Sportly

Sportly

Sportly is hosted by Emmy-winning investigative journalist Kavitha A. Davidson. Created by Immigrantly Media, it takes you beyond the scoreboard to uncover the hidden histories and rich cultural legacies that make sports truly unforgettable. Sportly brings listeners a fresh perspective on sports each week—did you know that the oldest international cricket rivalry is between the United States and Canada? Or that the NBA’s first minority player was of Asian descent? With deep dives into iconic moments, lesser-known rivalries, and the fascinating evolution of traditions like the national anthem in American sports, Sportly is here to expand your love of the game. Each episode explores stories that transcend stats, celebrating the diversity of players, the cultures they represent, and the unique events that shape our favorite sports. Tune in every Monday for thought-provoking insights, heartwarming anecdotes, and thrilling highlights that make you see the games you love in a whole new way. Sportly is the podcast companion for your commute, workout, or downtime—bringing sports to life wherever you listen. Host: Kavitha A. Davidson Producer: Paroma Chakravarty Executive Producer: Saadia Khan Content Writers: Emmanuelle Monahan & Kavitha A. Davidson Sound Design & Content Editor: Paroma Chakravarty Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson Other Music: Epidemic Sound Cover Art Design: Sarah DiMichele Follow us on IG @sportlypod Twitter @Immigrantly_pod TikTok @Immigrantly Subscribe to our Patreon Sportly is an Immigrantly Media Production For advertising inquiries, please email at info@immigrantlypod.com

Episodes

2025 in Sports: Legacy, Scandals, and the Stories That Shaped the Year

December 22, 2025 • 21 mins
As 2025 comes to a close, Sportly looks back at a year that reshaped sports far beyond the scoreboard. Host Kavitha Davidson reflects on defining moments across leagues and borders—from historic performances by A’ja Wilson and Shohei Ohtani to the cultural impact of the NBA’s new media era, the resurgence of tennis rivalries, and the continued growth of women’s sports. This year-end episode revisits some of Sportly’s most meaningf...
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Joon Lee on the Cost of Being a Sports Fan

December 15, 2025 • 47 mins
Former ESPN journalist Joon Lee joins Sportly host Kavida Davidson for a wide-ranging, candid conversation about what comes after leaving the sports media “mothership” and why the industry is undergoing a fundamental shift. Lee reflects on being laid off from ESPN, how the brand continues to shape credibility long after his departure, and why sports media has become increasingly decentralized. He breaks down the real cost of being...
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From Palermo’s to The Sports Bra: Inside the Evolution of the American Sports Bar (October 2025)

December 8, 2025 • 32 mins
Sports journalist, Kavitha Davidson explores how bars once built for straight, white men evolved to include women, immigrants, and queer communities, creating a new sports culture. (This is a re-run of a popular Sportly episode.) What do beer-soaked bleachers, immigrant taverns, and feminist bar owners have in common? They all shaped the modern American sports bar. From Palermo’s Tavern in St. Louis, often recognized as America’s ...
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The NCAA’s Financial Freefall with Jesse Dougherty

December 1, 2025 • 55 mins
College sports aren’t just expensive; they are financially upside down. In this episode of Sportly, host Kavitha Davidson sits down with Washington Post college sports reporter Jesse Dougherty for a sharp, clear-eyed breakdown of the NCAA’s spiraling money crisis. The episode cuts through the noise to explain: Why coaching salaries and buyouts have exploded to NFL-level numbers How the new $20 million athlete compensation model ...
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The Haudenosaunee Created Lacrosse, but They’re Still Fighting to Play Under Their Own Flag

November 24, 2025 • 24 mins
Lacrosse didn’t begin in prep-school hallways or elite East Coast programs; its roots sit firmly with the Haudenosaunee, the Indigenous creators of North America’s oldest sport. As lacrosse returns to the Olympic stage for the first time in 75 years, the community that invented the game may once again be left on the sidelines. In this episode of Sportly, the host Kavitha Davidson dives into the powerful, often erased history of la...
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Is Steph Curry Walking Away With Under Armour's Future?

November 17, 2025 • 20 mins
Steph Curry is officially leaving Under Armour, ending one of the most surprising and influential athlete-brand partnerships in modern sports history. But how did a relationship that reshaped sneaker culture, revived an apparel company, and built a $173 million business line come undone? In this episode of Sportly, host Kavitha Davidson breaks down the full story  from the now-infamous Nike meeting where executives called him “St...
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Inside the NBA’s Struggle to Keep the Game Honest

November 10, 2025 • 25 mins
In this episode of Sportly, host Kavitha Davidson investigates the rapidly unraveling world of NBA betting, where a player’s performance, injury reports, and gambling odds collide in ways that threaten the game itself. From Terry Rozier’s flagged exit and Jontay Porter’s ban for betting on his own games to sweeping federal indictments and mafia-backed gambling rings, this story isn’t just about bad actors; it’s about a league that...
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Pulling Goat In Buzkashi: the Controversial National Sport of Afghanistan

November 3, 2025 • 24 mins
In this episode of Sportly, host Kavitha Davidson takes you into the world of Buzkashi, beyond the dust and spectacle to uncover how a game played with a headless goat became a symbol of Afghan pride, politics, and power. From its rumored roots in Genghis Khan’s army to its modern-day revival under Taliban rule, Buzkashi mirrors Afghanistan itself, proud, complex, and deeply resilient. Discover how elite riders rise from poverty t...
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How Toronto Blue Jays Became Canada's Team

October 27, 2025 • 49 mins
For the first time in 32 years, the Toronto Blue Jays are back in the World Series, and all of Canada is rallying behind them. In this episode of Sportly, host Kavitha Davidson dives into how the Blue Jays rekindled Canada’s love for baseball, from George Springer’s unforgettable homer to Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s storybook rise. Guest Zach Vanasse, a lifelong Canadian baseball fan and former Expos devotee, joins to explore how the ...
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Spogomi: Japan's Trash Picking World Cup

October 20, 2025 • 23 mins
In this episode of Sportly, host Kavitha Davidson dives into how Spogomi became the world’s most unexpectedly competitive eco sport and why it might just change the way we see clean-up duty. Every year, hundreds of athletes from around the world gather in Tokyo, not for soccer, but for trash. It’s called Spogomi, short for Sport + Gomi (the Japanese word for garbage). Competitors race through the streets with tongs and color-coded...
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Turf Wars: Why NFL Players Are Demanding Grass Over Artificial Fields

October 13, 2025 • 20 mins
When Malik Nabers’ knee buckled at MetLife Stadium, it reignited an old question: Is artificial turf silently destroying NFL careers? In this episode of Sportly, host Kavitha Davidson investigates the ongoing turf-versus-grass debate from Aaron Rodgers’ 2023 Achilles tear on turf to Odell Beckham Jr.’s viral plea to “get rid of the turf.” Kavitha unpacks the NFLPA’s 2023 survey, where 92% of players said they prefer natural grass,...
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From Palermo’s to The Sports Bra: Inside the Evolution of the American Sports Bar

October 6, 2025 • 34 mins
What do beer-soaked bleachers, immigrant taverns, and feminist bar owners have in common? They all shaped the modern American sports bar. From Palermo’s Tavern in St. Louis, often recognized as America’s first sports bar, to The Sports Bra in Portland, the first bar dedicated entirely to women’s sports, this episode traces how these spaces became America’s unofficial living rooms. Host Kavitha Davidson explores how bars once built ...
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From Rural India to Harvard: The Power of Girls Soccer

September 29, 2025 • 23 mins
In this powerful solo Sportly episode, Kavitha Davidson takes listeners inside her travels to Jharkhand, India, where she witnessed the life-changing work of Yuwa School. What began when village girls asked American educator Franz Gastler to teach soccer has grown into a movement fighting child marriage, trafficking, and illiteracy. Kavitha shares stories of resilience from girls waking before dawn to practice safely, to graduates ...
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From Stumps to Stadiums: How Cricket Became an International Sporting Phenomenon (July 2024)

September 22, 2025 • 37 mins
Keep up with Sportly on Instagram: ⁠@sportlypod⁠ Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter, Hyphenly; it's our no-fluff love letter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes! Link below https://hyphenly.beehiiv.com  In this special re-run of Sportly’s very first episode, host Kavitha Davidson unpacks cricket’s remarkable journey: from its ori...
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Free Agency and Players Unions: How Athletes Won the Fight for their Rights

September 15, 2025 • 31 mins
Keep up with Sportly on Instagram: @sportlypod Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter, Hyphenly; it's our no-fluff love letter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes! Link below https://hyphenly.beehiiv.com On this episode of Sportly, host Kavitha Davidson takes listeners deep into the history of free agency across Major League Baseball, t...
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Who Gets to Play? Shireen Ahmed on Equity & Belonging In Sports

September 8, 2025 • 63 mins
In this episode of Sportly, host Kavitha Davidson sits down with award-winning journalist and advocate Shireen Ahmed to explore the intersections of immigrant identity, sports fandom, and equity in athletics. From Hockey Canada’s reckoning to the rise of South Asian basketball, from France’s hijab ban to the growth of women’s sports in Toronto, Shireen shares powerful stories that challenge how we see the games we love. Host: Ka...
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Kavitha’s New York Sports Love Letter: From Venus Williams to the Yankees

September 1, 2025 • 22 mins
In this special solo episode of Sportly, host Kavitha Davidson steps out from the sidelines to share her most unforgettable sports moments of the year from her 20th straight US Open and Venus Williams’ inspiring return to the electric energy of Opening Day at Yankee Stadium, the Knicks’ playoff frenzy at Madison Square Garden, and the Liberty’s championship parade down the Canyon of Heroes. Through laughter, loss, and nostalgia, K...
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Inside Women’s Sports: Jane McManus on Money, Media And the WNBA

August 25, 2025 • 52 mins
Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter, Hyphenly; it's our no-fluff love letter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes! Link below https://hyphenly.beehiiv.com Women’s sports aren’t a “niche” anymore, they’re a booming business. In this episode of Sportly, Kavitha Davidson talks with Jane McManus, a longtime journalist, ESPN alum, and dire...
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Women Athletes Vs. the Pay Gap: Battle of the Sexes and Beyond

August 18, 2025 • 32 mins
From the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” to Venus Williams’ historic push at Wimbledon, women athletes have fought tirelessly for equal pay. In this episode of Sportly, host Kavitha Davidson explores how Billie Jean King, the “Original 9,” and Venus Williams challenged tennis’ biggest institutions and how their activism paved the way for equal prize money at all four Grand Slams. But the fight didn’t stop there. Kavitha also traces the ...
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How Financial Struggles Almost Derailed Our Champions

August 11, 2025 • 22 mins
Before JJ Watt became an NFL star, he was a promising hockey player. Before Michelle Kwan became a world champion, her family made an unthinkable sacrifice. Add Olympic speed skater Emily Scott’s fight to stay in the game, and you get a story about the real price of sports dreams. In this Sportly episode, host Kavitha Davidson does a deep dive into the surprising financial roadblocks that nearly stopped these athletes and why talen...
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