ESPN Daily

We've collected our favorite episodes of 2022 into one playlist, to help ensure you didn't miss any of our best stories from this past year.And on today's show, we're republishing one of those episodes, which originally ran on July 22, 2022:There are many ways to describe ESPN baseball analyst Tim Kurkjian: Brilliant. Hilarious. Competitive. And above all, passionate. Passionate about the game of baseball. But now, there’s another way to describe Tim Kurkjian: Hall of Famer. Over the summer, Kurkjian received the Career Excellence Award from the Baseball Writers Association of America. In an encore, we celebrate the life and career of our favorite baseball nerd: the story of a short, skinny kid who took a love of baseball, and not much else, and made it all the way to Cooperstown. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We've collected our favorite episodes of 2022 into one playlist, to help ensure you didn't miss any of our best stories from this past year.And on today's show, we're revisiting another great episode, originally published on June 27, 2022:In June, the Avalanche beat the Lightning to win the Stanley Cup, sending the trophy back to Colorado for the first time since 2001. It was an era when the Avalanche, and their archrivals the Detroit Red Wings, were engaged in a multi-year blood feud that became the center of the hockey universe. It was a rivalry perhaps best remembered for a game played 25 years ago, on March 26, 1997 in Detroit’s Joe Lewis Arena, and is now better remembered as “Fight Night at the Joe.” During the first period, Detroit’s Darren McCarty sought revenge on Colorado’s Claude Lemieux for a violent check in the previous year’s playoffs on the Red Wings’ Kris Draper. The hit caused severe injuries to Draper’s face, enraging the Red Wings, who were furious that Lemieux refused to even apologize to Draper. Now, a quarter-century later, those who were part of it are opening up about what made the rivalry so intense, as part of E:60’s “Unvrivaled.” In an encore of one of our favorite shows from the last year, Detroit native Dave Fleming joins us to discuss the trajectory of the rivalry and why we may never see anything like it again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We've collected our favorite episodes of 2022 into one playlist, to help ensure you didn't miss any of our best stories from this past year.And on today's show, we're republishing one of those episodes, which originally ran on November 18, 2022:It’s no surprise that the athlete's mental health has been one of the biggest topics in sports in recent years, as more and more players are coming forward with the struggles they face in dealing with the constant pressure. The screaming fans, the pressure, and the high-stakes moments are exactly what makes sports so compelling. In an encore presentation, we offer an extended conversation with JJ Redick, a man who has both thrived and suffered under the pressure of elite competition, on how we should think about the strain on athletes’ mental health…while also acknowledging that watching human beings succeed or fail in high pressure situations is exactly what makes them worth watching. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We've collected our favorite episodes of 2022 into one playlist, to help ensure you didn't miss any of our best stories from this past year.And on today's show, we're republishing one of those episodes, which originally ran on September 30, 2022:The story of Betsy Sailor and Irv Pankey is unlike any you’ve heard before. It’s a story that, for years, was shrouded in darkness, tied inextricably to the unspeakable crimes of a former Penn State football player named Todd Hodne. ESPN’s Tom Junod and Paula Lavigne first brought Hodne’s horrific crimes to light this spring in their meticulously reported feature “Untold.” But in the midst of their reporting, they stumbled onto another, completely opposite story. A story of compassion, friendship, and ultimately, 40 years later…love. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We've collected our favorite episodes of 2022 into one playlist, to help ensure you didn't miss any of our best stories from this past year.And on today's show, we're republishing one of those episodes, which originally ran on October 4, 2022:In 2021, the National Women’s Soccer League faced a crisis. Explosive allegations from players of abuse, sexual harassment, and unrelenting coercion by one of the NWSL’s most successful head coaches set off a reckoning across the entire league. The commissioner resigned. Games were canceled. Players had no collective bargaining agreement and the specter of a canceled season loomed, all while governing bodies opened investigations into misconduct and toxic work environments. And in October, a long-awaited report investigating the failures of the NWSL was released by former acting attorney general Sally Yates, which detailed systemic abuse within the league, and specifically “a culture of abuse, silence, and fear of retaliation” that perpetuated the misconduct. Jennifer Karson-Strauss directed the E60 film, “Truth Be Told: The Fight for Women’s Professional Soccer,” and joins the show to discuss the film’s investigation into allegations of abuse, sexual coercion and a toxic work environment in the league, as well as the lack of action taken by NWSL leadership. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We've collected our favorite episodes of 2022 into one playlist, to help ensure you didn't miss any of our best stories from this past year.And on today's show, we're republishing one of those episodes, which originally ran on April 29, 2022:A little over 30 years ago, April 29, 1992, the city of Los Angeles went to war with itself. Riots erupted on the streets following the acquittal of four LAPD officers in the beating of motorist Rodney King. It was a verdict that provoked outrage because the incident was captured on video, triggering a national debate over police brutality. Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers was a guard for the Los Angeles Clippers in 1992. In an encore of one of our favorite shows from 2022, Doc shares how the sports world at large reacted to the verdict and the riots that followed, and how the social responsibilities of an athlete have changed in the 30 years since. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We've collected our favorite episodes of 2022 into one playlist, to help ensure you didn't miss any of our best stories from this past year.And on today's show, we're revisiting another great episode, originally published on March 18, 2022:The Iditarod is the most famous dog sled race in the entire world, run across 1000 miles through the Alaskan wilderness. And while the event brings to mind images of furry dogs and beautiful landscapes, the race is incredibly challenging and dangerous. Liz Merrill traveled up north and spent time with Bridgett Watkins, an ER nurse who competed in the race for the first time in 2022, despite her team enduring a brutal attack by a bull moose in February. In an encore of one of our favorite shows from 2022, Merrill shares Watkins’ experience and story of survival.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We've collected our favorite episodes of 2022 into one playlist, to help ensure you didn't miss any of our best stories from this past year.And on today's show, we're revisiting another great episode, originally published on December 25, 2019: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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We've collected our favorite episodes of 2022 into one playlist, to help ensure you didn't miss any of our best stories from this past year.And on today's show, we're revisiting another great episode, originally published on December 8, 2021:Extra, extra, read all about it! Maroons Championship STOLEN! The Pottsville Maroons were one of the greatest early NFL teams, but the league stripped them of their 1925 championship and gave it to the (then) Chicago Cardinals. Thus, a curse was born. Almost a century later, could the stolen championship be behind the Arizona Cardinals’ lack of Super Bowl success? Dave Fleming wrote the book on it, called Breaker Boys: The NFL’s Greatest Team and the Stolen 1925 Championship. In an encore of one of our favorite shows, Flem takes us inside the story, and his mission for NFL justice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It took 294 days, but Brittney Griner is back home. On December 8, the WNBA star was freed in a prisoner swap with Russia for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout, ending an almost year-long fight for her freedom by her loved ones, teammates, fans, and the White House. But just because Griner is back home, doesn’t mean her life will ever be the same. We called up TJ Quinn to close the book on the biggest story we have continuously covered all year…and he tells us how we got Griner back, what her readjustment is expected to be like…and when we might next see her on a basketball court. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices