Tom Goldman

Tom Goldman is NPR's sports correspondent. His reports can be heard throughout NPR's news programming, including Morning Edition and All Things Considered, and NPR.org.

With a beat covering the entire world of professional sports, both in and outside of the United States, Goldman reporting covers the broad spectrum of athletics from the people to the business of athletics.

During his more than 20 years with NPR, Goldman has covered every major athletic competition including the Super Bowl, the World Series, the NBA Finals, golf and tennis championships, and the Olympic Games.

His pieces are diverse and include both perspective and context. Goldman often explores people's motivations for doing what they do, whether it's solo sailing around the world or pursuing a gold medal. In his reporting, Goldman searches for the stories about the inspirational and relatable amateur and professional athletes.

Goldman contributed to NPR's 2009 Edward R. Murrow award for his coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and to a 2010 Murrow award for contribution to a series on high school football, "Friday Night Lives." Earlier in his career, Goldman's piece about Native American basketball players earned a 2004 Dick Schaap Excellence in Sports Journalism Award from the Center for the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern University and a 2004 Unity Award from the Radio-Television News Directors Association.

In January 1990, Goldman came to NPR to work as an associate producer for sports with Morning Edition. For the next seven years he reported, edited and produced stories and programs. In June 1997, he became NPR's first full time sports correspondent.

For five years before NPR, Goldman worked as a news reporter and then news director in local public radio. In 1984, he spent a year living on an Israeli kibbutz. Two years prior he took his first professional job in radio in Anchorage, Alaska, at the Alaska Public Radio Network.

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Sports
4:42 am
Mon April 15, 2013

Australian Adam Scott Wins Golf's Masters

Originally published on Mon April 15, 2013 1:28 pm

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Australia is celebrating its first Masters champion. Hard to believe, but the great Australian golfer Greg Norman never did this. Adam Scott did, yesterday. He's 32 and outlasted both the field and the weather to win a playoff against the 2009 Masters winner Angel Cabrera.

NPR's Tom Goldman reports.

TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE: You know those classic, gorgeous scenes, late on a final round Sunday at Augusta? Sun low in the sky, shadows reaching across the 18th green? Yesterday was just like, except for the shadows and sun.

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Sports
6:47 am
Sun April 14, 2013

A Controversial Drop Puts Woods Behind On Final Day Of Masters

Originally published on Sun April 14, 2013 11:04 am

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

It is the final round of The Masters today. American Brandt Snedeker and Argentine Angel Cabrera share the lead at 7 under par. Pre-tournament favorite Tiger Woods is four shots behind, which isn't bad considering what he went through yesterday. From Augusta, Georgia, NPR's Tom Goldman reports on how golf's greatest major almost lost its greatest player.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Fore, please. Tiger Woods now driving.

(SOUNDBITE OF CHEERING)

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Sports
5:02 pm
Sat April 13, 2013

Down To The Putt: Golf Analytics Gain Traction

Originally published on Sat April 13, 2013 6:09 pm

Numbers crunching has become a big deal in sports. Analytics have been slower to take hold in the tradition-bound game of golf, but it is happening. NPR's Tom Goldman reports on the phenomenon from the tournament most steeped in tradition, the Masters.

Sports
5:01 am
Wed April 10, 2013

UConn Wins 8th National Championship Over Louisville

Originally published on Wed April 10, 2013 7:20 am

The University of Connecticut has won the women's NCAA basketball championship, beating Louisville 93-60. Louisville was trying to become just the second school to win both the men's and women's titles. But the Cards couldn't duplicate the Louisville men's championship from Monday night.

The Two-Way
2:44 pm
Tue April 9, 2013

Giant-Killing Louisville Women Look To Keep Charmed Run Alive

Originally published on Tue April 9, 2013 7:34 pm

Tonight, there's a chance for a rare double in NCAA Division I college basketball.

As we reported earlier, if the University of Louisville scores a victory in the women's championship game, it will be only the second school to capture both the men's and women's titles in the same year.

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NPR Story
5:01 am
Mon April 8, 2013

Women's NCAA Championship Game Is Set

Originally published on Mon April 8, 2013 10:09 am

Transcript

TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE: And this is Tom Goldman in New Orleans where the Louisville women's team continued its surprising run through the tournament. It followed up stunners over Baylor and Tennessee with a 64 to 57 come-from-behind semi-final win over California last night. Louisville guard Antonita Slaughter made six out of 10 three-point shots and head coach Jeff Walz was left to explain, again, how the Cards are doing it.

JEFF WALZ: And we're figuring out a way to pull them out and win and play well at the right time.

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Sports
5:16 am
Sun April 7, 2013

Old Guard And Fresh Faces Square Off At Women's Final Four

Credit Sue Ogrocki / AP
Louisville guard Shoni Schimmel (23) and the Louisville bench react to her 3-point shot against Tennessee in the second half of the regional final in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament in Oklahoma City on Tuesday. Louisville won 86-78.

Originally published on Sun April 7, 2013 12:51 pm

A women's Final Four without Baylor, Stanford or Tennessee? That's happened only one other time in the last dozen years. We've become so used to it being a power party, that it's downright disorienting.

Or maybe that's just vertigo from trying to track the movements of the Final Four's breakout star, Louisville guard Shoni Schimmel. She's a big reason why two of those teams — Tennessee and Baylor — aren't in New Orleans for a chance at the title.

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The Two-Way
12:13 pm
Sat March 23, 2013

Oregon's Arsalan Kazemi: From Iran To NCAA Hoopla

Credit Julie Jacobson / AP
Rebounding machine Arsalan Kazemi is the first Iranian-born player in Divison I men's college hoops.

Originally published on Sun March 24, 2013 3:23 pm

San Jose, Calif., is just a piece of a very big March Madness pie. But in the eight teams that gathered there for second- and third-round games this week, you could see the undeniable trend in big-time college basketball globalization.

Rosters from schools as geographically diverse as Syracuse, New Mexico State and California featured athletes from Senegal, France, Canada, South Africa, Croatia, Sudan.

But it's the University of Oregon with a groundbreaker — from Iran.

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NPR Story
4:31 am
Fri March 22, 2013

March Madness Report From San Jose, Calif.

Originally published on Fri March 22, 2013 10:55 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Whoever first said history repeats itself probably never expected Harvard to win a game in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. It's never happened before. The Ivy League school was a number 14 seed, which is about as low as you'd expect, and the Crimson stunned number three seed, New Mexico, 68-62 - nor was it the only upset yesterday. Let's hear about some of the other games, starting with NPR's Tom Goldman in San Jose, California.

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Sports
7:11 am
Wed March 20, 2013

Dominican Republic Wins World Baseball Classic

Originally published on Wed March 20, 2013 8:16 am

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

The Dominican Republic has always been a goldmine of baseball talent. Today, the D.R. can call itself the game's world champion. Last night in San Francisco, Team D.R. won the World Baseball Classic, beating Caribbean rival Puerto Rico three-to-nothing. The Dominicans also made history in the process. They became the first team to win the Olympic-style tournament without losing a single game.

From San Francisco, NPR's Tom Goldman reports.

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Sports
4:56 pm
Tue March 19, 2013

Dominican Republican, Puerto Rico Face Off In World Baseball Championship

Originally published on Tue March 19, 2013 7:51 pm

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

And I'm Robert Siegel. It is the first all Caribbean final. Tonight, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico are facing off in the World Baseball Classic in San Francisco. And for more on the big game and Major League Baseball's quest to make the sport more international, we're joined now by NPR's Tom Goldman, who is in San Francisco covering the event. Hi, Tom.

TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE: Hi, Robert.

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The Two-Way
7:57 am
Tue March 19, 2013

World Baseball Classic's All-Caribbean Showdown Is A Winner Either Way

Originally published on Tue March 19, 2013 11:35 am

NPR's Tom Goldman is covering the World Baseball Classic tournament and sends along this report:

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The Two-Way
8:17 am
Mon March 18, 2013

World Baseball Classic Heads For Dramatic Finish

Originally published on Mon March 18, 2013 9:05 am

  • Tom Goldman reporting for the NPR Newscast

NPR's Tom Goldman is covering the World Baseball Classic tournament and sends along this report:

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Sports
6:12 pm
Thu February 28, 2013

Pete Rose: A Living Legend, Off The Record

Originally published on Thu February 28, 2013 9:04 pm

As baseball emerges from its winter hibernation, one of the game's greatest and most controversial figures, Pete Rose, is back in the news.

The all-time hits leader has been banned from baseball since 1989 for gambling on the game.

It appears fallout continues: A new batch of Topps baseball cards lists some of his many records, but not his name. It's a reminder of Rose's singular status as a Major League Baseball pariah. It also raises the question, with so much bad behavior by top athletes, is it time to re-evaluate Rose's status?

The Art Of Pete

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Sports
12:04 am
Fri February 8, 2013

Lawsuit, Investigation Loom Over Lance Armstrong

Credit George Burns/ Harpo Studios / AP
Talk show host Oprah Winfrey interviews Lance Armstrong on Jan. 14. Armstrong confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France, reversing more than a decade of denial.

Originally published on Fri February 8, 2013 7:41 am

There are more troubles for disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong.

A Texas-based promotions company sued the former cycling champion Thursday for more than $12 million, which was paid to Armstrong for several of his record seven Tour de France wins. Armstrong publicly admitted last month that those herculean victories were aided by doping.

The lawsuit is part of a flurry of activity: Armstrong still is in talks with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, and there is now word that he is under federal investigation, a year after another federal criminal inquiry ended abruptly.

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Sports
4:48 pm
Tue February 5, 2013

Olympian Skier Lindsey Vonn Ends Season With Knee Injury

Originally published on Tue February 5, 2013 6:36 pm

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Audie Cornish.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

And I'm Robert Siegel. For skier Lindsey Vonn, the racing season is over. Today, at the World Championships, the American Alpine skiing star crashed. She injured her right knee. Still, as we hear from NPR's Tom Goldman, U.S. ski officials expect Vonn will be ready for next year's Winter Olympics.

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Sports
5:38 am
Mon February 4, 2013

Concussion Issue Attracts Pre-Super Bowl Attention

Originally published on Mon February 4, 2013 12:09 pm

Calls for better equipment and protection for players grew louder in the NFL this year. It follows growing evidence of the damage caused by repeated blows to the head, and some high-profile suicides by former players.

Sports
5:27 am
Wed January 30, 2013

L.A. Lakers Struggle Through Season

Originally published on Wed January 30, 2013 10:44 am

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

The Los Angeles Lakers beat the New Orleans Hornets last night, 111-to-106. It was a normally forgettable late January game. But every victory means something to a Lakers team suffering through a dreadful first half of the season. Last night's win was the Lakers' third in a row. It means there are signs of life for a team that was expected to dominate this year. And the big reason for that: L.A.'s best player has taken on a new role.

NPR's Tom Goldman reports.

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Business
5:15 am
Fri January 25, 2013

Dodgers Channel Close To Being A Reality

Originally published on Fri January 25, 2013 9:14 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

In recent years, regional cable TV sports networks have been a financial windfall for pro sports and college teams. And now it seems to be the turn of the Los Angeles Dodgers to make a record haul here.

There are reports the Dodgers and Time Warner Cable are close to announcing a deal for a Dodgers channel that would pay the team around $7 billion over at least 20 years.

But NPR's Tom Goldman reports it may be one windfall too many in a crowded Los Angeles market.

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Sports
6:57 am
Fri January 18, 2013

Armstrong Confesses To Doping During Cycling Career

Originally published on Fri January 18, 2013 9:11 am

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

It was one of the most dramatic about-faces ever by a public figure. Last night, in a televised interview with Oprah Winfrey, Lance Armstrong confessed to using banned performance-enhancing drugs throughout his bicycle racing career. That included seven straight Tour De France victories, though Armstrong was stripped of those titles late last year. His admission follows more than a decade of often angry denials.

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