LISTEN LIVE: On Point

MLB All-Star Tells Jokes, Pioneering Sportswriter, Olympians' Mental Health

During his 16-year MLB career, pitcher Ryan Dempster won a World Series and twice reached the MLB All-Star Game. This week on Only A Game, Dempster turns his attention to...

Only A Game

48:48Jul 24, 2020

Washington owner Dan Snyder. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

Charlie Pierce: The Week In Sports

Karen and Charlie discuss allegations of sexual harassment inside the Washington NFL team's organization, and more.

Only A Game

05:21Jul 17, 2020

Kimijah King starred at Lakeside in Seattle. But now she's focused on something bigger than basketball. (Clayton Christy/Lakeside Athletics)

Former H.S. Hoops Star On Race, Education — And Her Vision For A Better School

“I didn’t feel like people kind of understood what I was going through," Kimijah King says of her time at a top Seattle private school.

Only A Game

12:41Jul 17, 2020

"It was like being in an Olympic stadium, cheering on your nation even if the athlete can’t hear," Elissa Ely writes. (Jan Woitas/DPA/AFP via Getty Images)

Elissa Ely: Childhood Rites Of Passage ... During The Pandemic

Some rites of childhood passage never change ... even during a global pandemic.

Only A Game

02:42Jul 17, 2020

In a lifetime of battles, former boxer Termite Watkins always came out swinging. (Dusan Vranic/AP)

Boxing Rings, War Zones And The COVID-19 Ward: Termite Watkins' Many Bouts

In a lifetime of difficult fights, Termite Watkins says COVID-19 was his toughest battle yet.

Only A Game

13:48Jul 17, 2020

Termite trains Iraqi boxer Najah Ali for the 2004 Summer Olympics. (Joe Klamar/AFP via Getty Images)

Boxing Coach Fights COVID-19, Ex-Athlete Dreams Education Reform, Exonerated Golf Artist

In a lifetime full of challenges inside and outside the boxing ring, Termite Watkins recently faced his toughest opponent yet: COVID-19. Also this week on Only A Game, former basketball...

Only A Game

48:17Jul 17, 2020

Babe Ruth (right) and Lou Gehrig (left) look at the ball which flew over the left field wall of Dunn field in Cleveland Ohio for the Babe's 500th home run of his baseball career. (Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)

Tales From Lou Gehrig's Long-Forgotten Newspaper Columns

A historian stumbled upon newspaper columns penned by Lou Gehrig in 1927. They reveal a side of Gehrig few saw.

Only A Game

12:01Jul 10, 2020

Washington owner Daniel Snyder before a 2019 game against the Buffalo Bills. (Adrian Kraus/AP)

Charlie Pierce: The Week In Sports

Karen and Charlie discuss Patrick Mahomes' massive new contract, and Japan's cheerleading (and socially-distanced) robots.

Only A Game

05:25Jul 10, 2020

Britain's Andy Murray (R) returns the ball to Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka during their semifinal tennis match at the 2017 French Open. (Eric Feferberg/AFP via Getty Images)

Mystery And Death On The French Riviera: The Origin Of Clay Court Tennis

On a winter morning in 1903, Georges Henri Gougoltz — the hotelier who may be behind the clay court — was fatally wounded.

Only A Game

14:28Jul 10, 2020

Rafael Nadal, winner of 12 French Opens, famously thrives on clay. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Origins Of Clay Court Tennis, A Golfer's Secret, Lou Gehrig's Writing

Tickets went on sale this week for the French Open, the only Grand Slam played on clay. This week on Only A Game, the dark tale behind the origin of...

Only A Game

48:24Jul 10, 2020

Spectators hold a sign disapproving of Washington D.C.'s NFL team owner Dan Snyder in 2019. (Julio Cortez/AP)

Charlie Pierce: The Week In Sports

Karen and Charlie discuss the pressure to rename D.C.'s NFL team and Iceland's amazing soccer team logo reveal.

Only A Game

05:49Jul 3, 2020

Satchel Paige in 1942. (Matty Zimmerman/AP)

Satchel Paige And A Religious Cult, Fritz Pollard, Basketball And NASA

This week on Only A Game, a baseball fan investigates the day his father donned a House of David jersey and caught for the great Satchel Paige. Also, the story...

Only A Game

48:30Jul 3, 2020

What would more equitable sports look like? (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

'Reimagining' A More Equitable America — In Sports And Beyond

Experts weigh in on how we can solve the issues that create the myth of meritocracy in sports — and beyond.

Only A Game

10:59Jun 26, 2020

Dr. Rashawn Ray and Dr. Stephen Foy say the broadcast of the 2010 NCAA men's basketball championship game — and many others — show us how racial stereotypes are often reflected in how we describe athletes. (Mark J. Terrill/AP)

'Crafty' Vs. 'Sneaky': How Racial Bias In Sports Broadcasting Hurts Everyone

These differences in word choice migh seem small, but they can have big consequences.

Only A Game

07:05Jun 26, 2020

Sports movies like "The Blind Side" help create a lot of the myths about sports and race. (Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

The Blind Spots: How Sports Movies Sell The Myth Of Meritocracy

Hollywood has helped create the myth of sports meritocracy through films that are as popular as they are misleading.

Only A Game

08:27Jun 26, 2020

"Because we see Black men represented in two of the most visible sports ... it disguises the fact that [college sports] are predominantly played by white and middle class athletes," The University of Oklahoma's Dr. Kirsten Hextrum says. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

'Accelerating Their Advantage': How White Students Use College Sports To Get (Further) Ahead

We get fed a lot of stories about sports as a path for upward social mobility. But that story's actually pretty rare on college campuses.

Only A Game

11:53Jun 26, 2020

Otto's story represents a growing problem in youth sports. (Courtesy Otto Loewy)

The Widening Accessibility Gap In Youth Sports

Former MLS player Otto Loewy's story represents a growing problem in youth sports.

Only A Game

09:57Jun 26, 2020

Pop culture paints sports as an equal playing ground for all. But is that really the case? (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Special: Sports, Racism And The Myth Of Meritocracy

Sports are supposed to be the great equalizer. Movies like "Remember The Titans" and "The Blind Side" promote the idea that sports bring everyone together — and offer a path...