The Gray Area with Sean Illing

America is football


Listen Later

Why do we love football so much? Why does this sport dominate American culture in a way nothing else can? Why does it feel essential even to people who barely like sports? And what does it say about us that we keep watching, even as the risks and contradictions become harder to ignore?


Today’s guest is Chuck Klosterman, cultural critic and bestselling author, whose new book Football tries to explain the game at the height of its power. Sean and Chuck talk about how football became the defining spectacle of modern America, why it’s easily the best television show we’ve ever seen, and why it presents a ton of moral dilemmas we can’t really solve. 


Host: Sean Illing (@SeanIlling)

Guest: Chuck Klosterman, author of Football


We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show.
And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Gray Area with Sean IllingBy Vox

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

10,606 ratings


More shows like The Gray Area with Sean Illing

View all
Fresh Air by NPR

Fresh Air

38,544 Listeners

The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The New Yorker Radio Hour

6,918 Listeners

On the Media by WNYC Studios

On the Media

9,220 Listeners

The Political Scene | The New Yorker by The New Yorker

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

4,099 Listeners

Explain It to Me by Vox

Explain It to Me

7,860 Listeners

Switched on Pop by Vulture

Switched on Pop

2,679 Listeners

Pivot by New York Magazine

Pivot

9,750 Listeners

Gastropod by Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley

Gastropod

3,655 Listeners

Decoder with Nilay Patel by The Verge

Decoder with Nilay Patel

3,150 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

113,075 Listeners

Good One by Vulture

Good One

1,492 Listeners

Radio Atlantic by The Atlantic

Radio Atlantic

2,366 Listeners

Today, Explained by Vox

Today, Explained

10,335 Listeners

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat by New York Times Opinion

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

7,268 Listeners

Throughline by NPR

Throughline

16,491 Listeners

Land of the Giants by Vulture

Land of the Giants

2,162 Listeners

Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast by MKBHD

Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast

33 Listeners

Unlocking Us with Brené Brown by Vox Media Podcast Network

Unlocking Us with Brené Brown

23,588 Listeners

A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe by Vox Media Podcast Network

A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe

738 Listeners

Hard Fork by The New York Times

Hard Fork

5,574 Listeners

Good Noticings by Vox Media Podcast Network

Good Noticings

6,487 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

16,492 Listeners

Unexplainable by Vox

Unexplainable

2,316 Listeners

Cover Story by New York Magazine

Cover Story

1,220 Listeners

The Interview by The New York Times

The Interview

1,633 Listeners

Not Just Football with Cam Heyward by Cam Heyward

Not Just Football with Cam Heyward

160 Listeners

Networth and Chill with Your Rich BFF by Vivian Tu

Networth and Chill with Your Rich BFF

1,801 Listeners

Prof G Markets by Vox Media Podcast Network

Prof G Markets

1,475 Listeners

The Opinions by The New York Times Opinion

The Opinions

611 Listeners

Bird's Eye View with Sue Bird by Sue Bird

Bird's Eye View with Sue Bird

436 Listeners

Solutions with Henry Blodget by Vox Media Podcast Network

Solutions with Henry Blodget

30 Listeners