Hang Up and Listen

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 dilemma?French Open (37:32): Rafael Nadal won his 20th major and Iga Swiatek won her very first tournament. Afterballs (52:44): Louisa on the mysterious life of tennis great Alice Marble and Stefan on when athlete deaths start to hit home. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 against the Lakers?NFL (13:03): How has the league responded to its first big COVID challenge?MLB (25:19): Assessing the weird, unprecedented pandemic postseason.WNBA (37:01): Why are the Seattle Storm so dominant?Afterball (54:11): Josh on the strange endurance of Norm Van Brocklin’s single-game NFL passing yardage record. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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?College football and the NHL (16:22): Why we can’t shake an immoral sport, and what we’ve learned about the pro hockey postseason.Benedict Men (33:44): Why does a critic of big-time high school basketball preside over one of the nation’s top basketball programs?Afterball (47:54): Stefan on Brian’s Song, which has not aged well. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 surprising that the conference uncancelled the fall football season?DeChambeau (37:47): What you need to know about golf’s weirdo tinkerer.Afterball (57:01): Joel on Deion Sanders, a bad coaching hire. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 found her voice.Sports mania (40:32): What we watched and thought about on one of the biggest sports weekends ever.Afterball (01:00:21): Josh on the worst punts in football history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Clippers still title favorites? Should the Rockets build a statue of P.J. Tucker?U.S. Open (22:38): Did Djokovic deserve to get tossed out? What’s going on behind the scenes in pro tennis during the pandemic?NFL (47:56): What will the league’s social justice protests look like, and what will the Patriots and Bucs do on the field?Afterball (01:05:10): Stefan on Stefanos Tsitsipas tweeting his feelings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 come back? What did they gain?John Thompson (21:51): How he changed college basketball.Washington Football Team (41:38): What will it take for the NFL to have a #MeToo reckoning?Afterball (01:04:30): Joel on Cliff Robinson and the 1990-1991 Portland Trail Blazers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/privacy for more information.

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 of the best players in the NBA.High-school football (18:35): While colleges debate what to do, high schools are plowing ahead with football.NBA ratings (32:35): Are declining TV ratings a sign of big trouble for the NBA? Afterballs (51:41) Joel Anderson on rape allegations against football player Derrius Giuce. Stefan Fatsis on former NBA benchwarmer and youth-sports advocate Bob Bigelow, who died last week.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the 100th anniversary of baseball’s Negro Leagues. They’re also joined by the New York Times’ Rory Smith to talk about the Champions League. Finally, Louisa Thomas comes on for a conversation about the book Losers: Dispatches from the Other Side of the Scoreboard.Negro Leagues (03:35): How can MLB truly grapple with its segregationist past?Champions League (22:28): The storylines, the upsets, the excellent moments for North Americans.Losers (43:28): What makes a loser? What’s the difference between losing and failing?Afterballs (01:03:15): Joel on the Phoenix Suns and Stefan on the term “student-athlete.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.