Hang Up and Listen

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by NFL reporting legend Peter King to talk about the Chicago Bears’ quarterback dilemma, what he’s seen in his four decades covering pro football, and why Bill Belichick refuses to speak to him.

Justin Fields and Caleb Williams (4:02): What are the Bears going to do?

Peter King looks back (29:48): What stories did he screw up? Which ones does he wish he got to cover?

Afterball (50:38): Stefan on D.C. public school basketball powerhouse Jackson-Reed.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss whether court-storming should be banned for good. The Washington Post’s Sally Jenkins also joins to explain why she believes the NCAA is cheapening Caitlin Clark’s scoring records. Finally, they assess the NCAA’s latest legal trouble and what comes next.

Court-storming (4:41): Is it even possible to stop students from rushing the court?

Clark’s records (22:48): The AIAW’s Lynette Woodard and Pearl Moore deserve respect and attention.

NCAA (41:20): How much longer can the house of cards stay standing?

Afterball (56:18): Joel on the precarious existence of the NBA’s G League Ignite.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss whether the NBA All-Star Game is fixable. They also talk about whether Fanatics and Nike are destroying the sports uniform. Finally, writer Abraham Josephine Riesman joins to explain the allegations against wrestling impresario Vince McMahon and why they matter.

All-Star Game (3:16): What can the league do to revive what used to be a showcase event?

Uniforms (22:53): Baseball players say their new clothes are the pits. What happened?

McMahon (42:37): What’s next for pro wrestling and the man who’s controlled it for decades?

Afterball (1:01:43): Josh on the time the mayor of San Francisco insulted the 49ers’ backup quarterback.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win over the 49ers, the performances of Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy, and how the new overtime rules played out. CNBC’s Alex Sherman also comes on to explain whether a new multi-network streaming deal will change how we watch sports.

How the Chiefs won (3:41): This Mahomes guy is pretty good.

Overtime (20:07): Did the 49ers screw up by taking the ball first?

Streaming (35:47): What you need to know about the new service and the future of sports TV.

Afterball (51:49): Stefan on the Chiefs’ legendary Black scout Lloyd Wells.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson and Josh Levin are joined by the Athletic’s Chantel Jennings to discuss women’s college basketball stars JuJu Watkins and Caitlin Clark. The Washington Post’s Will Hobson also joins to talk about his piece on the broken promises of the NFL’s concussion settlement. Finally, U.S. senator and New York Knicks legend Bill Bradley discusses his one-man show Rolling Along.

Watkins and Clark (4:29): The biggest stars in women’s hoops are living up to the hype.

Concussion settlement (23:50): Retired players with dementia aren’t getting the money they believe they’re owed.

Rolling Along (44:24): Why the politician and basketball star is telling the story of his life.

Afterball (1:03:22): Josh on Zach LaVine, L.T. Levine, and athlete name homophones.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the 49ers’ comeback win over the Lions and the Chiefs’ victory over the Ravens. The Washington Post’s Ben Golliver also joins to talk about the spate of high-scoring games in the NBA.

49ers-Lions (3:44): Did Dan Campbell’s coaching moves cost Detroit?

Chiefs-Ravens (18:50): Patrick Mahomes won again. Lamar Jackson flopped.

NBA scoring (35:36): Are all these amazing point totals bad news for the league?

Afterball (56:56): Joel on meeting Andrew Luck at the playground.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss Kansas City’s win over Buffalo in the NFL playoffs. Adam Duerson also joins to talk about the collapse of Sports Illustrated and ESPN’s Myron Medcalf comes on for a conversation about second-generation athletes (and how they make us feel old). 

Chiefs-Bills (5:00): How Patrick Mahomes took down Josh Allen again.

Sports Illustrated (21:49): Is there a path forward for SI?

Second-generation athletes (39:36): Wait, there’s a Jameer Nelson Jr. now?

Afterball (1:02:11): The time Buddy Ryan ran up the score on the Cowboys.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the opening weekend of the NFL playoffs. They also talk about the departures of coaching legends Nick Saban, Bill Belichick, and Pete Carroll. Finally, Ben Rothenberg joins to discuss his new biography of tennis star Naomi Osaka.

NFL playoffs (3:17): How did the Detroit Lions franchise turn itself around?

Saban, Belichick, and Carroll (26:03): What do these coaching greats have in common and how do they differ from each other?

Osaka (48:09): A deep dive into a modern sports icon.

Afterball (1:14:22): Remembering Chris Laskowski.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss Michigan’s win over Washington in the College Football Playoff. They also talk about Bill Belichick’s future and the Philadelphia Eagles’ decline. Finally, the Athletic’s Chantel Jennings assesses the state of women’s college basketball and the sport’s new TV deal.

Michigan (7:14): How the Wolverines won it all.

NFL (26:01): Why hasn’t Pats owner Robert Kraft made a move yet?

Women’s hoops (50:40): Is the new TV contract a disappointment or a positive step?

Afterball (1:09:43): What was the 2023 Sports Word of the Year?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson and Josh Levin are joined by Slate’s Ben Mathis-Lilley to discuss the College Football Playoff semifinals. Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports also joins to talk about the Detroit Pistons’ epic losing streak. Finally, we look back at our 2020 segment on the Pac-12’s #WeAreUnited movement.

CFP semis (5:21): How Michigan and Washington emerged victorious.

Pistons (29:02): How did they get so bad?

#WeAreUnited (51:06): A conversation from 2020 with then UCLA players Elisha Guidry and Otito Ogbonnia.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.