The Lead

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, some big college basketball news flew under the radar last week, with Hall of Famer Rick Pitino returning to the NCAA to coach Iona after nearly three years out of the college game. Today, we speak with The Athletic's Seth Davis about Pitino's rise to prominence with Providence in the 1980's, the series of scandals that left him without a job, and whether the legendary coach ultimately deserves another chance.Follow Seth Davis's coverage of college basketball: https://theathletic.com/author/seth-davis/?source=theleadpodcast See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With the Tokyo Olympics now officially postponed, 5-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Nathan Adrian joins us to talk about what the uncertainty of the past few weeks has been like, how he and his fellow Olympic athletes will now be adjusting their lives to meet this new timetable, and how the threat of postponement impacted him in unexpected ways (hint: he developed an unexpected affinity for sweets).See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Earlier this month, U.S. Soccer made a legal argument that many people found deeply offensive, and that led to the resignation of the organization’s president. As part of an ongoing lawsuit over equal pay, U.S. Soccer essentially argued that men deserve to be paid more money than women because they are biologically superior and play in more difficult conditions. The Athletic’s Megan Linehan joins us to explain how that drama unfolded, why U.S. Soccer took such an inflammatory stance, and what all of this means for new U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone and the future of women’s soccer.Follow Megan Linehan's coverage of the USWNT:https://theathletic.com/author/meg-linehan/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(Note: A few hours after we published this episode, Japan and the IOC announced that the Olympics will, in fact, be postponed until 2021.)Yesterday, a member of the International Olympic Committee told a reporter that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be postponed until next year. This came a day after the IOC announced that it would make a decision within the next four weeks, and after both Canada and Australia said they would not participate in the Games if they were held this summer. The Athletic’s Matt Slater joins us to explain how the IOC has gone about making this complicated decision, how exactly a country delays an event as massive as the Olympics, and what challenges the imminent delay poses to athletes.Follow Matt Slater's writing:https://theathletic.com/author/matt-slater/?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, Italy surpassed China as the country with the most deaths from COVID-19. Italy also happens to be a country where a number of WNBA players go in the offseason to supplement their income. The Athletic’s Alexis Mansanarez joins us to tell the story of an American player who was quarantined in Italy and attempted to get out of the country as it went into lockdown. Read Alexis Mansanarez's story about Dearica Hamby: https://theathletic.com/1683506/2020/03/18/i-really-want-to-go-home-wnba-players-overseas-face-unique-covid-19-concerns/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With the NBA season cut short because of the coronavirus, 43-year-old Vince Carter -- the only NBA player to play in four different decades -- might have played his final game much earlier than expected. The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner joins us to look back at Carter’s high-flying career, to unpack his complicated relationship with the city of Toronto, and to walk us through what might have been his final moments in the NBA.Follow Chris Kershner's coverage of the Atlanta Hawks:https://theathletic.com/author/chris-kirschner/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There's a lot of uncertainty in baseball right now, just like every other facet of our lives. The Athletic’s Jayson Stark joins us to talk about how Major League Baseball has handled the situation with COVID-19 so far, what a delayed start could mean for the long-term relationship between players and MLB, and how the coronavirus outbreak is causing all of us to reevaluate the role of sports in our lives. Follow Jayson Stark's MLB coverage: https://theathletic.com/author/jayson-stark/?source=theleadpodcast See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

One of the NFL’s biggest offseason questions was finally answered on Tuesday: Tom Brady is leaving New England and heading to Tampa Bay. The Athletic’s Steve Buckley joins us to talk about Brady’s unprecedented run of success with the Pats, his relationship with head coach Bill Belichick, and how New England fans should be dealing with the news of Brady's departure. Read Steve Buckley's ode to Tom Brady: https://theathletic.com/1680949/2020/03/17/heres-to-tom-brady-who-transformed-the-patriots-into-nfls-premier-franchise/?source=theleadpodcast See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Major League Baseball announced Monday it would postpone opening day until at least mid-May. Commissioner Rob Manfred made the announcement after the CDC on Sunday recommended gatherings of 50 people or more be canceled nationwide. According to some reports, GM's are bracing for the possibility that the season won't start until July. Even though MLB is making it sound like there’s a chance we’ll see some baseball in the near future, there are a lot of unanswered questions, like: What is going on with all of the stadium workers who sell beer and hot dogs, or who check bags and work in parking lots? What are they going to do as their livelihoods are on hold? The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan spoke to 22 stadium workers at Spring Training in Arizona about how they’re planning to get by, and he joins us to talk about what they're doing in the meantime and why promised donations from players and owners might not be such simple transactions.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today was supposed to be Bracket Monday. But coronavirus has shut down sports across the country and upended our lives. So, on the day when everyone would normally be filling out March Madness brackets, we are instead looking back on the 2019-2020 men’s college basketball season. The Athletic’s Seth Davis joins us to talk about the incredible upsets, the players who surprised us, and the stories that made this shortened season beautiful. Read Seth Davis's tribute to the 2019-202 men's college basketball season: https://theathletic.com/1673156/2020/03/12/davis-my-eulogy-for-the-wild-and-unpredictable-2019-20-season-gone-too-soon/?source=theleadpodcast See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.