60 years. In that span, the team and its fans celebrated four World Series championships, served as home to seven American League MVPs, made countless lasting memories, and achieved a storied place in baseball history. After an earnest and unprecedented effort to bring a visionary ballpark to downtown Oakland, we were unable to reach a deal, and more importantly, secure a reliable path to a fully approved project. We appreciate the community members, local leaders and staff who worked diligently to build a new home in Oakland and applaud the fans who passionately advocated for the team to stay. The A’s time in Oakland will always be a cherished part of this franchise’s history, and we carry that spirit forward on this journey to Sacramento and eventually to our new home in Las Vegas. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the loyal fans for their unwavering support throughout the years.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Any time a franchise owner threatens to leave a city, the pressure and scrutiny on civic leaders intensifies. But in Oakland, a parallel story emerged—a group of activist fans who refused to let the Athletics go quietly.In the second part of our series, Death of a Sports Town, we examine the three men who led the Warriors, Raiders, and Athletics away from “the Town,” the reasons behind their decisions, and the intimate story of one fan who launched a movement to fight back.The multipart series: ‘Death of a Sports Town’ is being re-published in the feed for the next 3 days. If you don’t want to wait, you can check out all of the episodes of this series from when they originally aired at the links below.Check out the playlist, featuring our favorite stories of 2024. Death of a Sports Town Episodes:Apple Podcasts: Part 1, Part 3, Part 4, & Part 5Spotify: All episodes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the afternoon of September 26th, the Oakland Athletics played the Texas Rangers in their final game ever in the city they’ve called home for 57 seasons. Following the lead of the Warriors and Raiders, they are the third major sports franchise to leave the city in just five years.This exodus is the culmination of decades of decisions, negotiations and missteps. And now, Oakland is no longer a big-time sports town. So how exactly did we get here? How does this all look and feel on the ground in the East Bay? And when a city loses all its teams, what’s left behind?With the help of lifelong Bay Area resident Tim Keown, we’ve been exploring these questions for months. And today, we kick off our multipart series Death of a Sports Town with a look at the ironically rich history of sports in “The Town,” and we unearth the 30-year-old decision that doomed sports in the gritty-city-by-the-bay.  The multipart series: ‘Death of a Sports Town’ is being re-published in the feed for the next 4 days. If you don’t want to wait, you can check out all of the episodes of this series from when they originally aired at the links below.Apple Podcasts: Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, & Part 5Spotify: All episodesCheck out the playlist, featuring our favorite stories of 2024.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s one of the most infamous fan stories in sports history: when Eagles fans booed Santa at halftime of a game played at Franklin Field. But who was the Santa in question - and why was he booed and pelted with snowballs? It’s ESPN Daily’s Christmas tradition to bring you this episode, so hear an encore with Jeremy Schaap and Mina Kimes as they reflect on the enduring legacy of the Philadelphia Santa.Check out the playlist, featuring our favorite stories of 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

By the time the end of the year rolls around, it’s easy to forget what has gone down in the previous 365-ish days. A story that felt like the center of the world in February, is lost to the passing of time as winter turns to spring turns to summer turns to fall turns to winter.But don’t fear, because today Michele Steele, David Dennis Jr., and Greg Wyshysnki hand out their awards for the biggest and best sports stories of the year.Check out the playlist, featuring our favorite stories of 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the NFL season heads into its final few weeks, the jockeying for playoff position is getting more intense.There are three teams grouped at the top of the NFC, and with the Lions and Vikings poised to face off in week 18, and the Eagles coming off a tough loss in Washington on Sunday, it looks like the road through the NFC could run through the north.Meanwhile in the AFC, the Chiefs and Bills held serve. Buffalo survived an early scare from the Patriots, and Kansas City scared us all by taking no precautions with Patrick Mahomes against the Texans (of course it worked out).So today ESPN sports analytics writer Seth Walder and Ben Solak dig into the numbers to explain all of the postseason machinations in play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices