Hang Up And Listen

Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Defector’s Drew Magary talk about the seeming decline of the Kansas City Chiefs. They also discuss who to root for in the World Series, the Houston Astros or the Atlanta Braves. Finally, they speak with Drew about his book The Night the Lights Went Out: A Memoir of Life After Brain Damage.   Chiefs (3:54): What’s wrong with Patrick Mahomes and the former champs?   World Series (25:47): Is the case against the Astros stronger than the case against the Braves?   The Night the Lights Went Out (46:29): Drew on his traumatic brain injury and what came after.   Afterball (1:07:00): Stefan on the history of the Atlanta Braves’ nickname. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joel Anderson and Josh Levin talk with Slate’s Alex Kirshner about the split between LSU and its coach Ed Orgeron. They’re also joined by Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports for a preview of the 2021-22 NBA season. Finally, Stefan Fatsis speaks with Dave Zirin about his book The Kaepernick Effect.   Orgeron (4:20): Why did LSU part ways with a championship-winning coach?   NBA (29:53): What to expect from the Kyrie-less Nets and the LeBron/AD/Russ Lakers.   The Kaepernick Effect (50:52): Looking back on five years’ worth of athlete protests.   Afterball (1:12:00): Josh on erasing Derrius Guice’s records. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin talk with Slate’s Alex Kirshner about the racist, sexist, and homophobic emails written by now-former NFL head coach Jon Gruden. Writer Roberto José Andrade Franco joins to discuss Mexican-American soccer star Ricardo Pepi. Finally, Chantel Jennings of the Athletic breaks down the WNBA playoffs. Gruden (4:07): What his emails reveal about the culture of the NFL?   Pepi (209:07): The on-field and off-field significance of the USMNT’s new star.   WNBA (51:47): What you need to know about the Chicago Sky and Phoenix Mercury.   Afterball (1:13:62): Josh on a women’s sports equivalent for “the Jimmys and the Joes.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about Tom Brady’s win over the Patriots. Meg Rowley of FanGraphs also joins to discuss the end of baseball’s regular season and the start of the playoffs. Finally, the Athletic’s Steph Yang helps assess the present and future of the National Women’s Soccer League. Brady vs. the Pats (03:09): Did the game live up to the hype? Was there too much hype?   Baseball (28:23): Should we be sad about the lack of chaos or happy about the possibility of chaos to come? NWSL (49:42): What are the allegations, and what happens next? Afterball (1:07:30): Stefan on the oldest players in NFL history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about anti-vaxxers in the NBA. The Washington Post’s Molly Hensley-Clancy discusses allegations that the NWSL’s Washington Sprit have a misogynistic work culture, and Will Bardenwerper joins for a conversation about his Harper’s piece on the potential death of minor league baseball in small towns.   NBA anti-vaxxers (4:36): How should the league deal with Kyrie Irving?   Washington Spirit (26:33): What to do about alleged bad behavior in the National Women’s Soccer League.   Minor leagues (47:27): The consequences of Major League Baseball’s plan to make the minors more efficient.   Afterball (1;08): Josh on the College of Faith football program Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by USA Today’s Marisa Kwiatkowski to discuss the Senate hearing on the FBI’s failures in the Larry Nassar case. They also assess Eli and Peyton Manning’s Monday Night Football debut and discuss whether the 2021 UConn Huskies are the worst college football team of all time.   Nassar case (3:14): What stood out in the Senate hearings, and what will it take for the gymnasts to get closure?   Mannings (23:18): How’d Peyton and Eli do on their first broadcast? Will their show have staying power?   UConn (43:05): How the Huskies became historically bad.   Afterball (59:00): Stefan on the U.S. women’s soccer team’s uncompetitive friendly matches. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and the New Yorker’s Louisa Thomas talk about Daniil Medvedev’s upset over Novak Djokovic and Emma Raducanu’s shocking U.S. Open title. They also discuss Jameis Winston, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Cam Newton’s interview with his dad. Finally, they assess the U.S. men’s national soccer team’s rocky opening to World Cup qualifying. U.S. Open (2:25): What to make of Djokovic’s loss, and his response to it. Plus, where did Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez come from?   NFL (31:12): Making sense of pro football’s opening weekend.   U.S. soccer (48:19): How concerning are the USMNT’s on-field struggles?   Afterball (1:06;30): Stefan on Sheriff Tiraspol, the Moldovan soccer underdog that you maybe shouldn’t root for Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Levin and Joel Anderson are joined by Spencer Hall to talk about the opening weekend of the college football season. They also discuss Bishop Sycamore, the fake high school that made its way into an ESPN football showcase. Finally, the CBC’s Morgan Campbell joins to assess Canada’s series of sporting triumphs.   College football (1:48): Alabama looks like its old self. But what’s up with Clemson?   Bishop Sycamore (24:37): Where did it come from? Is it unique or a sign of a larger phenomenon?   Canada (40:44): Soccer, track, tennis. What’s behind Canada’s run of athletic success?   Afterball (56:35): Josh on Dutch tennis player Botic van de Zandschulp. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Levin interviews Ben Rothenberg about his reporting on domestic abuse allegations against tennis player Alexander Zverev. Josh, Stefan Fatsis, and Joel Anderson are then joined by Grant Wahl to discuss Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Manchester United. Finally, assessing Rachel Nichols’ fall and Stephen A. Smith’s rise at ESPN.   Zverev (3:50): What are the accusations and how has the tennis world responded? Ronaldo (19:19): Why he’s returning to the club where he became an international superstar.   ESPN (41:57): What we know about personnel moves at the Worldwide Leader.   Afterball (1:06:15): Josh on what might be the longest down and distance in NFL history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joel Anderson and Stefan Fatsis talk with track writer Jojo Gretschel about sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson’s last-place finish in her return from a suspension. Former pro basketball player Rod Benson discusses Draymond Green’s revealing conversation with Kevin Durant and the future of athlete-driven sports media. Finally, an interview with Claire McNear of the Ringer about her blockbuster reporting that brought down the new host of Jeopardy! Sha’Carri (5:23): Track writer Jojo Gretschel on Sha’Carri Richardson’s 100-meter flop.   Dray and KD (22:31): Ex-basketball pro Rod Benson on Draymond Green’s revealing interview with Kevin Durant. Jeopardy! (40:57): Claire McNear of the Ringer on the comments that brought down Alex Trebek’s successor. Afterball (1:04:54): Stefan on pro ultimate frisbee.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about Major League Baseball’s Field of Dreams game. Writer Jessica Luther also joins to discuss the Deshaun Watson and Trevor Bauer cases. Finally, they review the documentary Malice at the Palace.   Field of Dreams (4:42): Is this kind of nostalgia good or bad for baseball?   Watson and Bauer (26:02): How should leagues handle allegations of sexual misconduct?   Malice at the Palace (46:35): What the Netflix documentary leaves out.   Afterball (1:07:16): Stefan on hockey players fighting fans in 1979. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the end of the Tokyo Olympics. They also discuss NFL players who’ve refused to get the COVID vaccine, and what the league should do about it. Finally, author Simon Kuper explains the tearful end of Lionel Messi’s brilliant career at F.C. Barcelona.   Olympics (3:31): The troubled 2020 Olympics could reset how fans view athletes and the games.   NFL (22:32): Kirk Cousins would rather surround himself with Plexiglas than get vaccinated.   Lionel Messi (42:12): Why did it have to end this way? And what’s next for Messi and his longtime club?   Afterball (57:53): Joel on the tiny countries that bagged Olympics hardware for the first time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the latest in the saga of Simone Biles at the Tokyo Olympics. They also assess the U.S. women’s national soccer team’s semifinals loss to Canada and other stories from the Summer Games. Finally, Jeff Passan of ESPN joins to talk about Major League Baseball’s trade deadline.   Biles (2:31): What are the bigger picture lessons of the gymnastics legend’s Tokyo opt-out? Olympics (23:45): A surprise in the men’s 100 meters and a smile in the men’s high jump.   Baseball (42:34): MLB’s trade deadline was the craziest in history.   Afterball (1:04:55): Stefan on the return of Olympic Channel News, the state-run broadcasting service of the Summer Games. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode features Cynt Marshall, CEO of the Dallas Mavericks and the NBA’s first Black female CEO. After spending 36 years in senior management at AT&T, Cynt pivoted to the sports industry where her values-based leadership has transformed the Mavericks’ culture to emphasize community and employee engagement. Cynt’s authentic and humanizing perspectives shed light on how empathy and technology can help us stay connected and enhance shared experiences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the weirdness of the Tokyo Olympics being staged without spectators. They also assess the wobbly starts by the U.S. men’s basketball and women’s gymnastics teams. Finally, they examine the implications of Texas and Oklahoma seeking to leave the Big 12 for the powerhouse SEC.  Olympic atmosphere (2:39): The absence of fans has made for a weird start to the Summer Games.   Olympic sports (24:41): Simone Biles and the U.S. women’s gymnastics team stumbled in the preliminary competition.   SEC (47:11): Will Texas and Oklahoma usher in a major realignment in college sports?   Afterball (1:09:12): Josh on baseball broadcast pioneer Mary Shane, the subject of the latest episode of his new podcast series, One Year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Slate's new podcast One Year and will introduce you to people and ideas that changed American history--one year at a time. The show is hosted by your Hang Up and Listen host Josh Levin. And our first season covers 1977: a year when gay rights hung in the balance, Roots dominated the airwaves, and Jesus appeared on a tortilla. This episode introduces you to Mary Shane, who made history with the Chicago White Sox as the first woman hired as a legitimate major-league baseball announcer. But in 1977, she had to fight to be taken seriously in one of America’s most sexist industries. One Year is produced by Josh Levin, Evan Chung, and Madeline Ducharme. Mixing by Merritt Jacob. Like this episode? Subscribe to One Year on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by New York Times Tokyo bureau chief Motoko Rich to discuss the troubled run-up to the Olympics. They also talk about the dominance and humility of Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Finally, they review Space Jam: A New Legacy.   Olympics (2:53): The Summer Games face positive coronavirus tests, public antipathy, and heat and humidity.   NBA Finals (22:59): How Giannis led the Bucks back against the Suns.   Space Jam (42:50): Just how bad is the Warner Bros. sequel starring LeBron James?   Afterball (1:04:25): Stefan on pitcher Wayne Garland, who flopped in 1977 after signing one of baseball’s first big free-agent contracts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by Nicky Bandini of the Guardian to discuss Italy’s victory over England in the Euro 2020 final. Next, they talk about Giannis Antetokounmpo, Chris Paul, and the first three games of the NBA Finals. Finally, they assess the pitching and hitting phenom Shohei Ohtani. Euro 2020 (4:19): Italy beat England but the final was marred by racist and violent fan behavior.   NBA Finals (25:04): Giannis Antetokounmpo is remarkable at a young age, Chris Paul at an old one. Shohei Ohtani (46:22): Is the Japanese pitcher and hitter better than Babe Ruth? Afterball (1:06:41): Josh on the reaction to Novak Djokovic’s Wimbledon triumph. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson’s marijuana suspension. Penn State professor Amira Rose Davis joins to discuss Olympic hammer thrower Gwen Berry and Black women activists in sports. And finally, a look at the first week of new name, image, and likeness rules in the NCAA.   Sha’Carri Richardson (02:28): Why is marijuana a banned substance in the first place?   Black women activists (20:59) How athlete protests have evolved and what to expect at the Tokyo Games.   NIL (46:32): College athletes signed a range of deals in a wild first week of commercial rights.   Afterball (1:03:06): Stefan on a Myanmar men’s national soccer team player who protested against the military dictatorship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss NFL player Carl Nassib’s historic announcement. They also talk about the key players and storylines in the NBA conference finals. Finally, they assess the Week in Sports Idiocy.   Nassib (1:55): The significance of an active NFL player coming out.   NBA (24:09): What Giannis Antetokounmpo and Trae Young have in common.   Week in Sports Idiocy (42:19): The Tour de France and the College World Series were prime idiot-spotting territory.   Afterball (56:44): Joel on 17-year-old track star Erriyon Knighton. Podcast production by Margaret Kelley. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices