Introducing Sports In America with David Greene

With nearly a dozen marathon titles and a handful of Olympic medals under her belt, Susannah Scaroni is one of the most decorated wheelchair racers in the world. But her story has been anything but easy. At just 5 years old, Susannah and her family were involved in an accident that paralyzed her from the waist down. This incident, and the many others she’d come to face, only motivated her more to become the elite athlete she is today.In this episode, Susannah sits down with host David Greene to talk about the sport of wheelchair racing, what it was like to win gold at the Tokyo Olympics, and the unexpected aftermath of the games that almost ended her racing career.Content warning: This episode discusses eating disorders and recovery. Please listen with care. If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, you can contact the National Alliance for Eating Disorders’ helpline or the ANAD helpline.Show Notes Susannah Scaroni | Illinois Public Media WATCH: Susannah Scaroni wins 2025 Chicago Marathon | NBC Chicago Wheelchair Racing - Push Stroke Basics | Challenged Athletes Foundation Scaroni breaks from pack during Tokyo’s 2020 Paralympics | NBC Sports Eat like an Elite: Susannah Scaroni Runner's World  Show CreditsExecutive Producers: Tom Grahsler and Joan IsabellaSenior Producer: Michael OlcottProducer: Michaela WinbergAssociate Producer: Bibiana CorreaEngineer: Mike VillersTile Art: Bea WallingSports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.

In 2022, University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas became the first trans woman to win a D1 NCAA title. Under pressure from the Trump administration, Penn stripped Lia of that title earlier this year, and banned future trans athletes from competing. For many people, Lia has come to symbolize the heated debate over whether trans athletes should be able to compete in women’s sports. Regardless of what side of the debate you're on, all this news hasn’t just been news to Lia. It’s been her real life, and people have long misunderstood her. In this episode, Lia sits down with host David Greene to dive into her journey: what it took for her to come out as trans in college and compete on the women’s team, while under an international microscope.Content warning: This episode discusses mental illness and suicidal ideation. Please listen with care. If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health or thoughts of suicide, you can contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or visiting 988lifeline.org.Show Notes Should trans women be included in sports? With Lia Thomas | Dear Schuyler  Fact check: Do trans women have an unfair athletic advantage? | DW UPenn updates swimming records to settle with feds on transgender athletes case | NPR What is gender dysphoria | American Psychiatric Association  Transgender athletes face growing hostility: four tell their stories in their own words | USA Today Show CreditsExecutive Producer: Tom GrahslerSenior Producer: Michael OlcottProducer: Michaela WinbergAssociate Producer: Bibiana CorreaEngineer: Mike VillersTile Art: Bea WallingSports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.

Known for his brute strength and punishing style, Craig “Ironhead” Heyward made a name for himself as one of the best NFL running backs during the 90s. After his passing in 2006, his son Cameron continued his dad’s legacy by getting drafted to the Steelers and quickly becoming one of the premier defensive linemen in the game. A few years later, Craig’s youngest son, Connor, would join his brother in Pittsburgh and learn to pave his own way in the NFL.So what’s it like to be a Heyward? How do the pressures of living up to a family legacy compare to the pressure athletes put on themselves every day? And will this be the year Cam gets that elusive ring? We sit down with both brothers to find out.Show Notes Craig Heyward Hall of Fame Nominee | Pitt Football  Chiefs vs. Steelers Week 4 Highlights, 2017 | NFL Connor Heyward's first career touchdown | NFL Cam Heyward shares emotional story about brother Connor’s first touchdown | All Steelers Talk Why has Rodgers signed for the Steelers | BBC Show CreditsExecutive Producer: Tom GrahslerSenior Producer: Michael OlcottProducer: Michaela WinbergAssociate Producer: Bibiana CorreaEngineer: Mike VillersTile Art: Bea WallingSports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.

When the nearly 100-year “Curse of the Bambino” was looming over Boston, it seemed like the Red Sox were never going to come close to a World Series again. But in 1997, a skinny kid from the Dominican Republic joined their team and took the baseball world by storm. Widely known as one of the best pitchers in baseball history, Pedro Martinez sits down with host David Greene to talk about finally breaking the curse, the infamous brawl in the 2003 American League Championship series, and how he unexpectedly ended up on the mound during Game 7 of the ‘04 ALCS. David revisits his 2022 interview with Pedro Martinez that originally aired as part of the In The Moment podcast.  Show Notes 2003 ALCS brawl | YouTube Martínez refers to the Yankees as his daddies | MLB What was the curse of the Bambino? | History Pedro Martínez | Baseball Hall of Fame When the Red Sox reversed the curse: Our readers’ memories from the 2004 World Series | WBUR Show CreditsExecutive Producer: Tom GrahslerSenior Producer: Michael OlcottProducer: Michaela WinbergAssociate Producer: Bibiana CorreaEngineer: Mike VillersTile Art: Bea WallingSports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.

From WHYY and PRX, this is Sports In America with David Greene, a new show that explores the stories that make sports the cornerstone of American life. Premieres September 30th 2025 on podcast feeds and public radio.

In the 2004 American League Championship Series, the Boston Red Sox came back from three games to none, eventually forcing the New York Yankees to Game 7. During the do-or-die situation at Yankee Stadium, famed Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martínez was unexpectedly called to the mound in the seventh inning while the Sox were up 8-1. “I had no business being in that game,” Martínez told In The Moment’s David Greene. “I had a day’s rest.” Martínez had just pitched in Game 6 and was not supposed to play, especially with such a large Boston lead. He only had a few pitches to warm up, and Martínez let up two runs, giving the Yankees momentum. It was a tense inning, and Red Sox fans were dreading a repeat of the 2003 season, when the Yankees won in Game 7. But Martínez drew strength from Yankees fans, who were taunting him with chants of “Who’s Your Daddy!! Pedro! Pedro!!” He eventually retired Yankee’s John Olerud and Miguel Cairo to escape the inning. The Red Sox went on to beat the Yankees 10-3 and advanced to the World Series where they would sweep the St. Louis Cardinals in four games. That championship was the first one for the Red Sox in 86 years, breaking the infamous “Curse of the Bambino.” All these years later, that season is one of the most memorable in baseball history. And it still leaves Martínez wondering how he ended up on the mound. “I’m still searching for an answer,” he said. “No one explained to me why.”

In Religion of Sports' latest podcast series, Host Iggy Monda takes listeners inside America’s locker rooms and field houses to explore hazing in high school sports today. Through deeply personal stories of kids who have hazed, parents who have fought for accountability, coaches who are scared of what their players do when they’re not looking, and people who have hazed others, he ultimately asks why hazing is so ingrained in American culture – and what it says about us. Follow ROS Presents: Roughhousing for the full series.

American-born runner Alexi Pappas competed for Greece in the 2016 Rio Olympics where she smashed the Greek world record in the Women’s 10k. But her journey to the Olympics didn’t fill the void she had expected. Pappas speaks publicly and in her book, Bravey, about the loss of her mother when she was just 5-years-old and the impact that had on her life – on and off the track. She’s now become a mental health advocate for athletes. Pappas sat down with In the Moment’s David Greene to discuss why she considers the 2016 Olympics to be the “end of the beginning” of her life. Greene talks to Pappas about her running career and how she draws on that training as she moves into the next phase of her career.

In the 2006 Torino Winter Games, first-time Olympian Lindsey Jacobellis missed out on the gold in the last second of the women’s snowboard cross final. It was a devastating and unpredictable loss for “America's sweetheart” of snowboarding. Jacobellis would go on to attend the next three Olympic Games, falling short of the podium every time. That was until the 2022 Beijing Winter Games when everything came full circle for Jacobellis and her 16-year road to redemption. Jacobellis sat down with “In the Moment” host David Greene to re-live both of her career defining moments.

Thanksgiving Day, 2012 was a huge turning point for then-rookie quarterback Robert Griffin, III - RGIII - and Washington. They were three and six and their head coach, Mike Shanahan, had already said the season was essentially over. Then Washington did something no one expected when they took on the Cowboys in Dallas. They won. “You go on Thanksgiving and you obliterate the Cowboys, which is America's team, and you go out and you do it in a way that no one’s ever seen it done before,” RGIII told In the Moment’s David Greene. “And that game helped us do it every week after that on the way to the postseason.” Griffin is proud that he spent eight years in the NFL, even after a career-altering injury. He went on to play in Baltimore, and helped serve as a mentor to quarterback Lamar Jackson. He now has a career as a broadcaster for ESPN.