ESPN Daily

For Washington Commanders fans, the Daniel Snyder ownership era was a brutal 24-year stretch. The once proud franchise became a laughingstock both on the football field and off, as the NFL and Congress launched various investigations into misconduct, sexual harassment, and financial improprieties.  Then in 2023, financial executive Josh Harris bought the team and oversaw its decision to draft budding superstar quarterback Jayden Daniels. Even with close losses to good teams over the last two weeks, optimism in the nation’s capital is at its highest level in decades.  Actor Jeffery Wright has lived that story. The Emmy, Tony and Golden Globe Award-winning performer has not only been rooting for the burgundy and gold since the Nixon administration, but also grew up with Josh Harris. And that made him the perfect person to help our resident D.C. native Clinton Yates explore a complicated relationship with the Commanders.  Today, we dig into all that, as well as Wright’s love for Arsenal, his days as a Lacrosse player, and his new TV series “The Agency.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

11 weeks into the NFL season, playoff possibilities are starting to take shape. But who has a shot at each conferences’ coveted Number 1 seed? It's the envious position every team desires as it ensures not only an extra week of rest and recovery when the playoffs start, but also home field advantage all the way through the conference championship round. That would be the easy road to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. So today, we are joined by our intrepid NFL expert Bill Barnwell, who looks at every squad that could take the top spot, but he also saves room on his plate for another serving of Tommy Cutlets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A generation later, the images of one of the worst scenes to ever take place in an NBA arena are still shocking. A cup full of liquid hurtling through the air, striking Indiana Pacers small forward Ron Artest, and setting off a powder keg - as coaches, security, members of the Pacers, and fans came to blows in the stands, the tunnel, and on the court itself. When the bad blood between the Pacers and rival Detroit Pistons boiled over in Auburn Hills, it was impossible to ignore the sight of mostly black players clashing with mostly white fans. And elements around the NBA used the ugly night, and fear that it caused, to force changes in the NBA dress code that could only be called draconian today. So Andscape senior writer David Dennis Jr. joins Clinton Yates to remember how it all went down, and explore how it changed the NBA forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There was a lot of action across the NFL in week 11. And games ending on blocked field goals in back to back weeks was just the tip of the iceberg.  Because even as the Chicago Bears failed to end their now 11 game losing streak against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field, we also saw Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs and the rest of the Detroit Lions put up a league high 52 points on a hapless Jacksonville Jaguars team missing Trevor Lawrence. In one of Sunday’s marquee matchups between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, The Steel Curtain burst out of the past, stifling MVP front runner Lamar Jackson. While in Orchard Park, Josh Allen put on his Superman cape and handed Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Andy Reid and the rest of the Kansas City Chiefs their first loss of the season. So Mercury Morris and all of the 1972 Miami Dolphins can pop some champagne and relax as they remain the lone undefeated team in NFL history. Ben Solak takes us through what stood out to him in week 11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, UFC 309 will take place, and the main event will be the long-delayed match between arguably the greatest of all time in Jon Jones and possibly the greatest heavyweight of all time in Stipe Miocic.  Even though these two are getting all the hype, there are still plenty of questions. Is this the fight everyone wants to see? What do these two fighters have to prove? When it’s over, will these two legends fight anymore or walk away with their legacies? And what about interim champion, Tom Aspinall? Where does he fit into all this drama?  To clear all this up, our combat sports expert Andreas Hale joins us to break down everything we should be watching for Saturday night and why – when it’s all said and done – we still might have more questions than answers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1986, 20-year-old Mike Tyson became the youngest Heavyweight Champion ever, kicking off four years of utter dominance that made him one of the biggest icons in sports. But by the time he officially retired in 2005, it was hard to imagine ever seeing him in a ring again. So news that, in 2024, he would fight a 27-year-old Jake Paul in an officially sanctioned fight caught everyone by surprise.  Today, Andreas Hale joins David Dennis Jr. to explain why Mike Tyson remains a fixture of sports culture and explores whether or not Friday’s bout versus Jake Paul is actually a good idea.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Bears were already a mess coming into last Sunday’s matchup against the Patriots. But since they fell 19-3 to the hapless Pats at Soldier Field, things have gotten even worse.  On Tuesday, head coach Matt Eberflus announced the firing of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron as one last hail mary to try and rescue this season. Courtney Cronin covers the Bears and is here to discuss what made this team crumble and what is to come for quarterback Caleb Williams and the whole team as they face some of the best teams in the NFL in the coming weeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NBA season is officially in full swing and for many it’s a start that no one could have predicted. Who would have thought that even a few weeks into the season the Milwaukee Bucks would be fighting to stay out of the NBA cellar? Or that the Cleveland Cavaliers would be putting up numbers that King James couldn’t even muster during his reign? And let’s not forget the Golden State Warriors, who are going back to their old championship playbook and now find themselves sitting near the top of an elite Western Conference. But the drama by the Bay doesn’t end there, because tonight the Warriors welcome home Splash Brother Klay Thompson, who is making his first appearance in a Mavs uniform. Brian Windhorst joins us to sort out everything we’ve seen so far and gives a sneak peek at what might be coming next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Coming into the season, few, if any, NFL watchers would have picked the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals to win their divisions. But here we are, after ten weeks of play, and both teams are in first place and control their own destiny toward a division title. For each of them, the sudden resurgence of once written-off quarterbacks have been a crucial piece of the puzzle.  Today, Ben Solak joins Michele Steele to break down how Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray got their grooves back. Plus, the Niners get a bittersweet win, the Lions pull off the strangest of victories, and the Commanders try to make sense of costly mistakes.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The National Women's Soccer League playoffs kick off tonight with a matchup between No. 1 Orlando Pride and No. 8 Chicago Red Stars, followed by more quarterfinal round matches on Saturday and Sunday.  But both on and off the pitch, the NWSL has arrived in a new era. Jeff Kassouf, lead women’s soccer writer at ESPN, is here to discuss the league’s recent seismic shifts, including the players’ new collective bargaining agreement – both the unprecedented power it gives players and the ripple effect it’s creating for management.  Plus, a preview of the game action itself, including a primer for the less-initiated into the league’s most exciting players like Temwa Chawinga and Barbra Banda, and what to watch for in the most-anticipated matchups. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jerry Jones has built the Dallas Cowboys into the most valuable sports franchise in the world. But the 28 years since they last won a Super Bowl have been marked by a remarkable string of playoff failure. And this season, after three losses in a row, it looks like the letdowns in Big D will continue.  Back in the offseason, former Cowboys tight end Dalton Schultz identified a challenge very unique to Jerry’s team when he said “there’s [fans] literally going on tours while you’re lifting in the weight room… it’s a zoo.” That comment caught the attention of our Kalyn Kahler, who was inspired to take a closer look at these fan tours of the team’s facility and how they’ve become a significant distraction for the players.  So with the rival Eagles looking to put a fork in the Cowboys season on Sunday, Kalyn Kahler brings us her report from inside “The Star” and explores how Jones obsession with the spotlight has put the quest for another title in perpetual peril.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The dawn of a new college basketball season is here, and as we have all learned, change,and lots of it, is the new normal. From rosters rebuilt through the transfer portal, to programs making a name for themselves with the power of NIL deals – all we can say is welcome back to the chaos on the road to the Madness. There are some notable faces to follow this year like Cooper Flagg, the generational talent looking to bring a title to Duke and the duo of dynamic freshman at Rutgers (yes Rutgers) aiming to bring glory to New Jersey. Today, Myron Medcalf, our resident college basketball expert, joins us today to break down everything to look for this season and to tell us why we should be embracing all this change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who’s in and who’s out? Tonight’s reveal of the college football playoff rankings should serve as a less contentious appetizer to your election night viewing. And with the sport expanding the field to twelve teams for the first time in history, the eager anticipation is coupled with some confusion about how this whole thing is going to work.   Today, Heather Dinich, who’s been using her weekly column to play-act as a committee-of-one all season, is here to answer all your questions. How can a school like BYU get a higher seeding than blue bloods Ohio State, Penn State, Texas, and Alabama? How might Boise State edge out teams ranked higher than them? Are Coach Prime and Colorado really still alive? Heather explains it all and examines why the new format could make for the most exciting post-season we’ve ever seen.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The end of the action on Sunday afternoon marked the mathematical midpoint of the 2024 NFL season. Exactly 186 games had been played, and Sunday Night’s matchup between the Colts and Vikings kicked off the season’s second half. So we figured it was time to check in on some teams midterm grades. Michele Steele and Ben Solak go through who is acing text after test across the league, and who could use a little extra time in study hall.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The hype for an all time classic World Series was real when the Dodgers-Yankees matchup was locked in. Two of the most iconic franchises in MLB history battling for a ring for the 12th time in history, and the game's two biggest stars — Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge – shining on baseball’s biggest stage. But in the end, this series was over before it even got started, and the Dodgers celebrated their 8th world championship on enemy soil. So today, ESPN Daily’s own Clinton Yates reports from the heart of New York City to explain what happened in The Bronx and explore how legacies were defined on 161st Street. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ahead of this weekend’s New York City Marathon, filmmaker and long-distance runner Nicole Teeny shares the incredible story behind her new 30 for 30 podcast GIRL v. HORSE.  The conversation encompasses the surprising history of humans facing animals in contests of endurance and her own personal quest to accomplish the unthinkable: defeating a literal horse in a 50-mile ultramarathon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Monday brought news that head coach Stephanie White was leaving the Connecticut Sun, followed by speculation that she would be moving to a new team in the coming days. White was the seventh head coach to leave or be fired in the WNBA this offseason, meaning a majority of the league’s twelve teams will be under new leadership next season. Considering the explosive growth the league saw in 2024, it’s clear that the stakes are ramping up for leaders at every level. So with college basketball tipping off next week and the intrigue of the WNBA offseason heating up, Alexa Philippou looks back at the year that was, examines the college stars ready to fill Caitlin Clark’s shoes, and explores what it all means for where this game is going in 2025 and beyond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the eve of November, the college football calendar finds itself in a rare situation for this time of year as it is chock full of chaos. From undefeated teams looking to make school history, to historic powerhouses trying to hold on to their relevance, all eyes are now focused on what’s next and who will be able to claim the coveted spots in the expanded college football playoff. And this looks to be the new normal as NIL, the transfer portal and conference realignment have given birth to a whole new era of college football that has definitely shaken up our Saturdays. So today, our omniscient college football expert Ryan McGee joins us to break down how it started, how it’s going and why all this chaos might be just what everyone needed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This year, week 8 in the NFL was a holiday. No, not Halloween, but, National Tight Ends Day.  And the Tight Ends were front and center, none more than George Kittle - the holiday’s “creator.” But since you heard plenty about it on every broadcast, today, Ben Solak is here to break down the Sunday night brawl between the 49ers and Cowboys. And to explain just how wild the end of the Commanders and Bears game was. To say nothing of the Lions putting up 52 points on the Titans, or the Browns upsetting the Ravens in the Dawg Pound. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yankees, Dodgers, World Series. Those words evoke memories of Major League baseball becoming the national pastime generations ago.  Both franchises fielded some of the absolute giants in the history of the sport. Babe and Jackie. Mantle and Koufax. And today Ohtani and Judge.  So as the baseball world gets ready for game one of the Fall Classic, we turn to Claire Smith, a legend in her own right, to tell us about the legacies of these two teams.  And to put into perspective the passing of another legend, Fernando Valenzuela, who played a part himself in this historic rivalry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices