Let the Madness Begin

The Kentucky Derby will become the rare event that has run annually for 150 years with Saturday’s race. Churchill Downs underwent a $200 million renovation prior to the event, which leans into its history as much as anything in sports. FanDuel TV anchor Todd Schrupp joins the show to discuss the significance of this race, recent issues in horse safety, and the controversial figure of Bob Baffert. Plus, an NFL team owner turned down a $10 billion offer and Fox plans to seek record prices for ad space during the Super Bowl LIX broadcast.

The NBA is nearing a massive media rights deal, as a dramatic playoffs featuring a new cast of characters unfolds. The New Yorker’s Louisa Thomas joins the show to discuss how these playoffs represent a changing of the guard and the enigmatic figure of Jimmy Butler. Plus, the Premier League could implement a spending cap and LeBron James is leaving his options open with his son, Bronny, entering the NBA Draft.

The Florida Panthers are chasing a Stanley Cup while still feeling the reverberations of last year’s run to the finals. Team president and CEO Matt Caldwell joins the show to discuss how the Panthers’ success boosted the franchise in the short and long-term. Plus, MLB is fixing its uniforms – eventually, and Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are buying into a Liga MX team that already has numerous celebrity owners.

The MLB season has been dominated by headlines of star pitchers going down with significant injuries. Is this a particularly rough year or simply the new reality for MLB? The Score’s Travis Sawchik joins the show to delve into his research on pitchers, the state of MLB labor relations, and plenty more. Plus, the NFL Draft set a new attendance record, Roger Goodell pitched an 18-game season, and the newly relaunched Arena Football League is already in serious trouble.

The NHL is entering the playoffs coming off the best-attended regular season in its history. That will only further stoke the league’s desire to expand to new markets, with the Phoenix area remaining the NHL’s top priority. ESPN’s Emily Kaplan joins the show to discuss how these playoffs are a dream come true for NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, where the league could expand next, and why Ryan Smith’s “energy” is just what the NHL needs. Plus, NFL draftees could see record salaries, the league is expanding its international efforts in Australia, and Utah is set to claim the 2034 Winter Olympics.

The NFL Draft begins today with the forecast calling for surprises and trades. ESPN’s NFL Draft Analyst Matt Miller joins the show with a look at how the Cardinals, Commanders, Patriots, and other teams with top picks might leverage their position for long-term future gains. Plus, Reggie Bush got his Heisman Trophy back 14 years later, Tiger Woods is set to receive $100 million in equity for staying loyal to the PGA Tour, and the Bears are expected to ask for $2.3 billion in public funds for a new domed stadium.

Austin Ekeler’s free agent market developed over the course of a few hours. He joins the show to take us inside that chaotic day and offer his thoughts on the NFL’s new rules, where he would like to see the league expand, what he expects from his new team, the Washington Commanders, and his athlete fan connection platform, Eksperience. Plus, Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore are entering mediation over their attempted purchase of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx, the Kansas City Current are building a new neighborhood around their stadium, and the Utah NHL team name will be decided by a fan vote.

Randy Johnson spent a career staring down the best hitters in the world. Now he stares down wildebeests. The Hall of Fame pitcher joins the show to discuss how baseball has changed and his second life as a photographer. He’s also part of a campaign to make bird homes, after the famous incident in which one of his pitches collided with a mourning dove during a game. Plus, the NBA is now free to negotiate with any company on its next media rights deals and a major Olympics controversy pits the U.S. against China.

The New York Knicks were looking to take their franchise into a new era by signing free agent LeBron James in 2010. To seal the deal, they put together an elaborate, celebrity-filled recruitment video, exclusively for LeBron and his agent. That video has now surfaced 14 years later due to the work of Pablo Torre. Torre joins the show to discuss what compelled him to search for the video, what it reveals about the Knicks' front office, and how the team has changed since then. Plus, private equity firms are preparing to invest in the NFL, David Beckham is suing Mark Wahlberg’s fitness company, and the people of Utah are buying in on their hockey team before it even has a name.

The NFL Draft is a swarm of moving parts, with trades and surprises a regular part of the action. The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport anticipates that this year could bring loads of drama, with everything past the first pick in flux. He also discusses the NFL’s new rules and Deion Sanders’ claim that teams leak negative stories about players they are interested in. Plus, a settlement was reached with the Justice Department in the Larry Nassar case, the clubhouse attendees of the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks had their lives changed by the teams’ trips to the World Series, and Caitlin Clark is inspiring at least one WNBA team to shift venues when she comes to town.