Hang Up and Listen

A weekly sports discussion from Slate.


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Sports
Sports News
426
The Watch Out for the Pious Ones Edition
Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin discuss the shifting politics of the NFL protests with Jamil Smith. Bloomberg View’s Joe Nocera also joins to discuss the FBI investigation of NCAA basketball, the Ringer’s Ben Lindbergh previews the baseball playoffs.
71 min
427
The U Bum Edition
Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin and Marcus Thompson of The Athletic discuss the wave of protests against Donald Trump’s remarks about the NFL.
65 min
428
The Ninja Doppelgänger Edition
Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by NPR’s Gene Demby to discuss Jemele Hill and ESPN’s conservative trolls, by HBO’s Eric Raskin to talk about Golovkin-Alvarez, and by Ninja Warrior’s Josh Levin for a conversation about obstacle course stardom.
76 min
429
The Shack Atop a Telegraph Pole Edition
Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the New York Times’ Mark Leibovich to discuss the NFL’s opening weekend, by Racquet’s Caitlin Thompson to assess Sloane Stephens’ U.S. Open win, and by Mike Pesca for a debate about the Red Sox’s sign-stealing.
62 min
430
The Quarterback Named Buckshot Edition
Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by SB Nation’s Spencer Hall to discuss college football. Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders also joins to talk about NFL tanking, and Ed Cunningham explains his move to quit his job as a football announcer for ESPN.
72 min
431
The Rats Fighting in a Sewer Edition
Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the Wall Street Journal’s Jason Gay to discuss Floyd Mayweather’s win over Conor McGregor, by Ken Rosenthal to talk about the Athletic, and by Robert Lipsyte to assess Clay Travis and ESPN’s supposed liberalism.
62 min
432
Hang-Up: The Blackin’ Out the NFL and the Sun E...
Stefan Fatsis is joined by former NFL player Hamza Abdullah and ESPN’s Howard Bryant to analyze race and sports.
62 min
433
The Moneyball for Rich People Edition
Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Johnette Howard to discuss Ezekiel Elliott’s suspension, tennis writer Ben Rothenberg comes on to talk about Sascha Zverev, and Mike Schur analyzes the Los Angeles Dodgers’ excellence.
62 min
434
The Pray for the Ravens Edition
Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by ProPublica’s David Epstein to discuss Usain Bolt’s loss to Justin Gatlin. The Irish Times’ Ken Early also talks about Neymar’s record-setting transfer, and Josh and Stefan analyze Colin Kaepernick’s NFL exile.
61 min
435
The Greyhens Not Grayhens Edition
Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by sportswriter Jessica Luther to discuss girls in baseball. Dan Nosowitz also talks about trends in basketball sneakers, and Scrabble champion Will Anderson comes on the show to recount his victory.
61 min
436
The Kyrie Irving and the Chamber of Secrets Edi...
Josh Levin and ESPN’s Mina Kimes are joined by Slate’s Jim Newell to discuss Jordan Spieth’s British Open win. Josh and Mina also dissect Kyrie Irving’s trade drama, and Slate’s Ben Mathis-Lilley analyzes Hugh Freeze’s ousting as Ole Miss football coach.
55 min
437
The Man Hit Ball Far Edition
Josh Levin and Jody Avirgan of ESPN’s 30 for 30 podcasts are joined by ESPN’s Howard Bryant to discuss Wimbledon. Sam Miller of ESPN also talks about Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger, and producer Rose Eveleth joins for a conversation about 30 for 30.
57 min
438
The Best Bad Guy You Can Be Edition
Josh Levin and Ben Mathis-Lilley are joined by Daniel “Progressive Liberal” Harnsberger to chat about his wrestling persona. The Ringer’s Bryan Curtis also discusses Jamie Horowitz and Fox Sports, and Nick Greene analyzes NBA free agency.
66 min
439
The Kaepernick of the Hardwood Edition
Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by former NBA player Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Golden State Warriors President Rick Welts, and Slate’s Henry Grabar explains what makes Miami’s new stadium deal so great.
73 min
440
The Warriors Derangement Syndrome Edition
Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Joel Anderson of BuzzFeed to discuss the NBA draft. Graphic designer Todd Radom also joins to debate the merits of updating the NBA logo. Finally, they chat about the perils of playing sports while old.
60 min
441
The When an Apple Fights an Orange Edition
Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Kevin Draper to discuss the upcoming Mayweather-McGregor mega-fight. Ben Lindbergh also joins to discuss whether major-league baseballs are juiced. Finally, David Gessner talks about his memoir Ultimate Glory.
57 min
442
UPDATED: The Superest of Superteams Edition
Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Mike Pesca to discuss the Warriors' NBA Finals win. George Dohrmann also joins to talk about U.S. soccer phenom Christian Pulisic. Plus, an interview with Ice Cube about the documentary Celtics/Lakers
66 min
443
The Mr. Met Has No Middle Finger Edition
Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Marcus Thompson to discuss the NBA Finals. Bruce Arthur also joins for a conversation about the Stanley Cup Final, and Sadie Stein comes on the show to talk about Mr. Met.
58 min
444
The Not a Victory Cigar Edition
Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Ethan Sherwood Strauss to preview the NBA Finals. They also talk with Charles P. Pierce about the legacy of writer Frank Deford, and Daniel Engber joins for a conversation about our favorite non-famous athletes.
64 min
445
The His Airness Plays Ping-Pong Edition
Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin and guest Jane Coaston talk about the NBA playoffs. Sean Singer also joins to discuss Enes Kanter and Turkish politics, and economist
69 min
446
The More Reckless Than Malicious Edition
Bryan Curtis and Stefan Fatsis talk with Michael Lee about John Wall and the NBA playoffs.
55 min
447
The Big Baller Dad Edition
Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin talk with ESPN’s Howard Bryant about racism in Boston sports. Damon Young also joins to discuss LaVar Ball and the “black basketball dad,”
62 min
448
The Sun Also Rises on Waiters Island Edition
Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and guest Wosny Lambre talk about the layoffs at ESPN. They also discuss how NFL teams evaluate draftees with "red flags" and review Dion Waiters’ genius essay for the Players’ Tribune.
58 min
449
The Take That for Data Edition
Stefan Fatsis and Greg Howard talk with Kevin Arnovitz about the NBA playoffs.
56 min
450
The Optimal Draymond Edition
Stefan Fatsis is joined by Shea Serrano and Marcus Thompson to talk about the NBA playoffs.
80 min