The Distraction: A Defector Podcast

Drew has finally vanquished Roth, so fellow Defectors Diana Moskovitz and Dave McKenna are on the show! First, World Cup – who’s rooting for who? Are either of them for it coming ‘ome to England? How expensive are these tickets exactly?! Then, they open up the fun bag to answer real questions from Defector readers and Distraction listeners. Can this one easy rule change make soccer exciting for Am...

It’s summer vacation season, and that means a classic Drew and Roth solo episode. Many digressions ensue, then they open up the funbag to answer real questions from real listeners, like: what’s the wildest thing they’ve done while intoxicated? and what’s the most disgusting raw food? Happy summer, everyone! Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720...

Kelsey is here! Drew is not! Alex Sujong Laughlin is also here to discuss the new season of Try Hard , the first episode of which just came out last week. Alex has written some really good and really scathing stuff about the scourge of The Video Podcast—how is she trying to make this one different and better? Also, Kelsey is about to disappear for a month to write a book. How does she tackle the m...

Ray Ratto joins Drew and Roth to talk about two cups, Stanley and World. But first, on a scale of Not Very to Maybe A Little, how happy is Ray for New Yorkers right now? Then, because Drew does not watch nor care about either the Vegas Golden Knights or the Carolina Hurricanes, he asks Ray – was it a good Stanley Cup? Also, the US men’s team looked genuinely good in their first group match. Should...

Defector’s resident Knicks fan, Giri Nathan, joins Drew and Roth this week! After dropping Game 3, how is Giri feeling about his team? The series seems to hinge on whether or not Victor Wembanyama is dialed in. Why has his play in this series been so inconsistent? And why has the reffing been so lousy? Then, Giri talks about his experience at the French Open, and reveals his favorite sandwich he h...

Leander Shaerlaeckens (author of the book The Long Game: U.S. Men's Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts ) joins the show for a World Cup preview! We’ll get the skinny on the unique challenge that is hosting a soccer championship in Donald Trump’s America, and how much each team’s homegrown sense of play might contribute to the American style of play - imitation, o...

Drew and Roth are joined by David Grann, bestselling author of The Wager , Killers of the Flower Moon , and other precious tomes, and staff writer at The New Yorker ! And, better yet, the Knicks made the finals for the first time since 1999! Is this the best Knicks team of David’s lifetime? And what celebrity Knicks fan annoys him the most? Could David take Timothée Chalamet in a fight? Do you wan...

Drew and Roth are joined by Ian Livengood, an NYT puzzle editor who works on Pips ( Drew’s true joy ) and the Midi ! Ian shares behind-the-scenes info on how puzzles are constructed, edited, and sent out to solvers. Then, they all give their takes on the NBA finals as they stand. And finally, they open up the funbag to help a listener with his mosquito problem. Do you want to hear your question an...

It’s time to get serious about the NBA playoffs, so Drew and Roth welcome fellow Defector and host of Nothing But Respect and Only If You Get Caught Patrick Reford to the show! They start in the West with the Spurs and Timberwolves, then head to the East where the Knicks swept the Sixers. Are the Knicks, at long last, legit? Then, can Patrick sell Drew on the Cavs/Pistons series? Finally, they ope...

We’re excited to share a preview of a new podcast we think you’d enjoy: No Such Thing No Such Thing is a show where three best friends and journalists settle their dumb arguments — and yours — by actually doing the research. Hosts Manny Fidel, Noah Friedman, and Devan Joseph start each episode with an argument using just their gut feelings. Then they go out into the world, investigate, talk to exp...

Defector’s chief hockey officer Lauren Theisen is back! Drew and Roth ask her how it’s possible that the Sabres hadn’t made the playoffs in 14 years. Also, Drew bought a Quinn Hughes jersey while stoned – was that a bad purchase? Then, they move to the NBA. Will we actually see the Knicks in the finals? And finally, they end with musical theater talk and opening up the funbag. Check out Lauren’s u...

It’s a classic Drew and Roth solo joint, and they’re finally talking about currently ongoing sports instead of indulging Drew’s NFL fetish. Is there any reason to believe that this Knicks postseason won’t end the exact same way every Knicks postseason has ended the past few years? Then, it’s time for their semi-annual politics talk. And finally, they dig deep into the voicemail inbox to answer you...

Drew and Roth are joined, for the first time ever, by Aaron Schatz, Chief Analytics Officer at FTN Fantasy, ESPN NFL writer, and founder of Football Outsiders! Football data companies are being screwed over by venture capital and aligning with gambling interests. How does Aaron feel about this shift? Then, this year’s NFL draft class is awful. How will teams deal? How does Aaron feel about AJ Brow...

Mike Schur is back, and we’re talking baseball! The MLB has rolled out its automated ball strike challenge system, but how do Mike and Roth feel about it? Will they trash CB Buckner for having six of his six strike calls overturned? Then, Roth must face the reality of his Mets being in last place. Next, Drew requires more wild food takes from Mike, like his hate for hot fruit or his belief that on...

Ed Zitron is back on the show, because it’s been too long since he last came on to yell at us about AI. And there’s a lot to yell about! To kick it off, we get the latest on the Big AI Companies, and the seriously unethical house of cards they’ve built for all of us. Other than the ones Anthropic is providing to the Dept. of Defense, who are the actual targets for these products? Why are all of th...

Drew is off frolicking on another continent, so it’s time to talk about baseball! Kelsey is back with Roth to swap their first ballpark stories of the 2026 season. Of course, there’s lots of new things to grab your attention at a baseball game this year - especially if you happen to know a guy at the Elias Sports Bureau who you can ask obscure questions in the middle of the night. Then, they talk...

Emma Baccellieri ( Sports Illustrated ) is back, and with a new book! Drew and Roth ask her about her writing process, and how she worked with co-author Jordan Robinson. Then, they talk Emma’s women’s Sweet Sixteen bracket and WNBA players’ collective bargaining. Finally, it’s Emma’s Soda Minute, and Drew and Roth open up the funbag to answer questions from Distraction listeners.  Go get Emma...

Happy March Madness! As always, Drew and Roth are joined by Ken Pomeroy of KenPom.com to talk about the men’s bracket. Is Ken’s insight still the gold standard, or are AI rankings coming for his job? Do the top seeds all look ready to bloom on schedule, or is one of them obviously the cream of the crop? And who’s in everyone’s final four? Then, they open up the funbag… for corrections?  Do yo...

Rohan, of NBC News and sandwich fame, is back! He fills Drew and Roth in on his Italian Olympic experience, including, most importantly, his favorite meals. Rohan, like the rest of us, was bowled over by ice dancing, and by how Italians eat Italian food every day. Then, they talk Miami’s new QB, the US losing to Italy in the World Baseball Classic, and Bam’s 83 point game. Finally, they open up th...

Spencer Hall of Channel 6 joins Drew and Roth to talk college football! But first they have to figure out whether college sports as a whole are poised to go extinct, or if that rhetoric is actually just schools fighting for money. Then, they open up the funbag to answer questions from listeners, like if they could do it all over, where would young them go to school in 2028? Do you want to hear you...

Roth “got stranded by the blizzard,” so Tom Ley, Editor-In-Chief at Defector, is here! Drew and Tom debate whether this was the best winter Olympics in their lifetime, then Tom decides whether each of Adam Silver’s proposed NBA rule changes makes sense or not. Finally, they share what’s upcoming for Defector, and open up the funbag to answer real questions from real listeners. Do you want to hear...

Drew and Roth are joined by comedian, podcaster, and curling professional and expert John Cullen! His new book, Curling Rocks!: Chronicles of the Roaring Game , is out now . They talk all things curling, from Broomgate to Boopgate. Plus: are curling shoes as fun to wear as they look (yes), can John get Drew into nu-metal (no), and Roth shares a giant sandwich from his childhood. Do you want to hea...

Drew and Roth are joined by Kathryn Xu (Defector) to talk dogs! Kathryn covered the Westminster Dog Show, and it was a lovely, fluffy, yappy experience. Did her favorite, Aslan the Pomeranian, come out on top? Then, they talk Figure Skating and Olympic infidelity. Finally, they open the funbag to answer a strong question from a (probably) less-than-sober listener.  Do you want to hear your qu...

We remember Dan McQuade. Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 909-PANERA-0! Stuff We Talked About Lone Wolf McQuade American malls Baywatch Sneakers Knight Rider Being jumbotron-worthy Sponsors - Blueland , where you can get 15% off your first order Credits - Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth - Producer: Brandon Grugle - Editor: Mis...

Rohan is back! And promising future Italian sandwich talk, because he’s going to Milan to cover the Olympics. Drew and Roth talk with him about his Italian food plans, the situation in Minneapolis, the Dolphins, and the saddest new coaching hire of this cycle. Then, they open up the funbag to answer – are sports broadcasters entitled to any dignity when it comes to brand tie-ins? Subscribe to NBC...