The Lead

With the Taliban returning to power in Afghanistan, many groups have been fearful of retribution, including the Afghan Women's National Soccer Team, which has long been a symbol of defiance to the ultra-conservative Islamic group. Last week, against all odds (and amidst the chaos at the Kabul airport), the players and their family members managed to make it out of the country alive. Today, we have the inside story of their incredible escape, which included secret communications, beatings by the Taliban, and wading through a canal filled with sewage water -- and how teamwork ultimately helped them survive.Here are links to some of the organizations working to help the team:Girl Power - https://www.girlpowerorg.com/Human Right For All - https://www.hr4a.com.au/Centre For Sport And Human Rights - https://www.sporthumanrights.org/FIFPRO - https://www.fifpro.org/enSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The start of the NFL season is now just two weeks away. And while teams have been hard at work in training camps, The Athletic’s Lindsay Jones has also been hard at work -- traveling to those camps. Lindsay joins us today to share her observations from recent trips to Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, and Denver, where she had a front row seat for everything from Urban Meyer's unconventional practices to Tom Brady's seemingly ageless arm.More from Lindsay Jones:https://theathletic.com/author/lindsay-jones/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Heading into this MLB season — the 15th of his career — it looked like Joey Votto might be on the decline. But this summer, the charismatic Cincinnati Reds first baseman has found another gear. The Athletic’s Trent Rosecrans collected stories about Votto’s larger-than-life personality, and today, he joins us to look at how the veteran’s sometimes strange behavior (including non-stop mopping) helps power his still-elite production. Read the full story about Joey Votto from Trent Rosecrans, Rustin Dodd and Jayson Jenks: https://theathletic.com/2479327/2021/04/13/joey-votto-is-playing-chess-and-the-rest-of-us-are-playing-checkers-reds-first-baseman-may-be-the-most-interesting-man-in-baseball/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Manchester City dropped their opening game to Tottenham, but still look like title favorites. New signing Romelu Lukaku shined in his debut for Chelsea over the weekend, and the Blues are off to a perfect 2-0 start. Paul Pogba is off to a record-setting campaign for Manchester United, and the Red Devils also look poised to challenge for the title. Arsenal? Not so much. So, who will be sitting atop the standings when the season wraps up ? The Athletic's Ed Malyon joins us make his picks, and to break down what we've seen in the Premier League season so far.More from Ed Malyon:https://theathletic.com/author/ed-malyon/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With fans back in the stands during the 2021 MLB season, we’ve seen the return of one of baseball’s most unique traditions: fans interacting with outfielders while they’re playing in the field. However, as fun as these interactions can be, there are times that the dynamic turns dangerous, like the incident this year where a fan threw a baseball at Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Eno Sarris to discuss why these interactions are a double-edged sword, and whether they should ultimately be a part of the game. Read Eno Sarris’s full story about outfielder-fan interactions: https://theathletic.com/2754023/2021/08/19/carne-asada-fries-pizza-bird-legs-the-unexpected-potential-of-outfield-fan-interactions/?source=theleadpodcast See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In late June, the college sports landscape changed forever when the NCAA's Board of Governors voted to allow student athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness -- or NIL. Notre Dame star safety Kyle Hamilton and his family have wasted no time in exploring what this new reality means for his ability to build a brand before he even enters the NFL as potential top-10 pick. Today The Athletic's Pete Sampson takes us inside Hamilton's new life as both a football player and a trailblazer in the new world of NIL and college athletics.Read Pete Sampson's story about Kyle Hamilton here: https://theathletic.com/2754680/2021/08/06/inside-kyle-hamilton-inc-notre-dame-stars-unofficial-family-startup/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In her early teens, Morgan Stickney was a highly accomplished swimmer who had a legitimate shot at the Olympics. Then came a mysterious series of injuries that upended her life and left doctors across the country scratching their heads. Now, a decade later, Morgan is one of the U.S.‘s top swimmers and a favorite to win gold at the Tokyo Paralympics. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For a lot of fans, the first thing that comes to mind with minor league baseball is family fun, goofy promotions and generally just an all-around happy environment. However, in 2021, the reality for the players — especially when it comes to finances — is a lot more bleak. The Athletic's Britt Ghiroli recently reported on the squalor that many minor leaguers have been living in, from roach infestations to sometimes sleeping out of cars. Today, she joins us to discuss why this is reaching a boiling point in 2021, and what can ultimately be done about it. Read Britt Ghiroli’s full story about minor league baseball living conditions: https://theathletic.com/2750280/2021/08/05/cockroaches-car-camping-poverty-wages-why-are-minor-leaguers-living-in-squalor/?source=theleadpodcast See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A year ago, Tyler Gilbert was a minor league castoff who had returned to his hometown to train with his high school baseball coach and to work with his dad, who is an electrician. Then, this past weekend, against all odds, Gilbert threw a no-hitter for the Arizona Diamondbacks in his first major league start -- a feat that has been accomplished by only three other people in history. Zach Buchanan, who covers the Diamondbacks for The Athletic, joins us to discuss how Gilbert's incredible 180 came about, where he goes from here, and the scout who saw something special in Gilbert where others did not.Read Zach Buchanan's full story about Tyler Gilbert:https://theathletic.com/2771005/2021/08/15/there-was-never-a-doubt-how-diamondbacks-rookie-tyler-gilbert-went-from-nobody-to-no-hitter/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nothing determines an NFL team's success more than the guy who lines up under center. But one of the trickiest things in the sport is figuring out which guys can really move the needle. For the past eight years, The Athletic's Mike Sando has polled coaches, general managers, and other decision makers from around the league to rank the NFL's best (and worst) quarterbacks. He joins us today to share some of the insights he gained from talking to these people and gives us his best guess as to which one of the incoming rookie quarterbacks could be a difference maker for his team in year one.Read Mike Sando's Quarterback Tiers story here: https://theathletic.com/2727336/2021/07/28/2021-nfl-quarterback-tiers-50-coaches-and-evaluators-rank-the-leagues-starters/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.