The Lead

This spring, Alex Charlton — a football coach at Division II Midwestern State in Texas — made a bold decision. He left behind his coaching job to work as a nurse in Manhattan — in a COVID section of the emergency room — at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in New York. Today, The Athletic’s Chris Vannini tells us Charlton’s story. Read Chris Vannini’s story about Alex Charlton: https://theathletic.com/1917145/2020/07/10/alex-charlton-midwestern-state-football-coach-nurse-covid-19-new-york/?source=theleadpodcast See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last week, Patrick Mahomes signed a ten-year contract extension to stay with the Kansas City Chiefs through the 2031 season. It’s reportedly the richest contract in sports history, worth upwards of $475 million. The Athletic’s Nate Taylor joins us to talk about how the deal came about, what challenges it creates for the Chiefs, and how Mahomes and the team will now define success.Read Nate Taylor's story about Mahomes' contract:https://theathletic.com/1915805/2020/07/07/patrick-mahomes-extension-influenced-by-mlb-was-designed-for-dual-longevity/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Major League Soccer returned to play last week, kicking off its MLS Is Back tournament. But things haven't exactly gone smoothly. The league's reigning MVP, Carlos Vela, elected not to play in the tournament, and two teams withdrew after multiple players tested positive for the coronavirus. The Athletic’s Paul Tenorio joins us to talk about the league’s rocky restart, which players and teams have been standing out on the pitch, and why MLS is now facing criticism over its COVID-19 testing policy.Read Paul Tenorio's story about coronavirus testing in Florida:https://theathletic.com/1924081/2020/07/12/while-mls-gets-quick-covid-19-test-results-general-public-faces-long-delays/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On Monday, the Washington football team announced that it would be changing its team name and Native American logo, which many people find offensive. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Rhiannon Walker to talk about why the team and its owner, Dan Snyder, have resisted changing the name for so long and why they finally gave in to pressure now.Follow Rhiannon Walker's coverage:https://theathletic.com/author/rhiannon-walker/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

First, the Ivy League announced that it would not have any sports this fall. Then, the Big Ten and Pac-12 said they would only be playing in-conference games, if any. And now, the entire college football season seems to be teetering on the brink. The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach joins us to talk about the seismic shift that has begun in college sports, including what’s happening on college campuses right now and what we can expect to happen next.Follow Nicole Auerbach's college football coverage:https://theathletic.com/author/nicole-auerbach/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The world's biggest soccer club has fallen on hard times. The league title seems to be slipping away, and ongoing mismanagement continues to create problems within the organization. The Athletic’s Dermot Corrigan joins us to talk about what’s going wrong at Barcelona, what superstar Lionel Messi has had to say about it, and why the reticent superstar can sometimes make things difficult.Follow Dermot Corrigan's La Liga coverage:https://theathletic.com/author/dermot-corrigan/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, NBA teams started arriving at Disney World in Orlando as they prepare to restart the season. One team that has already arrived is the Utah Jazz, whose All-Star center Rudy Gobert was the first known NBA player to test positive for the coronavirus — and became embroiled in controversy when he intentionally touched reporters’ microphones and recorders. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Tony Jones to look at how that incident has affected Gobert’s life, where his relationship stands with teammate Donovan Mitchell, and whether the Jazz are ready to move forward. Read Tony Jones’s story about the Rudy Gobert saga: https://theathletic.com/1911227/2020/07/06/i-plan-on-winning-a-championship-in-utah-rudy-gobert-is-ready-to-move-forward/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Eight years ago, we saw one of the most dramatic free agent decisions in the history of the NFL, when Peyton Manning joined the Denver Broncos. The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala recently spoke to Manning about his wild fortnight of free agency, and discovered some fascinating details about the next-level secrecy from the people (including John Elway and Jim Harbaugh) and the teams that were pursuing him. Read the oral history of Peyton Manning’s free agency: https://theathletic.com/1874061/2020/06/23/copters-hoodies-and-pbj-oral-history-of-peyton-mannings-free-agency-journey/?source=theleadpodcast See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After an outstanding freshman season at USC, hoops star Onyeku Okongwu is projected to go very early in this year’s NBA draft, which is now scheduled for October. The Athletic’s Seth Davis joins us to talk about how the young power forward went from relative obscurity to college star, how high he could go in the NBA draft, and the family tragedy that gave Okongwu renewed focus and still inspires him today.Read Seth Davis's profile of Okongwu:https://theathletic.com/1898877/2020/06/30/heralded-but-not-hyped-onyeka-okongwu-moves-to-the-top-of-his-nba-draft-class/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A number of All-Star-caliber MLB players have decided not to take part in the 2020 season, including David Price, Felix Hernandez, Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond. Meanwhile, Mike Trout and Buster Posey are among the star players who are on the fence. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Britt Ghiroli to look at why some of these players have chosen to sit out, and whether many more will follow. Follow Britt Ghiroli’s coverage of the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball: https://theathletic.com/author/brittany-ghiroli/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.