Hang Up And Listen

Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and the New Yorker’s Vinson Cunningham discuss the opening weekend of the NFL season and the rise of tennis phenoms Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek. They’re also joined by Josh Levin (same name, different guy) to discuss how he made the final stage of American Ninja Warrior. NFL (3:10): The cognitive dissonance of a new season. Tennis (23:27): Why 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz looks like a legend in the making. Josh the Ninja (47:20): How he conquered his Ninja Warrior demons. Afterball (1:11:07): Josh on notable moments in Knicks message board history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Josh Levin and Stefan Fatsis speak with Rennae Stubbs of ESPN and Racquet about coaching Serena Williams at the U.S. Open. Alex Kirshner of Slate and Split Zone Duo joins to discuss the start of college football season and the new 12-team playoff. Finally, the New York Times’ Juliet Macur talks about her story on how the Afghan women’s soccer team escaped the Taliban. Rennae Stubbs (3:24): What she told Serena before and during her grand send-off in New York. College football (24:22): How the game is changing, and how it’s staying the same. Afghan women’s soccer team (49:23): The harrowing story of their escape from Kabul. Afterball (1:11:42): Stefan on American soccer players on rival Scottish teams having the gall to eat dinner together. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Josh Levin, Stefan Fatsis, and Vinson Cunningham are joined by Ben Mathis-Lilley to discuss his new book on college football, The Hot Seat. They also discuss the hype around American tennis star Coco Gauff and review the soccer documentary Welcome to Wrexham. The Hot Seat (2:14): Why does college football make so many of us insane? Coco Gauff (24:54): Is the publicity warranted, or is too much for an 18-year-old to handle? Welcome to Wrexham (47:60): Does the story of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney buying a soccer team make for good TV? Afterball (1:06:51): Josh on drinking beer through a hot dog straw. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Josh Levin, Stefan Fatsis, and Vinson Cunningham are joined by Defector’s Maitreyi Anantharaman to discuss the WNBA playoffs. Dion Wright also joins to explain what it was like to guard LeBron James. Finally, they talk about Isiah Thomas’ “No Crime Day,” the subject of the first episode of Slate’s One Year: 1986 podcast. WNBA (2:48): Can Sue Bird lead the Seattle Storm to a fifth title? Dion Wright (23:39): How it felt to go viral for going up against one of the greatest of all time. No Crime Day (42:20): A conversation about basketball and athlete activism in the 1980s. Afterball (1:05:56): Stefan on the agony and ecstasy of watching Pete Carril’s Princeton teams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vinson Cunningham and Stefan Fatsis are joined by the New Yorker’s Louisa Thomas to discuss the latest on Deshaun Watson’s sexual abuse case and Serena Williams’ impending retirement. Also, Sports Illustrated’s Julie Kliegman joins to talk about athletes and psychedelics. Deshaun Watson (5:00): The new Browns quarterback debuted with the team to boos and jeers. Serena Williams (21:52): The superstar announced in Vogue that she is “evolving away from tennis.” Psychedelics (35:20): Should more athletes be using them to treat mental health and injury? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Josh Levin, the New Yorker’s Vinson Cunningham, and Slate’s Henry Grabar take an audio tour of Vin Scully’s broadcasting career. They also discuss the documentary NYC Point Gods. Finally, Josh interviews tennis players Maxime Cressy and Daria Saville. Vin Scully (2:36): Eight moments from 66 years in the booth. NYC Point Gods (33:11): Is the new basketball documentary worth watching? Tennis (48:33): Conversations with two of the most fascinating players on tour. Afterball (1:16:42): Josh on the Shammgodd—or is it the Pooh Allen? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Josh Levin is joined by Aram Goudsouzian for a conversation about Bill Russell’s life and legacy; by Grant Wahl to talk about England’s historic victory at the women’s European soccer championships; and by Andscape’s Jason Reid to discuss Deshaun Watson, Kyler Murray, and Reid’s book Rise of the Black Quarterback.Bill Russell (2:21): The basketball legend’s biographer on his impact on and off the court. England (23:28): How the Lionesses won, and how that victory will change women’s soccer. Quarterbacks (44:46): The past, present, and future of Black QBs in the NFL. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Josh Levin and the New Yorker’s Vinson Cunningham are joined by Tim Layden to discuss the record breakers of the world track and field championships; by Abe Riesman to talk about Vince McMahon’s scandal-laden retirement from WWE; and by Sarah Larson for a conversation about her New Yorker feature on pickleball. Track and field (1:30): What’s next for Sydney McLaughlin, Noah Lyles, and the sport as a whole? Vince McMahon (25:24): Why did he retire now? What’s next for WWE? Pickleball (47:23): Why is it so popular? Is a billionaire ruining it? Afterball (1:05:40): Josh on Carl Lewis’ mythical 30-foot long jump. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the opening weekend of the world track and field championships. They also talk about why the Angels are so bad in spite of Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout and the Nationals’ Juan Soto dilemma. Finally, Puck’s Julia Ioffe joins for a conversation about Brittney Griner’s detention in Russia. Track (4:07): Why an American hurdler got a raw deal. Baseball (25:02): Is Juan Soto crazy to turn down $440 million? Griner (44:43): Should we be more pessimistic about her fate? Afterball (1:04:43): Stefan on the Amarillo Sod Poodles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson, Josh Levin, and Ben Mathis-Lilley discuss their proposals for fixing college football. Josh then speaks with Ben Rothenberg about Novak Djokovic’s Wimbledon win over Nick Kyrgios. Finally, Joel, Josh, and Ben assess the rising stars of NBA Summer League. College football (3:26): How will the sport reshape itself in the next five years? Tennis (27:01): Wimbledon got the final it deserved. Summer League (53:07): What to make of the Chet Holmgren experience. Afterball (1:09:07): Josh on the Summer League record for most points in a single game. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving trade drama. They also talk about UCLA and USC moving to the Big Ten and assess the verbal sparring between Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas at Wimbledon. Nets (2:26): Could they still keep KD and Kyrie? Big Ten (24:28): What the latest big move means for the future of college football and every other sport. Kyrgios and Tsitsipas (45:35): The story behind the ugly tennis squabble. Afterball (1:10:10): Joel on the latest feats of pole vault prodigy Mondo Duplantis.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by Olympic gold medalist Crissy Perham to discuss what Roe v. Wade getting overturned means for women athletes. They also discuss Arch Manning’s decision to play football at the University of Texas and Ohio State getting a trademark on the word “the.” Crissy Perham (2:56): A champion swimmer on why she’s speaking out about her abortion. Arch Manning (23:15): America’s leading legacy athlete will be a Longhorn. The Ohio State University (44:01): Is the school’s love affair with the definite article endearing or annoying? Afterball (1:02:20): Josh on Billie Jean King’s abortion story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski to discuss the Stanley Cup Finals. They also talk about Dream On, the ESPN documentary on the 1996 U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team. Finally, they assess Nike upon its 50th anniversary. Stanley Cup (2:40): Inside the match-up between the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning. Dream On (26:57): Looking back at a landmark moment for women’s sports. Nike (50:25): How it became a cultural behemoth. Afterball (1:12:00): Stefan on his daughter, Scrabble, and Steph Curry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson and Josh Levin are joined by the New Yorker’s Vinson Cunningham to discuss Steph Curry and the NBA Finals. Then, they review the Adam Sandler basketball movie Hustle. Finally, ESPN’s Kevin Van Valkenburg joins Joel and Josh to talk about the debut weekend of the Saudi-funded LIV Golf. Steph and the NBA (3:30): The Warriors got back into the Finals with some Curry magic. Can Jayson Tatum summon some of his own? Hustle (45:35): It’s not just a bunch of NBA cameos. LIV Golf (1:08:23): Will the Saudis’ money take down the PGA Tour? Afterball (1:08:23): Joel on Rickey Henderson and Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin assess the back-and-forth NBA Finals between the Warriors and Celtics. The New York Times’ Andrew Das also joins to talk about Ukraine’s loss to Wales in a World Cup playoff match. Finally, they discuss the Oklahoma softball juggernaut. NBA Finals (3:09): How the Celtics took Game 1, and how the Warriors struck back. Ukraine-Wales (25:00): An epic sporting event with global consequences. Oklahoma softball (47:30): A deep dive on a remarkable dynasty. Afterball (1:08:57): Josh on Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Rafael Nadal, and tennis inevitability. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Josh Levin and Joel Anderson are joined by Jack Hamilton to discuss the Warriors-Celtics NBA Finals matchup. Bradford William Davis then joins to talk about Josh Donaldson’s suspension for calling Tim Anderson “Jackie” and Tommy Pham slapping Joc Pederson for allegedly cheating in fantasy football. NBA (2:53): What the rise of the Warriors and the Celtics says about pro basketball team-building. Donaldson vs. Anderson (22:48): The deeper meaning behind a public war of words. Pham vs. Pederson (44:43): How a fantasy football dispute spilled over to the baseball diamond. Afterball (1:05:13): Josh on the “rebuilding year” as a (possibly) dying concept. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Josh Levin and Stefan Fatsis are joined by Jack Hamilton to discuss the NBA playoffs and Patrick Beverley’s chaotic media appearances; by Alex Kirshner to talk about the war of words between Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher; and by the Washington Post’s Molly Hensley-Clancy to assess U.S. Soccer’s landmark equal pay deal. NBA (2:07): Will the conference finals get any better? And is Patrick Beverley telling the truth or spinning his own narrative? Saban-Fisher (27:30): Where did this fight come from, and what’s it really about? U.S. Soccer (48:53): The anatomy of a historic collective bargaining agreement. Afterball (1:07:32): Stefan on the death of Roger Angell at age 101. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vinson Cunningham, Josh Levin, and Ben Mathis-Lilley talk about the Mavs’ shocking win over the Suns, the Celtics’ romp over the Bucks, the 76ers’ flameout, and other NBA playoff happenings. They also discuss Tom Brady’s megabucks contract to call NFL games for Fox. Mavs-Suns (3:05): How Luka Doncic and Dallas embarrassed Phoenix. More NBA (24:53): With the Bucks and Suns gone, who’s the favorite to win the title? Brady (48:00): Why does he want to be an announcer? Will he be any good? Afterball (1:08:28): Ben on Greg Norman, Joe Biden, and what it’s OK to say about Saudi Arabia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vinson Cunningham, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by the New York Times‘ Joe Drape to talk about Rich Strike’s shocking Kentucky Derby win. They also discuss Brittney Griner’s continued detention in Russia. Finally, Shane Ryan joins for a conversation about the Ryder Cup and sports trivia. Kentucky Derby (2:27): Inside one of the biggest upsets in horse racing history. Brittney Griner (24:41): What comes next in the diplomatic crisis? Ryder Cup and trivia (45:39): The evolution of golf’s showcase event, and the theory and practice of sports trivia. Afterball (1:10:47): Vinson on Draymond Green, NBA ombudsman. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vinson Cunningham and Stefan Fatsis are joined by Slate’s Jack Hamilton to talk about the NBA playoffs and the dawn of de facto free agency in college sports. Also, Kalyn Kahler of Defector discusses the NFL draft and her reporting on a rape allegation against an NFL lineman.NBA playoffs (2:03): Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to an easy win over the Celtics. Can Boston turn it around? College sports (25:07): Name, image, and likeness rights have quickly ushered in a new era.NFL draft (42:26): Edge rushers and wide receivers, not quarterbacks, were the hot commodities in Vegas.Afterball (1:05:40): Stefan on the rise of the “edge”—or it is “EDGE”?—in the NFL. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.