The Lead

Eight years ago this summer, Penn State took down the controversial statue of former coach Joe Paterno — a statue that took on huge symbolic meaning in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. Today, The Athletic’s Audrey Snyder joins us to discuss why Penn State has gone to such great lengths to keep the statue’s location a secret — and what she discovered during her own quest to find it. Follow Audrey Snyder’s coverage of Penn State football: https://theathletic.com/author/audrey-snyder/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Over the past few months, Gio Reyna has burst onto the scene with Borussia Dortmund. The son of U.S. Men's National Team legend Claudio Reyna and former University of North Carolina star Danielle Egan, Gio is very much American soccer royalty. The Athletic’s Sam Stejskal joins us to discuss the meteoric rise of the 17 year-old star-in-the-making, how he is following in the footsteps of fellow American Christian Pulisic, and how a family tragedy helps motivate him.Read Sam Stejskal and Raphael Honigstein's profile of Gio Reyna:https://theathletic.com/1802307/2020/05/09/giovanni-reyna-exclusive-claudio-usmnt-dortmund-bundesliga/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Since the killing of George Floyd, NHL players have been speaking up about things that often aren’t talked about in hockey. The Athletic’s Ryan Clark, who covers the Colorado Avalanche, joins us to talk about how recent protests and the Black Lives Matter movement are shifting the conversation about race in the NHL, and involving everyone from Evander Kane to Tyler Seguin to Sidney Crosby.Follow Ryan Clark's coverage:https://theathletic.com/author/ryan-s-clark/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Negotiations between MLB players and owners keep getting worse, and might now be past the point of no return. But last week, there was a heartwarming tale that emerged during the MLB draft. Today, as we await the fate of the 2020 season, we bring you the story of Ed Howard, one of the stars of the Little League team that won the U.S. title in 2014, only to have that title stripped away, and who has now been was drafted by a hometown Major League team.Read James Fegan's profile of Ed Howard:https://theathletic.com/1648837/2020/03/19/six-years-after-jackie-robinson-west-ed-howard-is-a-big-time-mlb-prospect/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Just over a week ago, the NBA announced its plan for restarting the season at the end of July. But now, a group of players is trying to prevent that from happening. The Athletic’s Shams Charania joins us to talk about a Friday night phone call involving a large group of NBA players, including several superstars, and why some of them don’t think they should be playing basketball right now.Read Shams Charania's story about the phone call:https://theathletic.com/1866845/2020/06/12/sources-reveal-details-of-call-among-80-nba-players-led-by-kyrie-irving/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ten years ago this month, Armando Galarraga was one out away from a perfect game, when umpire Jim Joyce famously blew the call at first base. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen — who recently caught up with Galarraga, Joyce and former Tigers manager Jim Leyland — to hear their perspective on the missed call a decade later, and why Galarraga sometimes dreams about having the call reversed. Read Cody Stavenhagen’s story about Armando Galarraga’s almost perfect game: https://theathletic.com/1722128/2020/05/12/beyond-perfect-armando-galarraga-10-years-after-the-call/?source=theleadpodcast See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On Wednesday, NASCAR issued a statement saying that the Confederate flag will be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties. The organization said that the flag's presence runs contrary to its commitment to "providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for our fans, our competitors, and our industry." The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi joins us to discuss NASCAR’s complicated relationship with the flag, the way the sport has become politicized, and the driver who is using his race car to make a statement.Follow Jordan Bianchi's motorsports coverage:https://theathletic.com/author/jordan-bianchi/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Since the killing of George Floyd, many college football coaches have been having trouble finding the right words when it comes to sensitive topics like race and racism, and addressing problems in their programs. The Athletic’s Tashan Reed joins us to talk about what head coaches, from Dabo Swinney to Nick Saban, are saying and what's at stake as they navigate uncomfortable waters. We also discuss an assistant college football coach who is bringing hundreds of minority coaches together for solidarity and support, and facilitating difficult conversations between players.Read Tashan Reed's story about a new clinic for minority coaches:https://theathletic.com/1859028/2020/06/08/alonzo-carter-college-football-coaches-zoom-san-jose-state/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last week, the basketball world lost a legend when Wes Unseld — the Hall of Famer who played for the Baltimore and Washington Bullets — died at the age of 74. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Fred Katz — who spoke with a number of Unseld’s teammates, including Phil Chenier and Bobby Dandridge — to look back at Unseld’s remarkable NBA career, and the physical play and unselfishness that defined him. Read Fred Katz’s story in remembrance of Wes Unseld: https://theathletic.com/1851770/2020/06/03/from-defense-to-contract-negotiations-wes-unselds-greatness-was-understated/?source=theleadpodcast See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On Friday, a day after an emotional video was released by a group of NFL superstars, Commissioner Roger Goodell made a dramatic statement on camera. He said that the league was wrong for not listening to NFL players' concerns about police brutality, and he encouraged players to speak out and peacefully protest. It was a dramatic about-face for the league, which had previously tried to ban players from protesting during the national anthem. The Athletic’s Lindsay Jones joins us to tell the inside story of the video that forced Goodell to make this monumental shift, and how it was masterminded by an NFL employee who was fed up with the league and decided to go rogue.Read Lindsay Jones and Jourdan Rodrigue's insider account of how NFL players forced Roger Goodell's hand:https://theathletic.com/1857643/2020/06/06/inside-nfl-players-black-lives-matter-video-and-how-it-forced-goodells-hand/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.