Slate Culture Feed

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by ESPN’s Howard Bryant to discuss the militarization of sports, Slate’s Christina Cauterucci talks about Jaelene Hinkle, and Deadspin’s Dom Cosentino assesses the future of flag football.Sports and the military (1:56): From flags the size of football fields to veterans throwing out the first pitch, sports and the military have become so closely tied since 9/11 that some forget it wasn’t always this way. What do veterans think of these patriotic pre-game displays?Jaelene Hinkle (19:08): Last year, the pro soccer player turned down a spot on the women’s national team because she didn’t want to wear a rainbow jersey during LGBTQ Pride Month. What should we make of U.S. Soccer’s decision to extend her another invitation?Flag football (36:39): The American Flag Football League just concluded its first complete season. As more and more kids are choosing not to play tackle football, is the flag version the future of the sport? Afterballs(56:12): Stefan on the Icelandic club Vikingur Reykjavik F.C. and Josh on Mississippi State’s search for a “ball coach.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since we first talked, Jessie emailed to confess something about her dating life that she didn't tell me before. Plus, June's off Tinder!All summer, we're following a group of listeners as they date in real time around the country. We're calling this series Hot Dates—if you missed the introductory episode, go back and listen to it first.Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter, if you haven't already. Every Wednesday we send out podcast listening recommendations, fascinating letters from our inbox and updates from the show. Sign up at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter.And follow the show on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Got a story to share? Email us any time at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Henry Grabar and Josh Levin are joined by Men in Blazers’ Roger Bennett to discuss the World Cup. Racquet Magazine’s Caitlin Thompson talks about Wimbledon. And Sports Illustrated’s Emma Baccellieri assesses the terrible Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals. World Cup (2:33): France won the World Cup with an average age of 25 years and 10 months. Is this the beginning of a French soccer dynasty? Wimbledon (20:12): Is Serena Williams’ remarkable comeback truly unprecedented: Also, Kevin Anderson and John Isner’s semifinal match lasted 6 hours and 36 minutes. Is it time to bring fifth-set tiebreakers to Wimbledon? Should men play three sets instead of five? Baseball (39:40): The Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals are on pace to be some of the worst teams of all time. Is that a problem the major leagues needs to try to solve? Afterballs(55:18): Henry on horse racing tracks and Josh on the bizarre shooting of Cubs shortstop Billy Jurges. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the second part of our two-part episode about the B-52’s and R.E.M.—the bands that put Athens, Georgia on the map, and helped define new-wave rock in the early ’80s—we trace how they transformed themselves from hipsters to hitmakers. One band waited years to graduate from an indie label to the majors. The other almost quit after an AIDS-related tragedy, before their pop breakthrough. By the end of the ’80s, their hits—from “Orange Crush” to “Stand,” “Channel Z” to “Love Shack”—brought them squarely into the mainstream, just as “alternative rock” was coming to define a new sound for the ’90s. Email: hitparade@slate.com  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we continued our conversation about being a man today with a live national special, featuring CNN's W. Kamau Bell and your calls.For more of our stories about manhood today, including a list of books, articles and podcasts that have helped our listeners think about masculinity, visit deathsexmoney.org/men.Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter, if you haven't already. Every Wednesday we send out podcast listening recommendations, fascinating letters from our inbox and updates from the show. Sign up at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter.And follow the show on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Got a story to share? Email us any time at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Earlier this week, we got a voice memo in our inbox, from a husband and wife inspired to talk about masculinity together. So we asked them if we could share it with you.This conversation is part of our look at masculinity today. Find all of our coverage, including our live national call-in featuring CNN's W. Kamau Bell, at deathsexmoney.org/menSubscribe to our weekly email newsletter, if you haven't already. Every Wednesday we send out podcast listening recommendations, fascinating letters from our inbox and updates from the show. Sign up at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter.And follow the show on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Got a story to share? Email us any time at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nick Greene and Josh Levin are joined by Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl to discuss the World Cup. The New Yorker’s Vinson Cunningham also joins to discuss Stephen A. Smith. Plus, an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim about Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.  World Cup (1:25): How will a young French team fare against Belgium’s front three? Will England’s reliance on a set piece–heavy offense end its tournament run? And is Croatia headed to penalties for the third straight game?  Stephen A. Smith (18:20): How did the talking head go from being one of the most hated people in sports media to becoming the face of ESPN? And what’s he really like in person? Federer-Nadal (38:04): Ten years ago, the pair went head to head in the greatest match ever played. The new documentary Strokes of Genius looks back at the 2008 Wimbledon final and their 15-year rivalry. Afterballs(55:22): Nick on a Chilean soccer scandal and Josh on flipping the order of penalty kicks and extra time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The first time we talked to Dan, he was wrestling with how to navigate consent in the #MeToo era. This week, he and I dig a little deeper. All summer, we're following a group of listeners as they date in real time around the country. We're calling this series Hot Dates—if you missed the introductory episode, go back and listen to it first. Tune into public radio stations around the country on July 11 for our call-in special about manhood today. Details at deathsexmoney.org. To get a reminder when we're going live, text the word "man" to 70101.Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter, if you haven't already. Every Wednesday we send out podcast listening recommendations, fascinating letters from our inbox and updates from the show. Sign up at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter.And follow the show on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Got a story to share? Email us any time at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We revisit our episode with the Grammy-winning songwriter and singer on his 80th birthday, for a conversation about a life lived with intention and the beauty of the perfect rhyme.Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter, if you haven't already. Every Wednesday we send out podcast listening recommendations, fascinating letters from our inbox and updates from the show. Sign up at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter.And follow the show on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Got a story to share? Email us any time at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Slate’s Ben Mathis-Lilley to discuss LeBron to the Lakers, Sports Illustrated’s Luis Miguel Echegaray talks about the World Cup, and the Political Gabfest’s Emily Bazelon assesses the controversy over Luke Heimlich. LeBron (1:16): How will the NBA’s balance of power shift now that the league’s best player is on the West Coast? What does LeBron’s departure mean for Cleveland? And will the Lakers be able to compete with the Warriors? World Cup (27:26): How disappointed should Mexico be after yet another Round of 16 departure? Also, does Russia have a chance to win it all? Luke Heimlich (44:43): The Oregon State baseball star went undrafted after it came out that he’d pled guilty to a sex crime as a juvenile. Should he get a chance to play in the major leagues? Afterballs(1:11:58): Stefan on Pele in America and Josh on a new perspective for the penalty shootout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.