The Long Game with LZ & Leitch
The intersection of sports, culture, and politics is at the heart of the new weekly podcast, The Long Game with LZ & Leitch, premiering Wednesday, November 3rd. Hosted by LZ Granderson, formerly of ESPN, now an op-ed columnist for the L.A.Times and a political contributor to ABC News, and Will Leitch, founder of the late website Deadspin, a contributing editor at New York Magazine, and the author of How Lucky, The Long Game dives into the most relevant sports topics of the week to not only break down the games, but the games people play. From vaccination hesitation, to online betting, to all of the wonderful "isms" and "phobias" we've come to know and love, sports not only reflect our culture, they drive our culture. Join Will and LZ as they explore the events on and off the field that collide with the political, business, and social concerns that captivate the American conversation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
On the final episode of The Long Game with LZ & Leitch, Will and LZ reveal the teams they most want to see win a championship next; offer one change they hope will occur in the sports world one day; and explain the single event they'd love to see take place in their personal lives in the future (and no, it's not winning the lottery). Then they wrap up the show with a fond farewell — not goodbye — share a few memorable stories, ...
On this episode of The Long Game with LZ & Leitch, Will and LZ talk about the best moments of Round 2 of the NBA playoffs; explain why it's smart for the NFL, NBA, and MLB to avoid making statements about the Supreme Court's possible repeal of Roe v. Wade; and discuss their choice for the worst person in sports. Then they wrap up the show with their weekly "This Week In Sports History'' segment, going back to 2006 when Kentucky...
On this episode of The Long Game with LZ & Leitch, Will and LZ are joined by Jack Flaherty, star pitcher of the St. Louis Cardinals, to discuss MLB's unwritten rules and what happened in last week's fight between the Cards and the Mets. Will and LZ also preview the second round of the NBA playoffs; nominate the smartest and dumbest moves in the recent NFL Draft; and weigh in on the latest news about the Supreme Court and Roe v....
On this episode of The Long Game with LZ & Leitch, Will and LZ discuss why the NFL Draft matters less now than it ever has; break down the wild and crazy NBA Playoffs and explain why the next champion will hail from the East; and engage in a hot debate over Wimbledon's ban of Russian and Belarusian players. Then they are joined by Josh Kantor, the organist for the Boston Red Sox, to wrap up the show with their weekly "This Week...
On this episode of The Long Game with LZ & Leitch, Will and LZ discuss why some NFL quarterbacks have more leverage in contract negotiations than ever while others may not get paid what they expect; break down the alleged financial misdeeds of Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder and how Snyder's actions reveal what matters most to the league; and explain why Alabama head football coach Nick Saban is starting to get very w...
On this episode of The Long Game with LZ & Leitch, Will and LZ preview the NBA playoffs and predict the next league champion, break down why it costs more every year to watch our favorite sports and explain why this trend will continue, and discuss the pros and cons of the public funding of NFL stadiums, most specifically the newly approved $1.4 billion facility in Buffalo, with New York State Senator Sean Ryan. Then they wrap ...
On this episode of The Long Game with LZ & Leitch, while Will spends a miserable vacation in Florida waiting for his luggage to arrive, he and LZ discuss which MLB teams are under the most pressure to win this year; make their NBA MVP picks and then debate who will be the future face of the league; and break down how the leagues should handle two players accused of sexual harassment and assault, De...
On this episode of The Long Game with LZ & Leitch, LZ and Will discuss sports hate-watching and explain why, even though they loathe Coach K, they will miss him when he retires; unpack why baseball has been so resistant improving the entertainment value of the sport by making changes to its rules; and play a spirited game of Chatterbrain, The Recount's new game show premiering on Twitch on Wednesday, March 30th, at 4 PM ET...
On this episode of The Long Game with LZ & Leitch, LZ and Will are joined by Michelle Beadle, formerly of ESPN and now host of the “What Did I Miss?” podcast, and Lindsay Jones, senior writer for The Athletic covering the NFL, to discuss the Deshaun Watson trade and the NFL’s bankrupt morals; predict whether LeBron, Joel, or Giannis will win the closest NBA scoring race in history, and wrap up the show with a “This Week In...
On this episode of The Long Game with LZ & Leitch, LZ and Will preview the NCAA college basketball tournaments and predict both final fours and tourney MVPs; examine why Coco Gauff is the only well-known athlete to criticize Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill, and explain why Jerry Jones is every bit the villain that Dan Snyder is. They wrap up with a "This Week in Sports History" segment about Phil Jackson's tumultuous tenure as p...
On this episode of The Long Game with LZ & Leitch, L.A. Rams and Super Bowl champion head coach Sean McVay stops by to talk about how L.A. is treating him now that he's won the big one, the status of his relationship with Jon Gruden, and his personal connection to the ongoing war in Ukraine, among many other topics. Will and LZ also break down the highly concerning arrest of WNBA star Brittney Griner in Moscow, and after "sport...
On this episode of The Long Game with LZ & Leitch, Will and LZ discuss how the unified reaction of Russian athletes to the invasion of Ukraine reveals that athletes have more power than they realize; explain how Phil Mickelson could have been a hero instead of a pariah; and lament how MLB owners choked the joy out of baseball. Then they wrap up the show with a “This Week In Sports History” segment about the “death penalty” for ...
On this episode of The Long Game with LZ & Leitch, LZ and Will explain why baseball's owners have already won their labor negotiation with the players; make their case for Ja Morant as NBA MVP, and concede that it's time for Kyrie Irving to play ball in New York City. Then they wrap up the show with a "This Week In Sports History" segment about "The Miracle on Ice" and why it would be perceived much dif...
On this episode of The Long Game with LZ & Leitch, LZ and Will explain why the NFL loves L.A. and why Matthew Stafford is better than you think; wonder if James Harden is eating himself out of "forcehood", and discuss how MLB owners are underestimating the players. Then they wrap up the show with a great "This Week In Sports History" segment on the 10-year anniversary of "Linsanity", and with a listener Q&A.
On this special episode of The Long Game with LZ & Leitch: You've never heard of the most important player in NFL history. In 1946, Kenny Washington became the first Black athlete in the modern era to sign an NFL contract, joining the Los Angeles Rams and breaking the color barrier a year before his former teammate at UCLA, Jackie Robinson, did the same in Major League Baseball. Today few people know the full story of the man n...
On this episode of The Long Game with LZ & Leitch ahead of Super Bowl Sunday, LZ and Will delve into all things NFL. They talk about which of the dueling quarterbacks has the more compelling narrative — the Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow or the Los Angeles Rams’ Matthew Stafford; whether Los Angeles is an NFL town now, given it’s home to a Super Bowl contender (oh, and the Chargers); and break down the league’s insincere reacti...
On this special episode of The Long Game with LZ & Leitch, LZ and Will talk about former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores’ lawsuit against the NFL and three of its teams, exposing what critics have long argued: there’s an old boy network (of white men) undercutting the league’s publicized efforts to consider and hire diverse candidates. They also break down Bill Belichick’s texting skill; praise Flores’ exquisite tim...
On this episode of The Long Game with LZ & Leitch, LZ and Will explain why Tom Brady decided to retire and remember when he was actually popular; laud the Rams' ability to "match the muscle" and Joe Burrow's mental toughness; and talk about why the Beijing Winter Olympics has no buzz at all. Then they wrap up the show with a great "This Week In Sports History" segment about Ray Lewis and the mystery surrounding his po...
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