Alternate Routes

Of all the sports covered on Alternate Routes, few breed more “what if” scenarios than golf. 

It’s so often one round, one swing, one putt separating winners from losers. To fully explore golf’s greatest “what if?” moments, we’re flipping the script with a new format called Hot Routes, where Trey and Kevin dive down the rabbit holes from multiple sliding door moments. For instance, what if Tiger Woods was disqualified ...

Self-confessed sports geeks Elis James and Colin Murray are here to serve up the juiciest tales from the world of sports – think epic rivalries, scrappy underdogs, and the wildest comebacks and you’re in the right ballpark. Thought you knew the story? Think again. From top-secret training sessions to dressing room dust-ups, join Colin & Elis as they dive into the greatest sporting stories of all time (and probably get ...

Can a single play change the trajectory of a franchise? If a quarterback is hit while his arm is (maybe) in motion, is it a fumble? Is there no true justice in the universe?! These are the questions that keep sports fans (especially Raiders fans) up at night. When the referees called the infamous “tuck rule” in the 2001 AFC Divisional Round Playoff game, they sent New England into the record books and Oakland into the wild...

Whether you call him Shaq, Diesel, Shaq Diesel, or DJ Diesel, Shaquille O’Neal is one of the greatest players to ever step on a basketball court and a true American treasure. So much of his success as a player and personality stems from the three rings he won alongside Kobe Bryant in L.A, despite their tumultuous alliance. But, what if Shaq never moved out West and instead, stayed in Orlando? Do the Magic outrun the Bulls ...

When Joel Embiid is on the court, he’s one of the greatest big men the NBA has ever seen. However, emphasis on the word “when” - injuries have proven to be Embiid’s achilles heel, fractured back, and tweaked knee. Just days before the 2014 draft, Embiid fractured his foot in a workout for the Cleveland Cavaliers, causing them to pass on the Cameroonian superstar, leaving him available for Philly, and forever altering the s...

Hang on, hear us out, this is a real thing that almost happened, multiple times. It’s widely reported that beginning in the early 1980s, Donald Trump had interest in purchasing multiple NFL teams: The Baltimore Colts, The New England Patriots, The Dallas Cowboys, and The Buffalo Bills. What if even one of these scenarios actually materialized? If Trump buys The Patriots, do we ever get a dynasty in New England? If Trump be...

Whether you love him, hate him, or REALLY hate him, there’s no denying that Alex Rodriguez was one of baseball’s most perplexing stars. Despite becoming the best player in the AL and signing (at the time) the richest contract in pro-sports history, he never really sealed the deal with the fans - or with J-Lo (twice). But, instead of landing on the Yankees, what if his 2003 trade to the Red Sox went through? Would he have l...

Super Bowl XLIX. Seattle vs. New England. The Seahawks are on the one yard line with the chance to win back to back Lombardis and the game in their hands. You know whose hands the ball should’ve been in?! Marshawn Lynch. Instead, Russell Wilson threw the ball into the arms of Patriots’ cornerback Malcolm Butler. The rest, as they say, is history. But what if Russ handed off to Beastmode for the game winning touchdown? How ...

What’s the most you’ve ever lost on a coin toss? What’s the most you’ve ever stood to gain? The Bulls and Lakers once had more than life or death on the line; they had Earvin “Magic” Johnson. The top draft pick in 1979 went to the winner of a toss between LA and Chicago, and we all know how that story played out. But, what if the coin flipped the other way and Magic went to The Chi? Are we now making TV shows about the Sho...

Before Caitlin Clark was the biggest name in Indiana, one guy ruled the Hoosier state: Petyon Manning. “The Sheriff” may as well have been Governor while quarterbacking the Colts, but in 2012 they shocked the world by cutting him from the team following a potentially career ending neck injury. Manning went on to lead the Broncos to Super Bowl glory, but what if he stayed in Indianapolis? Does Peyton face his brother Eli in...

Something is happening in Minnesota. Thanks to the elite play of Anthony Edwards basketball fans in the Twin Cities are experiencing a new and surprising emotion, hope. The T-Wolves are on the doorstep of destiny, a place they could’ve been years ago if they didn’t decide to draft back to back PGs, Ricky Rubio and Johnny Flynn with the 5th and 6th overall picks in 2009. But, what if the Wolves picked Steph instead of ...

“The Big Three” are sacred words in basketball. Lebron, Wade and Bosh in Miami; Steph, Klay and Draymond in Golden State; Bird, McHale and Parish in Boston; and Magic, Kareem and Worthy in L.A. One trio that never realized their full potential: Durant, Harden and Westbrook in OKC - a young, hungry squad on the cusp of greatness before going their separate ways. But, what if The Thunder kept the band together? How many ring...

The ping pong balls of destiny can be cruel arbiters of fate. The Gods shined on the city of San Antonio, and fundamentally shifted the NBA landscape when The Spurs landed the first pick of the ‘97 draft, Tim Duncan. The rest (five championships and an all-time dynasty) is history. But, The Celtics had two lottery picks and everyone, including Duncan himself, thought he’d be rocking green. What if The Big Fundamental ended...

Before promoting the benefits of ayahuasca and considering Vice Presidential bids, Aaron Rodgers was one of the most hyped quarterbacks entering the 2005 NFL Draft. Rodgers was widely expected to go to his childhood team, The 49ers, but ended up waiting out an awkward draft night until the Packers finally picked him up. Rodgers became a Green Bay legend, but what would’ve happened if he ended up in San Francisco? How many ...

What do Patrick Mahomes and DJ Khaled Have in common? All they do is win, no matter what. Mahomes has three rings and counting and is on a breakneck pace to become the GOAT. But, what if the Chicago Bears drafted Mahomes instead of trading up to snag Mitch Trubisky (*this is a real thing that actually happened). Would Mahomes have led the Windy City to the promised land or would he still be running for his life around Sold...

Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer of his generation, but he might have been even “greater-er” if not for that infamous Thanksgiving night of 2009. Following Tiger’s tabloid-worthy cheating scandal and ambient induced car crash, Woods took a hiatus at the height of his powers, forever changing the trajectory of golf. If Tiger kept on rolling in ‘09, how many majors would he have won? Would he have topped Jack Nicklaus as t...

Chris Webber might be one of the best college basketball players of all time, but he’s still best known for the one play he’d love to forget. When Webber called an illegal timeout in the 1993 NCAA championship game, he cost Michigan a championship and brought about the abrupt end of The Fab Five. But what if Webber never called timeout? Would Michigan have become the greatest college basketball dynasty of all time? Does NI...

The legendary but scandal-ridden career of Barry Bonds could’ve taken a very different turn if he’d signed with the Yankees, not the Giants, as a free agent in ‘92. The alternate reality of Bonds playing in pinstripes sets off a butterfly effect that changes the entire baseball landscape and begs pressing questions like: Would Barry have even needed to juice in hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium? Would the ‘94 baseball st...

Michael Jordan’s iconic career may have taken a different route had he missed his first big shot. Not the game winner in Utah, not the dagger vs The Cavs, but the jumper to ice the ‘82 NCAA championship for North Carolina. If that ball rims out, does MJ lose his confidence and swagger? Does Georgetown become the greatest college basketball dynasty of all time? What happens to the legacies of Dean Smith and Roy WIlliams? Do...