Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    College basketball scandal heats up

    Four assistant basketball coaches at universities, including USC., have been charged with bribery, conspiracy and wire fraud by federal prosecutors.

    • rss
    • apple-podcasts
    • spotify
    Download MP3
    • Share
    By Madeleine Brand • Sep 27, 2017 • 48m Listen

    USC mens basketball game against UCLA. Photo credit: Neon Tommy.

    In this episode

    5 stories
    1. 0:00

      College basketball scandal heats up

      Four assistant basketball coaches at universities, including USC., have been charged with bribery, conspiracy and wire fraud by federal prosecutors. The repercussions are just beginning, and include the firing of hall-of-fame Louisville coach Rick Pitino.

      Read the story
      9 min
    2. 8:40

      UC Irvine medical school controversy

      A $200 million gift to UC Irvine’s medical school is generating controversy .  The donation comes from the Samueli family to build the Samueli College of Health Sciences. However, the the Samuelis, who made their money in tech, are big believers in homeopathy and other non-traditional forms of medical treatment.

      Read the story
      7 min
    3. 16:06

      Alabama Senate primary and the future of the GOP

      Roy Moore’s victory over Luther Strange in the Alabama Senate primary has many conservatives bracing for a battle. Moore’s victory could mean more challenges for mainstream Republicans. And it will surely make Mitch McConnell’s job keeping the Senate GOP in line much harder.

      Read the story
      8 min
    4. 24:24

      Unrest offers a personal experience of chronic pain

      Jennifer Brea was 28, engaged, and working on her PhD at Harvard when she came down with a fever. She thought it was maybe just a flu, but she never got better. She was eventually diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, an autoimmune disease that has mystified scientists and the public for decades.

      Read the story
      17 min
    5. 41:15

      Is the US national anthem racist?

      Amid the debate over protests during the national anthem, some attention is focusing on the song itself. The third verse of The Star Spangled Banner, which is rarely sung, contains lines alluding to slaves and freed blacks fighting with the British in the War of 1812.

      Read the story
      6 min
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Gina Pollack

      Producer

    • KCRW placeholder

      Sarah Sweeney

      Vice President of Talk Programming, KCRW

    • KCRW placeholder

      Michell Eloy

      Former Producer/Line Editor, Press Play

      News

    In this episode

    5 stories
    1. 0:009 min

      College basketball scandal heats up

    2. 8:407 min

      UC Irvine medical school controversy

    3. 16:068 min

      Alabama Senate primary and the future of the GOP

    4. 24:2417 min

      Unrest offers a personal experience of chronic pain

    5. 41:156 min

      Is the US national anthem racist?

    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand