Oksana Masters Went From Chornobyl to the Paralympic Podium

What a World Series matchup: The Milwaukee Brewers are on a revenge tour — sweeping the Dodgers after being swept by the same team last year. The Brewers will face a team that once seemed like a long shot, the Tampa Bay Rays, but then won 98 games this season. Plus, with two small-market teams on the biggest stage, does that mean the mighty Dodgers have officially fallen? We talk to baseball journalist Molly Knight about what the series might have in store.Then, we’ll hear from a World Series champion himself: Dave Winfield. You might know Dave for his famous 11th-inning hit in the ‘92 World Series, or maybe his 12 All-Star selections. Many know him for his time with the New York Yankees, who made him the highest-paid player in the league in 1981. But the team’s owner, George Steinbrenner, carried a vendetta against Dave that would define his nine years on the team. Dave gets frank about his time with the Yankees: the contracts, the press conferences, the controversies, and his side of one of the most infamous sports feuds in history.

The WNBA Finals are set after both the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream swept their opponents last week. Let’s sit down with women’s sports expert Coach Jackie J, aka Jackie Johnston, to talk about the matchup, and the biggest storylines that captured our attention over the course of the season.One of those storylines: the downfall of the Seattle Storm. It’s a franchise that has been known as one of the best in WNBA history — until this season, when the Storm notched the worst record in the league. What happens when the worst season in franchise history also happens to be your first one as head coach? As leader of the Seattle Storm, Sonia Raman thinks these losses might be the motivation her team needs to redefine themselves next year. We’ll go into the locker room with Sonia to hear what the stats and scores don’t tell us. We also learn about Sonia’s roots in an immigrant family, and how she defied expectations to become a WNBA coach. Show Notes Find Coach Jackie’s new podcast Is She Game? on YouTube Why the Seattle Storm chose Sonia Raman as their next head coach | Title IX Sports Seattle Storm close worst season in franchise history with loss to Dallas Wings | The Seattle Times Seattle Storm Head Coach Sonia Raman Is Making History | The Kelly Clarkson Show Show CreditsHost: David GreeneExecutive Producers: Joan Isabella, Tom GrahslerSenior Producer: Michael OlcottProducer: Michaela WinbergAssociate Producer: Bibiana CorreaTalent Booker: Britt KahnEngineers: Mike VillersTile Art: Bea WallingTheme Song: Emma MungerSports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.

We’re in the heart of baseball’s postseason, and we’re bringing in CNN sports writer Hannah Keyser to talk us through all the storylines that this exciting time of year has to offer — including the surprisingly impactful rookies across the league and the first time that an MLB team has been blessed by the pope.Then, we will hear one athlete’s extraordinary story. Oksana Masters grew up in Ukraine, and she sustained a handful of permanent birth defects as a result of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster. But that didn’t stop her from becoming a powerful athlete. Now Oksana is the proud owner of a whopping 24 Paralympic medals in four different sports. Her story takes us from a nuclear wasteland to derelict public orphanages in Ukraine, all the way to the Paralympic podium. Show Notes So…You Want The Real Story? | Oksana Masters for the Players Tribune She's won 24 Paralympic medals. But Oksana Masters wants to talk about times she lost | NPR It Shouldn’t Be This Expensive To Be A Paralympic Athelte | SELF Pope Leo XIV sends blessings to White Sox ahead of playoffs | ESPN The Yankees without Aaron Judge showed why this might be their best chance to win with him | CNN  Show CreditsHost: David GreeneExecutive Producers: Joan Isabella, Tom GrahslerSenior Producer: Michael OlcottProducer: Michaela WinbergAssociate Producer: Bibiana CorreaTalent Booker: Britt KahnEngineers: Mike VillersTile Art: Bea WallingTheme Song: Emma MungerSports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.

We're in Week Four of the college football season, so we’re sitting down tailgate-style with Jessica Smetana and Lucy Rohden, hosts of the College Football Happy Hour podcast. They’re filling us in on all the Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss drama, recapping that vicious hit in the USC-Oregon game, and breaking down what it means when we crave violence in a football game.And then we’ll hear from former NFL tight end Vernon Davis to learn how a moment of tough love became the catalyst that changed his career. You might recall when 49ers coach Mike Singletary publicly called him out in an infamous post-game speech, but you might not realize just how much being taken to task changed Davis’ trajectory in the league and beyond. He’d go on to be a two-time Pro Bowler, Super Bowl champion, and Hollywood actor. We’ll gain insight into his childhood, learn how his passion for the arts off the field fueled the creation of his foundation, and understand how some of his success can be traced back to that one moment of clarity.Show Notes A look back at his epic postgame 49ers rant | SF Niners Alex Smith To Vernon Davis Game Winning Touchdown | 49erFaithfulDotNet Support the Vontae Davis Foundation Playing Ball | Vernon Davis Hear More from Jessica and Lucy on the College Football Happy Hour Podcast Show CreditsHost: David GreeneExecutive Producers: Joan Isabella, Tom GrahslerSenior Producer: Michael OlcottProducer: Michaela WinbergAssociate Producer: Bibiana CorreaTalent Booker: Britt KahnEngineers: Mike VillersTile Art: Bea WallingTheme Song: Emma MungerSports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.

With an explosive offense and a star quarterback, the Chicago Bears have high hopes for a deep playoff run this year. But will Caleb Williams’ hamstring injury put a damper on the team’s promising season? We’re sitting down with Kevin Fishbain, a senior writer at The Athletic who covers the Bears, to check on one of the highest-ceiling teams in the league.Then, we’re going to talk about something that most elite athletes never even allow themselves to consider: quitting. Lael Wilcox is an ultra-distance cyclist who became the fastest woman to ride her bike around the world in 2024. This summer she wanted to try for the men’s record too, and become the fastest person to cycle around the world. But early on in her effort, a historic heatwave in Europe made it unsafe for her to keep going. How did Lael make the tough decision to stop, and what good came out of it?Show Notes Lael Rides Around the World | Full Film Why is the heat in Europe so deadly? | CBS Evening News So you want to ride around the world? | Cyclist Listen to Lael Wilcox’s podcast Lael Rides Around the World Listen to Kevin Fishbain’s podcast Breaking In With Kevin Fishbain Show CreditsHost: David GreeneExecutive Producers: Joan Isabella, Tom GrahslerSenior Producer: Michael OlcottProducer: Michaela WinbergAssociate Producer: Bibiana CorreaTalent Booker: Britt KahnEngineers: Mike VillersTile Art: Bea WallingTheme Song: Emma MungerSports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.

The MLB season is almost ending, but a new investigation will keep us talking way into the offseason. We’ll hear from Gus Garcia-Roberts, a national reporter from ProPublica who’s been investigating the business surrounding baseball academies in the Dominican Republic. He’ll tell us how MLB teams circumvent recruiting rules, how money is taken from young players and families, and how some of our favorite baseball stars are connected to the system.Then, we’ll dive into the strangely wonderful world of fantasy football, with expert Matthew Berry.  Matthew started his career as a writer, working on shows like Married…with Children. But he traded a ticket to Hollywood for a chance to chase his real dream: fantasy football. We’ll see all the places this leap of faith took him, and how his obsession with fantasy became a career, community, and now, his own company.Show Notes The Dominican Baseball Factory | ProPublica Fantasy Life: The Outrageous, Uplifting, and Heartwarming World of Fantasy Sports fron The Guy Who Lived It | Matthew Berry What Is Rotisserie Baseball? Your Beginner’s Guide to the Roto Format in Fantasy Baseball | Yahoo Sports Fantasy Football In The Age of Sports Betting | FantasyPros Want to dive into the world of fantasy football? Check out Matthew Berry’s Fantasy Life Show CreditsHost: David GreeneExecutive Producers: Joan Isabella, Tom GrahslerSenior Producer: Michael OlcottProducer: Michaela WinbergAssociate Producer: Bibiana CorreaTalent Booker: Britt KahnEngineers: Mike VillersTile Art: Bea WallingTheme Song: Emma MungerSports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.

The NFL is finally back, so we’re talking to friends of the pod Madeline Hill and Charlotte Wilder from “The Sports Gossip Show” about the storylines they’re watching as the new season gets underway, the teams and players they’re most curious about, and how we as fans should deal with off-field drama.Then, as we observe the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, we’ll talk with Craig Woodall about the loss of his older brother Brent, an accomplished athlete who died in the South Tower that day. We dive deep into the role sports, teammates and resilience have played in Craig’s life in the years since and the many gifts his grief has given him. Show Notes Overcome: Rebuilding Hope After Losing My Brother on 9/11 Brent Woodall Lives On | Cal Athletics Face the Storm: Lessons Learned form Loss on 9/11 | TED Talks If you can, support the Brent Woodall Foundation  How Sports Helped a Nation Heal After 9/11 | Yahoo Sports Show CreditsHost: David GreeneExecutive Producers: Joan Isabella, Tom GrahslerSenior Producer: Michael OlcottProducer: Michaela WinbergAssociate Producer: Bibiana CorreaTalent Booker: Britt KahnEngineers: Mike VillersTile Art: Bea WallingTheme Song: Emma MungerSports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.

Elle Duncan is back on the show, and this week, we’re prepping for her upcoming trip to Melbourne, Australia, for Week 1 of the NFL season. Elle will be leading Netflix’s broadcast of the matchup between the LA Rams and San Francisco 49ers, which is the first regular-season NFL game ever to be played in Australia. Then, we’re sitting down with Mary Cain. In her prime, she was one of the fastest girls in the country. She signed to run professionally with Nike before she even graduated high school. Mary’s future in the sport looked bright — that is, until 2016, when she suddenly quit. But Mary didn’t just lose interest in running. She says she experienced abuse by her coaching staff at Nike, and that they ignored her pleas for help when her mental health declined. She went on to sue Nike and came out with a memoir about her experience called “This is Not About Running.” Content warning: This episode discusses emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, as well as extreme weight loss practices, self-harm, and thoughts of suicide. Please listen with care.  Show Notes This is Not About Running | Mary Cain I Was the Fastest Girl in America, Until I Joined Nike | NYT Distance runner Mary Cain files $20M lawsuit against ex-coach Alberto Salazar, Nike over alleged abuse | ESPN Mary Cain’s nonprofit Atalanta Show CreditsHost: David GreeneExecutive Producers: Joan Isabella, Tom GrahslerSenior Producer: Michael OlcottProducer: Michaela WinbergAssociate Producer: Bibiana CorreaTalent Booker: Britt KahnEngineers: Mike VillersTile Art: Bea WallingTheme Song: Emma MungerSports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.

The US Open is in full swing, and injuries have knocked out some of the biggest athletes in the men’s tournament. But there’s no shortage of star power on the women’s side: Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala is on fire, inspiring “Eala-mania” all over the world. To get us up to speed on the tournament, we chat with Giri Nathan, senior correspondent at the tennis outlet The Second Serve. After that, we attempt to answer one of the inescapable questions of our time: Why are so many people obsessed with pickleball? Clare Frank was a firefighter for more than 30 years. When she retired, she stumbled into the game. At first, she didn’t quite get the hype — but like so many retirees who came before her, Clare quickly became captivated by pickleball. In her latest book, “Just One More Game: A Pickleball Quest,” Clare dives headfirst into the world of pickleball to try to figure out how it has become the fastest-growing sport in the United States. Spoiler alert: It’s not just your grandmother’s game anymore.Show Notes Just One More Game: A Pickleball Quest by Clare Frank How Pickleball Got Its Name | USA Pickleball Wanna play? Find a pickleball court near you Pickleball is the Worst | Rick Reily Alex Eala is Catching The WTA’s Best Off Guard | Defector  Show CreditsHost: David GreeneExecutive Producers: Joan Isabella, Tom GrahslerSenior Producer: Michael OlcottProducer: Michaela WinbergAssociate Producer: Bibiana CorreaTalent Booker: Britt KahnEngineers: Mike VillersTile Art: Bea WallingTheme Song: Emma MungerSports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.

We are officially in the NFL preseason. Players are competing for spots while coaches are tasked with building their rosters — and trimming the fat. Today we’re joined by The Athletic’s senior football writer Nick Baumgardner to talk NFL roster cuts. Who’s on the chopping block, and what is the preseason is telling us so far?Then, have you ever screamed at the TV after your kicker missed a field goal? Ever said to yourself, “Man, even I could’ve made that”? Well, journalist and author Stefan Fatsis actually convinced the Denver Broncos to let him try. He joined the team as placekicker for preseason training camp, and then went on to write a book about it called “A Few Seconds of Panic.” He shares what it’s like when you get the chance to get off the couch and attempt to play one of the highest-pressure, most make-or-break positions in football.  Show Notes “A Few Seconds of Panic: A Sportswriter Plays in the NFL” | Stefan Fatsis A Sport Writer’s Stint as an NFL Kicker | The Wall Street Journal Paper Lion: Confessions of a Last-String Quarterback | George Plimpton Welcome to Detroit: A Detroit Lions Podcast  Show CreditsHost: David GreeneExecutive Producers: Joan Isabella, Tom GrahslerSenior Producer: Michael OlcottProducer: Michaela WinbergAssociate Producer: Bibiana CorreaTalent Booker: Britt KahnEngineers: Mike VillersTile Art: Bea WallingTheme Song: Emma MungerSports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.