In the 2004 American League Championship Series, the Boston Red Sox came back from three games to none, eventually forcing the New York Yankees to Game 7. During the do-or-die situation at Yankee Stadium, famed Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martínez was unexpectedly called to the mound in the seventh inning while the Sox were up 8-1. “I had no business being in that game,” Martínez told In The Moment’s David Greene. “I had a day’s rest.” Martínez had just pitched in Game 6 and was not supposed to play, especially with such a large Boston lead. He only had a few pitches to warm up, and Martínez let up two runs, giving the Yankees momentum. It was a tense inning, and Red Sox fans were dreading a repeat of the 2003 season, when the Yankees won in Game 7. But Martínez drew strength from Yankees fans, who were taunting him with chants of “Who’s Your Daddy!! Pedro! Pedro!!” He eventually retired Yankee’s John Olerud and Miguel Cairo to escape the inning. The Red Sox went on to beat the Yankees 10-3 and advanced to the World Series where they would sweep the St. Louis Cardinals in four games. That championship was the first one for the Red Sox in 86 years, breaking the infamous “Curse of the Bambino.” All these years later, that season is one of the most memorable in baseball history. And it still leaves Martínez wondering how he ended up on the mound. “I’m still searching for an answer,” he said. “No one explained to me why.”

In Religion of Sports' latest podcast series, Host Iggy Monda takes listeners inside America’s locker rooms and field houses to explore hazing in high school sports today. Through deeply personal stories of kids who have hazed, parents who have fought for accountability, coaches who are scared of what their players do when they’re not looking, and people who have hazed others, he ultimately asks why hazing is so ingrained in American culture – and what it says about us. Follow ROS Presents: Roughhousing for the full series.

American-born runner Alexi Pappas competed for Greece in the 2016 Rio Olympics where she smashed the Greek world record in the Women’s 10k. But her journey to the Olympics didn’t fill the void she had expected. Pappas speaks publicly and in her book, Bravey, about the loss of her mother when she was just 5-years-old and the impact that had on her life – on and off the track. She’s now become a mental health advocate for athletes. Pappas sat down with In the Moment’s David Greene to discuss why she considers the 2016 Olympics to be the “end of the beginning” of her life. Greene talks to Pappas about her running career and how she draws on that training as she moves into the next phase of her career.

In the 2006 Torino Winter Games, first-time Olympian Lindsey Jacobellis missed out on the gold in the last second of the women’s snowboard cross final. It was a devastating and unpredictable loss for “America's sweetheart” of snowboarding. Jacobellis would go on to attend the next three Olympic Games, falling short of the podium every time. That was until the 2022 Beijing Winter Games when everything came full circle for Jacobellis and her 16-year road to redemption. Jacobellis sat down with “In the Moment” host David Greene to re-live both of her career defining moments.

Thanksgiving Day, 2012 was a huge turning point for then-rookie quarterback Robert Griffin, III - RGIII - and Washington. They were three and six and their head coach, Mike Shanahan, had already said the season was essentially over. Then Washington did something no one expected when they took on the Cowboys in Dallas. They won. “You go on Thanksgiving and you obliterate the Cowboys, which is America's team, and you go out and you do it in a way that no one’s ever seen it done before,” RGIII told In the Moment’s David Greene. “And that game helped us do it every week after that on the way to the postseason.” Griffin is proud that he spent eight years in the NFL, even after a career-altering injury. He went on to play in Baltimore, and helped serve as a mentor to quarterback Lamar Jackson. He now has a career as a broadcaster for ESPN.

Raiders tight end Darren Waller is now considered one of the best tight ends in the NFL. But just a few years ago, he wondered if he would ever get back to the game. After being suspended for a year from the Ravens for a positive drug test, he was working in a local grocery store and going through rehab. “When I took that job, I had no desire to play football,” Waller told In the Moment’s David Greene. “I was just trying to regain structure in my life.” But Waller did come back to the NFL. The Raiders signed him in 2018. A few weeks later, he was playing in Cincinnati against the Bengals. Waller felt this was his moment to prove himself. He caught a pass for 44-yards. “Just ran like I was running from a dog, put my head back and just ran,” Waller said. David Greene sits down with Waller to break down why that moment meant so much to reviving his career. The two dive into the rollercoaster of a season the Raiders had last year including the controversy surrounding former head coach, Jon Gruden, who resigned after racist emails he wrote surfaced. While Waller says the racist language didn’t sting him personally, he understands why others in the league were offended.

Former NFL Head Coach Tom Coughlin sat down with In The Moment’s David Greene to relive arguably one of the most famous games in NFL history and how he coached the underdog Giants to a victory over the undefeated patriots to win Super Bowl XLII.

The big question in football right now: What will Tom Brady do next? The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended their season with a 31-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys last week. Now, people are wondering if Brady will leave the Bucs, join another team or retire – again. In the Moment’s David Greene spoke to Buccaneers Center Ryan Jensen about what it’s like to protect Tom Brady on the field. And he spoke to him about what led Brady to retire, then unretire last year. Jensen said Brady’s decision to come back to the game came down to one very simple thing. “Is this how the greatest quarterback of all time is gonna go out?,” Jensen said. “Personally, I didn't see him going out that way.” But will that championship spirit keep Brady in the NFL this time around? Find out about upcoming guests and other news by following Religion of Sports on Twitter or Instagram. Subscribe to our newsletter for more sports news.

Andrew Whitworth, also known as Big Whit, spent 16 seasons in the NFL as an offensive lineman – 11 of those years with the Cincinnati Bengals before going to the Los Angeles Rams. Despite being a 4-time Pro-bowler– Whitworth constantly found himself on the losing end of big games. When he finally made it to the Super Bowl with the Rams in 2019, the media narrative was that he was old then.. And this would probably be his last game. But the 13-3 loss to The New England Patriots just kept him going… so he could help the Rams win three years later. Big whit sat down with In The Moment’s David Greene to re-live the moment he beat his old team to win Super Bowl LVI.

On February 23, 1996 then-NBA star Rex Chapman dropped 39 points against Michael Jordan beating the infamous 72-10 Chicago Bulls. Chapman would go on to play 12 years in the NBA. A series of injuries and surgeries lead Chapman to develop an addiction to opioids. Following an arrest, he was able to overcome his addiction, and turn his life around. He talks to David Greene about how he became a beloved social media personality and advocate for people struggling with addiction. Find out about upcoming guests and other news by following Religion of Sports on Twitter or Instagram. Subscribe to our newsletter for more sports news.

On February 1, 2009, the Arizona Cardinals faced off against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII. For Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, this was the moment to cement his legacy. For Steelers safety Ryan Clark, it was the end of a yearlong battle with an illness that nearly killed him. The game had two moments that brought both of these athletes to their highest and lowest points. We look at the game from both sides of the field, and hear why this Super Bowl caused “heartache” and “relief.” Find out about upcoming guests and other news by following Religion of Sports on Twitter or Instagram. Subscribe to our newsletter for more sports news.

When MMA fighter, Francis Ngannou, stepped into the octagon to take on then-UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, he wasn’t just trying to win the title. Ngannou was on a mission to prove himself to the world. “Life threw me a lot of punches,” Ngannou told In the Moment’s David Greene. “Life put me down and made people doubt me.” Ngannou spent years of his life trying to put that doubt behind him. He grew up in the mountains of western Cameroon and started working in the sand mines when he was just 9-years-old. He said he would be thrown out of school for not having basic necessities like paper or pen. From a young age, he was determined to leave Cameroon to overcome the poverty he was born into. It took another decade for him to realize his lifelong ambition. On March 27, 2021, in his second bout with Miocic, Ngannou knocked him out just 52 seconds into the second round. He says the victory was “my own revenge on my life, on my childhood.” Ngannou doesn’t want to encourage Cameroonian youth to make the same dangerous journey he did, but he wants to help them succeed. He’s opened a youth gym in Cameroon and is planning two others. “The main goal of it was just to empower those kids,” he said. “To make them believe in themselves, because growing up out there, having a dream was very hard.” Find out about upcoming guests and other news by following Religion of Sports on Twitter or Instagram. Subscribe to our newsletter for more sports news. We initially ran this story on 10/4/2022

American-born runner Alexi Pappas competed for Greece in the 2016 Rio Olympics where she smashed the Greek world record in the Women’s 10k. But her journey to the Olympics didn’t fill the void she had expected. Pappas speaks publicly and in her book, Bravey, about the loss of her mother when she was just 5-years-old and the impact that had on her life – on and off the track. She’s now become a mental health advocate for athletes. Pappas sat down with In the Moment’s David Greene to discuss why she considers the 2016 Olympics to be the “end of the beginning” of her life. Find out about upcoming guests and other news by following Religion of Sports on Twitter or Instagram. Subscribe to our newsletter for more sports news.

In the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup final, the USWNT suffered a devastating loss to Japan after the 2-2 match went to penalty kicks. In 2015, the two teams faced each other again in the final and this time, Carli Lloyd and the USWNT had something to prove. Lloyd went on to become the first woman in FIFA World Cup history to record a hat trick in a final in their 5-2 win over Japan. Lloyd sat down with David Greene for a special live taping of In the Moment to relive her historic hat trick.

In the 2006 Torino Winter Games, first-time olympian Lindsey Jacobellis missed out on the gold in the last second of the women’s snowboard cross final. It was a devastating and unpredictable loss for “America's sweetheart” of snowboarding. Jacobellis would go on to attend the next three Olympic Games, falling short of the podium every time. That was until the 2022 Beijing Winter Games when everything came full circle for Jacobellis and her 16-year road to redemption. Jacobellis sat down with “In the Moment” host David Greene to re-live both of her career defining moments.

With the World Cup upon us, we want to introduce you to a new podcast from NPR and Futuro Studios: “The Last Cup,” a podcast series about soccer and the immigrant experience. Lionel Messi is known as the best soccer player of his generation, but there's one dream he's never achieved: winning a World Cup. Host Jasmine Garsd tells the story of Messi as a young immigrant who left Argentina on his way to soccer stardom. Now, he faces his last chance to win a World Cup - and the respect of his home country. Leaving your country, the search for success, and the dream of returning one day; Garsd sets out to explore these themes in her own life as an Argentine immigrant in the U.S. What does home mean when you are so far away, for so long?

The New York Giants are facing off against The Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving in a division rivalry game that could determine which team comes out on top of the dominant NFC East. Former Giants placekicker Lawrence Tynes knows what it’s like to be under that kind of pressure. During an NFC championship game in 2008, Tynes made “the worst kick” of his career, sending the Giants into overtime against the Green Bay Packers. Tynes spoke to In the Moment’s David Greene about how he came back from that missed kick to send the Giants to the Super Bowl. Find out about upcoming guests and other news by following Religion of Sports on Twitter or Instagram. Subscribe to our newsletter for more sports news.

The launch of the 2022 FIFA World cup is just around the corner and the youngest team in USMNT history is set to represent the US on soccer’s biggest stage. Former USMNT striker Jozy Altidore sat down with David Greene to relive his time representing the US in two World Cups. His 2009 goal led the US to upset Spain and break that country’s 35-game winning streak. Some still consider it to be one of the most important wins in US men’s soccer history. “It was like a flag bearer moment for us. We stuck our flag in the ground. It was a huge moment, a huge indication of where the sport in our country's going” said Altidore. Share your favorite World Cup moment with us on Twitter and follow us on Instagram. Subscribe to our newsletter for more sports news.

During the 2007 NFL Season, Steelers safety Ryan Clark was pulled off a plane after a team loss in Denver Colorado and rushed to the hospital. Clark would later have his gallbladder and part of his spleen removed due to a medical condition caused by the sickle cell trait. “I laid on the floor,” Clark told David Greene, “if I could just numb myself a little bit, the pain will stop.” Just one year later, Ryan Clark and the 2008 Steelers defense were the best in the NFL. With a 12-4 regular season record, they led the league in fewest points and yards allowed per game, and they ranked second in sacks with 51. “We walked into every stadium saying people are gonna have trouble beating us, because they can't score,” Clark said. Pittsburgh was the favorite going into their Super Bowl 43 matchup against Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals. But the game was anything but easy for that Steelers defense. They let up a late fourth quarter comeback. “I had tears in my eyes because I was like: ‘This is how we'll always be remembered,’” Clark said. After a miraculous touchdown from Ben Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes, the Steelers beat the Cardinals 27-23. For Clark, it was so much more than a win. “It was the first time I had exhaled or relaxed in over a year,” he said. Find out about upcoming guests and other news by following Religion of Sports on Twitter or Instagram. Subscribe to our newsletter for more sports news.

Thanksgiving Day, 2012 was a huge turning point for then-rookie quarterback Robert Griffin, III - RGIII - and Washington. They were three and six and their head coach, Mike Shanahan, had already said the season was essentially over. Then Washington did something no one expected when they took on the Cowboys in Dallas. They won. “You go on Thanksgiving and you obliterate the Cowboys, which is America's team, and you go out and you do it in a way that no one’s ever seen it done before,” RGIII told In the Moment’s David Greene. “And that game helped us do it every week after that on the way to the postseason.” Griffin was from Texas and had won the Heisman Trophy at Baylor University in Waco. When he showed up on that Thanksgiving, his friends, family and fans were in the stands cheering him on. “To see and hear the crowd at the end of the game, chanting a name that they had given me – RGIII – that was born in college,” Griffin said. “That type of atmosphere literally raises the hair on your arms and on your back and makes you feel a certain type of way.” After finding fame early in the season, Griffin was dogged by injuries. He re-tore his ACL in a crucial wild card matchup against the Seahawks. “It was almost as if my leg was being ripped off and I crumbled immediately in that moment – crumbled to the ground,” Griffin recalled. Griffin is proud that he spent eight years in the NFL, even after that career-altering injury. He went on to play in Baltimore, and helped serve as a mentor to quarterback Lamar Jackson. And he says his football career isn’t necessarily over. “When that opportunity comes to play, if it’s the right opportunity and the right situation, then I’ll be back playing,” Griffin said. Find out about upcoming guests and other news by following Religion of Sports on Twitter or Instagram. Subscribe to our newsletter for more sports news.