The Lead

After a summer where he was expected to commit his future to Real Madrid, 23-year-old French superstar Kylian Mbappe instead decided to stay put in Paris, with PSG. And he's off to a red hot start to the new season. The New York Times’ Tariq Panja recently got a rare interview with Mbappe, and he joins us today to discuss the Frenchman’s years as a teenage prodigy, why he decided to stay in Paris (at least for now), and why he wants his legacy to be about more than soccer.Read Tariq Panja's full story about Kylian Mbappe:https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/06/sports/soccer/kylian-mbappe-champions-league-psg.htmlSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the fall of 2001… Sugar Ray was playing on your local radio station, the Patriots were suddenly forced to play their backup quarterback — a guy named Tom Brady — and the movie Zoolander had just come out in theaters. That’s how long it’s been since the Seattle Mariners made the playoffs. Today, The Athletic’s Corey Brock tells us about the rising superstar (Julio Rodriguez) and unsung supporting cast who are powering a Mariners renaissance, and what it would mean to the team — and the city — to have Seattle playing again in October. Follow Corey Brock’s coverage of the Mariners: https://theathletic.com/author/corey-brock/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Plus: A new generation of tennis stars announce themselves in Flushing. And the Cornhuskers pay to make Scott Frost go away.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's been a rough decade for USC football fans. Their beloved Trojans -- winners of nine national championships -- have missed every single college football playoff since 2014, and have finished in the top ten nationally just once in the past ten years. But now, with 39-year-old Lincoln Riley at the helm, there's a growing sense of optimism. The L.A. Times' Ryan Kartje takes us inside the mind of one of college football's most exciting and creative young coaches, and explains why Riley has inspired a new sense of belief among USC faithful. Plus, a bizarre standoff between USC and its own fans over NIL deals.Follow Ryan Kartje's USC Football coverage:https://www.latimes.com/people/ryan-kartjeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Rams begin their Super Bowl title defense on Thursday night against Josh Allen and the Bills, but to get to this point, they’ve had to navigate an offseason filled with drama. There were concerns that Aaron Donald and Sean McVay might retire (and All-Pro left tackle Andrew Whitworth did retire). Then Von Miller stunned the Rams by signing with the Bills, while Matthew Stafford (and McVay) have had to answer questions about the quarterback’s lingering elbow issue. Today, The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue joins us to break down some of the big storylines following this chaotic/extremely talented team as they get ready to try to run it back. Follow Jourdan Rodrigue’s coverage of the Rams: https://theathletic.com/author/jourdan-rodrigue/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In early August, Serena Williams published an essay in Vogue, announcing her intention to step away from tennis. Given her recent injuries and struggles on the court — including an embarrassing exit in Cincinnati just a few weeks ago — many people feared that the 40 year-old might go out with a whimper at this year's US Open. Oh how wrong they were. After defeating #2 seed Anett Kontaveit on Wednesday night, Serena made clear that she is not just here to say a ceremonial goodbye — she's here to compete for yet another championship. Today, Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated joins us to talk about Serena's transcendent career, and why this latest chapter is just one of many examples of the superstar defying the odds and doing the impossible.Read Jon Wertheim's story about how Serena Williams changed tennis:https://www.si.com/tennis/2022/06/27/serena-williams-wimbledon-2022-daily-coverSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The last time we saw the Indianapolis Colts in a regular season game, they were blowing what was calculated as a 97 percent chance of making the playoffs, as they dropped their final game of the season to the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars. It’s a loss that left a lot of people — including the team’s owner, Jim Irsay — in disbelief, and it led to a major change at quarterback: Matt Ryan in, Carson Wentz out. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Zak Keefer to look at how the team has tried to put that devastating collapse behind them, and why they believe things could be different in 2022. Follow Zak Keefer’s coverage of the Colts: https://theathletic.com/author/zak-keefer/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Plus: A matchup of championship contenders in the WNBA playoffs. And a young slugger ties down his future for a long, LONG time.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Earlier this year, four female college athletes died by suicide in just eight weeks. Those deaths stunned many people, and reopened a conversation about mental health among student-athletes — particularly female student-athletes. One important new voice in that conversation belongs to Cailin Bracken, a junior lacrosse player at Vanderbilt. With college sports about to resume, Cailin joins us today to talk about her own struggles with mental health, as well as an eating disorder, and what she thinks college coaches and administrators can do to help prevent future tragedies.Read Calin's open letter to college sports:https://www.usalaxmagazine.com/college/women/cailin-bracken-a-letter-to-college-sportsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When you look across the landscape of Major League Baseball, it’s clear that the biggest surprise among all the division leaders is the team that sits at the top of the AL Central: the Cleveland Guardians. Today, The Athletic’s Zack Meisel joins us to look at some of the key players behind the team’s success, and the extreme throwback style they’re using to get it done. Plus, the uncanny ability of star third baseman Jose Ramirez to lose helmets. Follow Zack Meisel’s coverage of the Guardians: https://theathletic.com/author/zack-meisel/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.