ESPN Daily

The first Sunday of the NFL season is in the books, and we learned a little but not a lot. Josh Allen still needs to work on protecting the ball for the highly hopeful Bills, the Colts Anthony Richardson showed us all why he might be the best athlete in football, and in spite of a rough outing, rookie Caleb Williams and the Bears pulled off a win in his debut.So today, ESPN NFL Analyst Ben Solak joins us for NFL Monday, to chalktalk the ins and outs of the league and get us ready for a Monday Night Football clash between the Jets and 49ers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Being known as a perfectionist is one of those “gift and a curse” type of labels.While some admire someone with the drive to shoot for the stars, the raised expectations can also open you up to the criticism that comes from not reaching your goals.For Jalen Hurts, you also have to throw in the scrutiny that comes along with being one of the faces of the NFL, in one of its crown cities.So today, ahead of Hurts and the Eagles season debut, tonight against the Packers in Sao Paolo Brazil, Andscape’s Martenzie Johnson - fresh off spending the day with Hurts for an Andscape digital cover story - shares his thoughts on who the QB is at this point in his career, and explains how his pursuit of perfection defines his leadership in the locker room, and the way he manages his public persona. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NFL season starts tonight when the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs take on the rival Baltimore Ravens.So for those anxious fans out there, rest easy, because that means there’s football every week from now until February.And most of you want to know if your squad is going to make the playoffs at year’s end. So today - instead of a crystal ball - we bring in Bill Barnwell, to tell us who is going to climb out of the cellar, and into the playoffs this winter. And which teams that made it last season, are in for a rude awakening this year.You can get more of Bill Barnwell on The Bill Barnwell Show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NFL gets underway this week with games on multiple continents and various franchises with a lot to prove. The Chiefs open up their championship defense against the Ravens on Thursday, but not every division is looking like chalk. So today, NFL Live’s Mina Kimes joins us to take a division by division look at the 2024 NFL season and tells us who she thinks might end up on the big stage in New Orleans for Super Bowl 59. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 23 days, on the afternoon of September 26th, the Oakland Athletics will play 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 will be 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 in the end stages of its life as 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 five-part 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’ publishes every Tuesday in the ESPN Daily show feed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed 34 years ago, leading to a significant rise in awareness, inclusion, and accommodation for people with disabilities across the country. But all these years later, many needs remain unmet by stadiums and arenas nationwide. And the challenges faced by tens of millions of Americans with invisible disabilities are often under-appreciated and misunderstood.Today, Sam Borden helps us bridge the gap, taking us inside his expansive project on these unseen challenges, and revealing what we risk losing when we overlook them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NFL season is only one week away and while quarterbacks and Fantasy Football starting lineups are dominating everyone’s mind, there are hidden game breakers through the league that just might get overlooked.From the tight ends in Buffalo, to the defensive backs in K.C., to the man replacing future Hall of Famer Jason Kelce, these games will be decided from just about every spot on the roster.Not to mention the coaches, whose game planning and the play calling are often the razor-thin difference between playing in January and taking an early vacation.So today, ESPN’s newest NFL expert Ben Solak breaks down who he thinks could be true influencers this season from the field to the sidelines. difference makers for a lot of contenders in this league. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You’ve heard of the 12th man before, but probably didn’t know that it originated at Texas A&M. Because back in 1922, a fan by the name of E. King Gill, literally came out of the crowd and donned a jersey, helmet, and pads to support the Aggies, after a rash of injuries shrunk their roster in the Dixie Classic.Some 60 years later, Jackie Sherrill, the newly appointed Aggie head coach was so impressed by the rough and tumble nature of the student body, that he literally assembled a kick coverage team made up entirely of walk ons, called the 12th Man Kickoff Coverage Unit.ESPN College Football reporter Dave Wilson explains how that rogue unit of madmen, took it to Notre Dame, and its Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown, in the 1988 Cotton Bowl. And tells us all about the trophy that they claimed from that game. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Life was perfect for Ali Truwit. She was in Turks and Caicos with her best friend celebrating her graduation from Yale. Her life stretched before her, like the clear blue sea.But one moment in the ocean changed her life forever. And suddenly, Ali, who’s entire life revolved around being in the water, was faced with the prospect that she might never swim again.Today Aish Kumar shares Ali’s story, and explains how doing the work to reclaim what she lost, opened the door to Ali representing the United States in the 2024 Paralympic Games. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Lincoln, Nebraska, it doesn't get any bigger than Husker Volleyball.From sold out arenas, to raking in record attendances, it's not so much a team as it is a culture, and heavy is the head that wears the crown. But for Harper Murray, who made a bold prediction after losing in the national championship game to Texas, social media threats and public pressures began to take over not just her career, but her life. So today, Jen Karson-Strauss, the co-director of a recent E-60 feature on the Huskers titled “No Place Like Nebraska” explains how this team dealt with adversity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices