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Jonquel Jones has won almost every on-court WNBA accolade there is. Since being drafted sixth overall in 2016, Jones has been named the WNBA’s Most Improved Player, Sixth Woman of the Year, and MVP. Before that, she was Maryland’s Gatorade Player of the Year in high school, and a WBCA All-American. But despite being one of the most decorated players in basketball, many people outside of diehard WNBA fans may not have heard of Jones. Being Black and gay and describing herself as more masculine, Jones sits at an intersection that has traditionally struggled to attract brands and media, even though the WNBA is the most inclusive American professional sports league. ESPN’s Katie Barnes talks to us about Jones’ identity, and they tell us if this will finally be the season that Jones wins a title…and if she’ll finally get to be herself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Avalanche beat the Lightning to win the Stanley Cup last night, sending the trophy back to Colorado for the first time since 2001. It was an era when the Avalanche, and their archrivals the Detroit Red Wings, were engaged in a multi-year blood feud that became the center of the hockey universe. It was a rivalry perhaps best remembered for a game played 25 years ago, on March 26, 1997 in Detroit’s Joe Lewis Arena, and is now better remembered as “Fight Night at the Joe.” During the first period, Detroit’s Darren McCarty sought revenge on Colorado’s Claude Lemieux for a violent check in the previous year’s playoffs on the Red Wings’ Kris Draper. The hit caused severe injuries to Draper’s face, enraging the Red Wings, who were furious that Lemieux refused to even apologize to Draper. Now, a quarter-century later, those who were part of it are opening up about what made the rivalry so intense, as part of the latest E:60 special “Unvrivaled.” Detroit native Dave Fleming joins us to discuss the trajectory of the rivalry and why we may never see anything like it again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For all the strides Title IX helped women make in sports, it’s never been a more contentious time for who gets to compete as a woman. In Part 4 of the documentary “37 Words,” filmmaker Clare Marash met transgender kids whose right to participate in society as themselves is in question by dozens of state legislatures — on the field and in life. And in our final episode to mark 50 years since Title IX became law, host Allison Glock and Clare Marash look at the future of civil rights around education and sports through families fighting for their kids to play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the fifty years since Title IX became law, countless women and allies have fought for gender equality in sports and civil rights protections. Filmmaker Dawn Porter shares more about her “37 Words” documentary with host Allison Glock. They dig into the ways Title IX shows up in the lives of legends like Dawn Staley and Abby Wambach, as well as unknown heroes like a Georgia mom who took her daughter’s harassment case to the Supreme Court. Plus, what the new Angel City Football Club in L.A. seeks to do for women’s sports as a business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yale’s campus in the 1970s was a complex place for women. The school had only recently admitted female students, and even attending class could feel like a battle. To then take up space in sports as well? It was all very new. ESPN’s Allison Glock and “37 Words” filmmaker Nicole Newnham share how some bold Yale women found a valuable tool to seek equity: Title IX legislation. The Yale women’s crew team invoked the law when they stripped naked in front of the school’s athletic director, a protest against inadequate resources. And around the same time there was Alexander v. Yale, a groundbreaking case that established sexual harassment as gender discrimination, and required procedures to address it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Title IX became law 50 years ago, just 37 words of legislation established gender equity in education and athletics. ESPN Films’ new documentary series “37 Words” explores how that fight was won, and the impact it had across sports and society. In the first of four episodes with ESPN’s head of W Studios Allison Glock, documentary director Dawn Porter breaks down how sports converged with the women’s equality movement in the 60s and 70s. We focus on two icons: Gloria Steinem, the feminist author and activist, and former World No. 1 tennis champ and women’s advocate Billie Jean King. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the Golden State Warriors swim in champagne after their NBA Finals win, the rest of the league turns its attention to the NBA Draft. The top three picks are clear, but it’s anyone’s guess on what order. Will the Orlando Magic take Jabari Smith, a dynamic shooter who just looks like the perfect fit for the modern NBA? Or will they take Chet Holmgren, the 7-footer out of Gonzaga with the skinny frame? What about Paolo Banchero, perhaps the most NBA-ready player in this draft class? Jonathan Givony has been an NBA Draft expert for 19 years. He tells us how he thinks the Draft is going to play out…and what the teams picking these players should expect from them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Picture yourself going to a ballpark as a kid. You remember how big everything felt, how you were just in awe of being so close to the players. That’s how 11-year-old Elyjah Blankenberg felt when he went to a spring training game between the Yankees and the Orioles, and he worked up the courage to get several autographs…including one from his favorite player, DJ LeMahieu. But the euphoria was short lived, when Elyjah lost his binder full of autographs…and nobody could find it. Ryan Hockensmith tells us the story of Elyjah’s lost treasures…and how the power of the internet rallied to help a young boy reclaim the magic of the game. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Golden State Warriors are one win away from their fourth NBA title in the past eight years. And while Steph Curry has been the consensus favorite to win the Finals MVP, his rough shooting performance in game 5 has opened the door for another Warrior teammate: Andrew Wiggins. Not only has Wiggins managed to slow down Jayson Tatum on defense, but he was undoubtedly the best player on either team in game 5. Malika Andrews sat down with Wiggins, and she tells us how he has shed the “bust” label from his days in Minnesota and how he has resurrected his career in the Bay Area. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Stanley Cup Final begins tonight! The Tampa Bay Lightning are chasing history as they look to be the first team to three-peat as champions in 40 years…but standing in their way are the Colorado Avalanche, who just might be the NHL’s next IT team. It’s the Final matchup that many expected we’d get, so we call up our NHL expert Greg Wyshynski to tell us how these teams got here, and let us know what else we might see as they face off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The PGA Tour has long been the gold standard of professional golf, rooted in tradition and nostalgia. But that may all be changing with the arrival of LIV Golf, the flashy new league with an unlimited bankroll thanks to its funding by the government of Saudi Arabia. ESPN’s Kevin Van Valkenberg was in London this weekend to cover LIV’s inaugural tournament, and he joins us to describe what he saw, and where the league…and golf’s moral compass…might go from here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the course of two seasons in the NFL, a story has been brewing around Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. For a while, the beats of the story were pretty familiar––promising young quarterback comes into the league, has his ups and downs, and leaves so many wondering if he’ll ever be the star they dreamed he could be. But last season, that story took a turn unlike any we’ve ever seen. That’s because a subset of fans decided to take control of the narrative themselves and, via Twitter, launch “TuAnon,” a conspiracy theory fixated on an alleged plot inside the Dolphins and throughout sports media to undermine Tua at every turn. So ESPN’s Dolphins beat reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques set out to find the mystery superfan at the center of the entire thing. And what he got was not just an interview, but a journey down a rabbit hole that gets deeper each day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hall of Fame announcer Mike Breen is back with his infamous “Bang!” call for the NBA Finals. The first two games went sadly “Bang!”less (as Breen was out due to Covid), and frankly they didn’t feel the same. That’s because Breen has called more NBA Finals games than anyone. So ahead of the Warriors-Celtics Game 4 tonight, we got the origin story of his single-syllable exclamation, and how his Hall of Fame career took shape. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the midst of war, residents of Ukraine were able to rally around something that gave them hope: their national soccer team. Ukraine beat Scotland 3-1 to set up a chance at a World Cup bid, but ultimately fell short in heartbreaking fashion to Wales. Wright Thompson was there to witness it all, and he tells us what he saw in Kyiv, and what sports can mean to a country in the face of war.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now it seems obvious that Jayson Tatum was destined for NBA stardom, the one to watch for the Celtics as they square off against Golden State in Game 3 of the NBA Finals tonight. But Tatum beat the odds on a few levels to get here, thanks in large part to the dedication and relentless confidence of his mom, Brandy Cole. ESPN’s Liz Merrill gives us insight on Tatum’s deepest relationship, and how he grew from the roots planted by his mother. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rickey Henderson is not only the MLB’s all-time stolen base king, not just the all-time leader in runs scored, he’s one of the best players the game has ever seen…or as baseball writer Bill James once said, “you could cut him in half and have two Hall of Famers.” But Henderson wasn’t always as revered as he is now, as his bold personality clashed with baseball purists at the time. Howard Bryant, author of the new book RICKEY: The Life and Legend of an American Original, looks back on Rickey’s 25-year career and tells us why baseball was never able to control him…no matter how hard it tried. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The US Women’s National Team has fought for equal pay in soccer for more than 20 years. And it seems to be here at last. A new labor agreement with US Soccer levels pay across gender, and could be a template for equity on the global stage. Guest host Sarah Spain joins two-time World Cup champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist (and Laughter Permitted podcast host) Julie Foudy to explain how the deal happened, how it works, and how it’ll benefit the men’s and women’s teams. Plus, Sarah and Julie talk owner-to-owner (Red Stars and Angel City FC, respectively) about the current National Women’s Soccer League season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The ceremonial first pitch is a tradition almost as old as baseball itself, with presidents, celebrities and non-MLB athletes taking to the mound to aim for home plate. But the only person who may truly care about any first pitch…is the one throwing it, with the gut-wrenching feeling that they might biff. Our very own Mina Kimes will be in that position soon, throwing a first pitch for her beloved Seattle Mariners. So we called up MLB Insider Jeff Passan and enlisted legendary pitching coach Tom House to help us understand just what Mina’s getting into. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The NBA Finals tip off tonight, and we caught up with Bob Voulgaris. The alleged former shadow GM of the Dallas Mavericks is of course also one of the most successful bettors in NBA history. He breaks down the matchup between the Boston Celtics, who are looking for their 18th championship in franchise history, and the Golden State Warriors, who return to the Finals for the sixth time in the past eight years. Voulgaris tells us what each team needs to do to get their hands on the Larry O’Brien Trophy…and lets us in on his favorite to win it all. Our first conversation with Bob, which includes fascinating behind the scenes details from his time working for Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks, is available HERE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steph Curry is vying for his fourth NBA title. But ever wonder what he was like in college? At tiny Davidson College in North Carolina, he was kinda just like everyone else: going to the library, eating late-night chicken parm, helping his friend pack CDs…all while his basketball star was rising. Andscape’s David Dennis Jr. has known the NBA 3-point record holder, three-time champion and expected 2022 Finals MVP since those days. He hops in the time machine with stories of Steph that reveal his personality and character, before he was an NBA legend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices