Joel, Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the ouster of Joel’s old football coach, TCU’s Gary Patterson. They also talk about how the NBA’s new rules are changing pro basketball. Finally, the New York Times’ Kevin Draper joins for a conversation about the Chicago Blackhawks’ cover-up of an alleged sexual assault. TCU (3:06): Why was it time for Gary Patterson to go? Who does Joel want to see replace him?   NBA rules (30:11): Draymond Green is delighted. Trae Young and James Harden aren’t. Blackhawks (44:42): What the team’s investigation revealed about the culture of hockey and sexual assault. Afterball (1:04:30): Stefan on the surprising origins of the “tomahawk chop” music. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hang Up and Listen

The NBA’s New Rules

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

Are the Chiefs Bad Now?

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

Coach O Is Out

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

Jon Gruden’s Emails

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

Scandal in the National Women’s Soccer League

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

Kyrie Irving, Anti-Vaxxer

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

The Mannings on Monday Night

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

No Grand Slam for Novak

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

Who or What Is Bishop Sycamore?

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

Turmoil at ESPN

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

Turmoil at Jeopardy!

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

Baseball in a Cornfield

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

The Lionel Messi-Barcelona Breakup

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

The Simone Biles Speaks Up and Sits Out Edition

A weekly sports discussion from Slate. Hang Up and Listen features Slate sports editor Josh Levin, writer Stefan Fatsis (author of A Few Seconds of Panic), Slate writer and Slow Burn host Joel Anderson, and a selection of interesting guests from around the sports world.

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Hang Up and Listen

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