The Steelers have spent nearly two decades avoiding the question every NFL franchise fears most: Who comes after the franchise quarterback? Ben Roethlisberger made Pittsburgh’s answer easy for 18 seasons. Since his retirement, the Steelers have cycled through first-round picks, reclamation projects, familiar faces, and future Hall of Famers in search of stability at the […]
The post Who Has Been Steelers’ Best Replacement for Ben Roethlisberger? appeared first on The Lead .
The WNBA released its first All-Star voting returns, revealing the top 40 names. These returns do not guarantee roster spots. They do, however, reveal which players fans have their eyes on. One of the biggest things to notice from these first returns is that not a single player from the Connecticut Sun is in the […]
The post Who on the Connecticut Sun Deserves an All-Star Spot? appeared first on The Lead .
When Mark Walter acquired majority control of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2025, the focus was on the sale itself: a record valuation and the close of a decades-long chapter under the Buss family. Walter’s track record, which he brought with him from the Los Angeles Dodgers, was not as discussed. Over the last decade, […]
The post Japanese Brands Are Taking Over Los Angeles Sports appeared first on The Lead .
The San Francisco 49ers’ 2025-26 season ended with a blowout loss to the rival Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round. Moving on from that kind of defeat is not easy. But the release of the 2026-27 schedule on May 14 gives the Faithful something to look forward to. San Francisco’s opponents hold a combined .497 […]
The post These Games Will Make or Break the 49ers’ 2026 Season appeared first on The Lead .
On June 9, the Pittsburgh Pirates were locked in a 2-2 ballgame with the Los Angeles Dodgers going into the seventh inning. Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh’s ace, had just finished his solid day, striking out seven batters through six innings. By the bottom of the seventh, the Pirates were losing 12-2. Unfortunately for the Pirates, this […]
The post There’s No Easy Fix to Pirates’ Bullpen Struggles appeared first on The Lead .
The Pittsburgh Steelers are gearing up for another shot at the playoffs, and the offense will once again be their biggest question mark. While the quarterback play will be important, Pittsburgh’s biggest X-factor will be its running game. Jaylen Warren and the newly signed Rico Dowdle are coming off productive years and are now poised […]
The post Jaylen Warren, Rico Dowdle Are Ready to Thrive in Steelers’ Offense appeared first on The Lead .
For years, New York Knicks fans waited for a moment that many wondered would ever come. Now, with the franchise’s historic NBA Finals run culminating in its first championship since 1973, the excitement has extended far beyond Madison Square Garden. From subway entrances in Manhattan to illuminated landmarks hundreds of miles away, one thing has […]
The post The Knicks Turned All of New York Orange and Blue appeared first on The Lead .
Every year, in the middle of winter, the NFL season has just ended, and the baseball season is usually around the corner. Still, one tournament usually takes the whole country by storm: March Madness, the biggest college championship. For all of March, the whole country’s eyes are glued to their TVs as 68 teams battle […]
The post Is the College World Series Replacing March Madness? appeared first on The Lead .
A recent report from Sam Amick of The Athletic states that Walker Kessler “is strongly considering the prospect of a basketball future outside Utah.” Amick, a senior NBA writer for The Athletic, has covered the Association for the better part of two decades. He’s a reputable journalist, no doubt. However, his reporting contradicts a lot […]
The post Is Walker Kessler’s Time with the Utah Jazz Over? appeared first on The Lead .
It’s been just over three years since the Denver Nuggets’ first NBA championship. Since then, plenty has happened with the team. While Denver remains a contender with Nikola Jokić, the roster has seen immense changes since 2023. Although the core of Jokić, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon are still in place, many of the pieces […]
The post What Are the Biggest Threats to Nuggets’ Championship Window? appeared first on The Lead .
The last few months have been rather odd for the Denver Nuggets. Denver entered the playoffs as true contenders, only to be comfortably defeated in the first round by an injury-ravaged Minnesota Timberwolves squad. Since then, nearly every player on the roster, outside of Nikola Jokić, continues to be involved in trade rumors. In March, […]
The post Which Free Agents Can Nuggets Pursue to Improve Bench? appeared first on The Lead .
College football possesses by far the most raucous crowds in mainstream American sports. The largest stadiums in the United States are all college football stadiums. When drunk college students, alumni and other loud fans pack these venues, they create deafening forms of entertainment that cannot be duplicated. In the craziest college football environments, the stadium […]
The post Which 5 College Football Teams Have Best Home Field Advantage? appeared first on The Lead .
The New York Knicks had a dominant run to the title, winning 13 straight games while making numerous double-digit comebacks. For the first time in a long time, the champions were led by a small guard, Finals MVP Jalen Brunson. Their defense gave the San Antonio Spurs fits — never giving up more than 106 points […]
The post NBA Finals Film Room: Brunson’s Shot-Making, Knicks’ Defense Led to NBA Finals Victory appeared first on The Lead .
The Portland Trail Blazers just experienced one of the more confusing seasons in recent memory. The Allen Estate agreed to sell the team to its new majority owner, Tom Dundon, last offseason. The FBI arrested Chauncey Billups on the second day of the regular season. Tiago Splitter, whom the team had hired just months prior, […]
The post Portland Trail Blazers 2026 NBA Draft Preview appeared first on The Lead .
It was just four seasons ago that Anthony Volpe won the battle to be the next shortstop for the New York Yankees. He had the perfect story to be Derek Jeter’s long-time successor. A New York native playing shortstop for his favorite team, the Yankees. It’s a plot right out of a movie. As it […]
The post The Anthony Volpe Experiment as Yankees Shortstop Is Over appeared first on The Lead .
The Carolina Hurricanes took home their first Stanley Cup since 2006, taking down the Las Vegas Golden Knights in six games. Jordan Staal had a phenomenal postseason run, scoring eight goals and adding four assists to lead the team. The 37-year-old veteran became the oldest Conn Symthe winner. He also became the first player since […]
The post NHL Finals Film Room: How Did Jordan Staal and the Canes Steal the Vegas Chip? appeared first on The Lead .
Over the past few weeks, all eyes in the NHL have been fixed on the Stanley Cup Finals. Two titans in the Vegas Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes duked it out, and the Hurricanes now hold Lord Stanley. https://twitter.com/NHL/status/2066375920357666897?s=20 The Hurricanes ran through a tight Eastern Conference, sweeping most of their competition. The Knights, […]
The post The Golden Knights’ Run Shows How Close the Mammoth are to Contention appeared first on The Lead .
Montreal’s biggest need this offseason is clear. It’s time to commit to finding the team a second-line center. After Oliver Kapanen’s surprise rookie season and a strong postseason from Jake Evans, the Canadiens still have a clear gap to address. The only question is, do the Canadiens have the answer in-house, or is it time to push […]
The post Who Is the Best Offseason Target for the Montreal Canadiens? appeared first on The Lead .
The Phillies have lived off the strength of their starting rotation for years. In 2025, the Phillies’ rotation had the second-best ERA in baseball (3.53), the best FIP (3.40), and the highest fWAR (21.5). Christopher Sanchez emerged as a Cy Young candidate. Ranger Suarez was once again a dependable, low-3s ERA starter. Jesus Luzardo dealt […]
The post What Starting Pitching Reinforcements Are Available to the Phillies? appeared first on The Lead .
Jack Kochanowicz was placed on the 15-day injured list on June 7 with right elbow inflammation. He was later moved to the 60-day IL on June 10 after undergoing an MRI to reveal a torn UCL. He’ll undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the remainder of the 2026 season. https://twitter.com/EricaLWeston/status/2064462589728596120?s=20 Kochanowicz only made it a […]
The post How Does Kochanowicz’s Injury Impact the Angels’ Trade Deadline? appeared first on The Lead .
The Atlanta Braves have started the season with strong momentum, showing resilience by not letting individual losses affect their overall performance. This season, the Braves hold a league-best record of 46-25, leading Major League Baseball in RBIs and wins and ranking second in earned run average, home runs and batting average. However, these statistics do […]
The post The Braves Limiting Losing Streaks Has Been Key to Their Success appeared first on The Lead .
After a dominant performance in the 2026 Playoffs, the New York Knicks have made it clear that they are not a team with many needs. Their starting five has been arguably the best in the NBA. Meanwhile, their bench unit features guys like Miles McBride, Jose Alvarado, Landry Shamet, Jordan Clarkson, and Mitchell Robinson, who […]
The post New York Knicks 2026 NBA Draft Preview appeared first on The Lead .
With the two-week warning period for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft approaching, the St. Louis Blues face some big decisions that will shape the present and the future. For the second time in four years, the Blues own three first-round picks in the upcoming draft- their own 11th pick, the 15th from the Red Wings […]
The post What Can the St. Louis Blues Do in the First Round of the NHL Draft? appeared first on The Lead .
The 2026 NBA Draft is littered with talent from top to bottom. Even though the Lakers do not find themselves in the lottery, General Manager Rob Pelinka can bring in a new rookie who can make an immediate impact. The Lakers have some particular needs to fill, particularly in the frontcourt, as they look to […]
The post Which Guard, Wing and Center Should Lakers Target in NBA Draft? appeared first on The Lead .
The narrative surrounding the Spurs’ surprising postseason run was how a team with so little experience could go so far. For four of their five starters, the 2026 run to the NBA Finals was their first taste of any playoff action. The Spurs managed to mask their inexperience with dominant play over the course of […]
The post The Spurs Ran From Inexperience Until They Couldn’t appeared first on The Lead .