Hang Up and Listen

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the Packers’ mystifying field goal attempt and the Chiefs’ run for a second straight title. They also discuss the life and legacy of baseball legend Henry Aaron, who died last week at the age of 86. NFL (01:35):  What was Packers coach Matt LaFleur thinking? What’s the secret to the Chiefs’ success? Henry Aaron (21:55):  Remembering Aaron’s u...

Joel Anderson, Josh Levin, and special guest Damon Young talk about the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. They also discuss the Brooklyn Nets’ trade for James Harden and Kyrie Irving’s absence. Finally, they review the HBO documentary  Tiger . NFL (01:49):  Drew Brees, the concussion protocol, and the Chiefs’ gutsy fourth-down call.  Nets (21:51):  Is Kyrie Irving just misunderstood? Tiger  (4...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about Alabama’s win over Ohio State in the college football title game. They also assess how athletes and leagues reacted to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Finally, they discuss the NFL’s Super Wild Card Weekend. College football (01:39):  What will we remember about this season, and what should we make of the Alabama dynasty? Insurrection (...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about Washington’s win over Philadelphia on  Sunday Night Football . They also discuss Alabama and Ohio State’s victories in the College Football Playoff and ESPN’s Mechelle Voepel joins for a conversation about the Duke women’s basketball team opting out of the season. NFL (01:28):  Did the Eagles commit fraud in their loss to Washington or was it...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin field listener questions about how sports changed the national response to COVID, whether the pandemic sowed mistrust between owners and players, their personal players of the year, and a whole lot more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the end of college football’s regular season and the College Football Playoff matchups. They also discuss Giannis Antetokounmpo’s decision to re-sign with the Bucks. Finally, they ponder what pandemic-era changes will become permanent and which will be forgotten. College football (2:23)  Did the committee get it right? Is it possible to make...

In this bonus episode preview, Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss “The Last Last Dance,” Joel’s special podcast on Michael Jordan’s tenure with the Washington Wizards. Topics discussed include why Jordan chose to go to D.C., how he treated Kwame Brown, and whether Jordan’s time in Washington makes him a more or less sympathetic figure. Sign up for Slate Plus here to hear this bon...

In this special episode of Hang Up and Listen, Joel Anderson tells the story of Michael Jordan's second comeback. How did Jordan end up in Washington, D.C.? Why couldn’t he make the Washington Wizards into winners? And what does the final chapter of Jordan’s career reveal about him as a player and a person? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the latest humiliation of the winless New York Jets. They also discuss the Russell Westbrook-John Wall trade, and Russell Dinkins joins for a conversation about his quest to save college track programs. Jets (03:55):  Are they trying to lose on purpose? Should Trevor Lawrence stay away? Westbrook and Wall (23:57):  The thin line between NBA s...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the Broncos playing without a quarterback and other NFL COVID chaos. They also discuss the life and death of soccer legend Diego Maradona. Finally, they assess the debut of kicker Sarah Fuller, the first woman to play in a Power 5 football game. NFL (02:03):  Should the Broncos have been forced to play? Will the NFL make it to the playoffs? M...

Joel Anderson and Josh Levin are joined by Yahoo’s Seerat Sohi to talk about the latest NBA deals. Jessica Luther then joins Joel, Josh, and Stefan Fatsis to discuss LSU’s mishandling of sexual misconduct allegations. Finally, Grant Wahl comes on to talk about American Prodigy, his new podcast on soccer phenom Freddy Adu. NBA (03:17):  What moves will make the biggest impact on the coming season?...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by FanGraphs’ Meg Rowley to discuss the Marlins’ hiring of Kim Ng as baseball’s first woman general manager. They also talk about the putrid NFC East and why the sports world has failed to adjust as the COVID crisis worsens. Kim Ng ( 02:54 ):  Why did it take so long for her—or any woman—to get a job running a major-league team? NFC East ( 21...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the differences between election TV and sports TV, and whether election forecasters should be criticized. They also compare how a great sports victory compares to a political one. And they discuss Notre Dame’s win over Clemson and the field-storming that followed. Election TV (4:12):  Can cable news learn something from how sports are covered? S...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the positive COVID tests for the Dodgers’ Justin Turner and Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence. WNBA player Renee Montgomery then joins to talk about the More Than a Vote campaign. Finally, they revisit Ruth Shalit Barrett’s article about rich parents and niche sports, which the Atlantic has now retracted.  Positive COVID tests (03:17):  Why are outbreak...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the likely and unlikely heroes of the 2020 World Series. ESPN’s Myron Medcalf also comes on to talk about how the pandemic is affecting college sports “have nots” like UC Riverside. Finally, the hosts are joined by … a mystery guest! World Series (02:02):  Where did Brett Phillips come from? And how did Clayton Kershaw transform his postseason l...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by the Ringer’s Ben Lindbergh to discuss the World Series matchup between the Dodgers and the Rays. They also discuss Billy Beane reportedly leaving the Oakland A’s and Daryl Morey departing the Houston Rockets. Finally, they assess an Atlantic piece on rich white parents using niche sports to get their kids into Ivy League schools. World Ser...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Louisa Thomas discuss the end of the NBA’s bubble season, quarterback Alex Smith’s return from a gruesome 2018 leg injury, and the French Open victories of Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek. NBA finals (02:42):  LeBron James won his fourth NBA title, this one with the Los Angeles Lakers. NFL (20:29):  Is Alex Smith’s return to the NFL an inspiring comeback or a moral d...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about Jimmy Butler’s masterful performance in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. They also discuss the NFL’s first big coronavirus outbreak and the opening week of the baseball playoffs. Finally, they’re joined by Chantel Jennings of the Athletic for a conversation about the WNBA Finals. NBA (02:47):  What makes Jimmy Butler tick? Will he lead the Heat back...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the NBA Finals matchup between the Heat and the Lakers. They also discuss why they’re watching college football and life inside the NHL bubble. Finally, they’re joined by Father Edwin Leahy to discuss the documentary series  Benedict Men . NBA (02:11):  How did the Heat rebuild after LeBron left? And do they have a chance against LeBron now?...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the Lakers’ win over the Nuggets and the Seahawks’ win over the Patriots. They also discuss the Big Ten’s decision to play football this fall. Finally, Slate’s Jim Newell joins to assess U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau. Sunday in sports (02:24):  Four good teams, two great finishes. Are sports normal again?  Big Ten (20:36):  Is it surpr...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the NFL’s opening weekend. They also discuss Naomi Osaka’s victory and her outspokenness at the U.S. Open. Finally, they survey happenings in college football, the NBA, and the Premier League.  NFL (02:56):  The protests, Tom Brady’s interceptions, and everything else that happened on and off the field. U.S. Open (20:56):  How Naomi Osaka fou...

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the Washington Post’s Ben Golliver to talk about the NBA playoffs. Tennis player Noah Rubin also joins to discuss Novak Djokovic’s disqualification and life in the U.S. Open bubble. And finally, Dom Cosentino of theScore comes on for a conversation about the start of the NFL season. NBA playoffs (01:52):  What’s gone wrong for the Bucks?   Are the Clipper...

Joel Anderson, Josh Levin, and special guest Vinson Cunningham of the New Yorker discuss the aftermath of last week’s NBA strike. They also talk about the life and legacy of Georgetown basketball coach John Thompson. Finally, the Athletic’s Lindsay Jones joins to assess the latest reporting on the toxic culture of the Washington football team. NBA strike (01:40):  Why did the players decide to com...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin get together for a special podcast on NBA players’ decision to boycott playoff games after the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. They discuss how the strike spread throughout the sports world, whether the NBA season will be cancelled, and how the pandemic might have factored into this unprecedented protest. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pr...

Joel Anderson and Stefan Fatsis discuss Luka Doncic’s spectacular performance for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA playoffs. They are joined by David Ubben of the Athletic to talk about the return of high-school football across the country. And Josh interviews Ethan Strauss of the Athletic about declining television ratings in the NBA. Luka Doncic (01:51): The 21-year-old Slovenian is already one o...