Hang Up and Listen

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the Athletic’s Sabreena Merchant to talk about Iowa women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark. The Washington Post’s Chuck Culpepper also joins to assess the most surprising men’s Final Four ever. Finally, Tom Haberstroh of Meadowlark Media discusses the vitriol directed at NBA referees.

Clark (2:50): The secrets of the Iowa point guard’s success.

Men’s tourney surprises (26:33): Miami? San Diego State? Florida Atlantic?!?

NBA refs (44:20): Who’s responsible for all the rancor?

Afterball (1:07:20): Stefan on the Princeton basketball team’s not-so-sad Sweet Sixteen defeat.

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Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, are joined by Slate’s Alex Kirshner to talk about Fairleigh Dickinson’s huge upset over Purdue and Princeton’s run to the Sweet 16. Then, ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez comes on to discuss the historic matchup between the USA and Cuba at the World Baseball Classic. Finally, author David Epstein assesses the legacy of high jumper Dick Fosbury, who invented the immortal Fosbury Flop.

Fairleigh Dickinson (2:18): Did the Knights pull off the biggest upset in college basketball history?

World Baseball Classic (23:59): What it meant for the Cuban national baseball team to take the field in Miami. 

Fosbury (42:41): Where does it rank on the list of all-time sports innovations?

Afterball (1:01:32): Josh on Ole Miss women’s basketball coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin.

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Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and the New Yorker’s Louisa Thomas talk about what went wrong for the North Carolina men’s basketball team and other NCAA Tournament matters. They also check in on quarterback Lamar Jackson’s standoff with the Baltimore Ravens. Finally, the Athletic’s Nick Miller joins to discuss why the BBC pulled soccer commentator Gary Lineker off the air, and what happened next.

NCAA (5:54): Checking in on the Tar Heels and the sport’s other blue bloods.

Jackson (3:50): Why doesn’t anyone want to give the young star a guaranteed, mega-bucks deal?

Lineker (43:50): The controversy, the resolution, and what it says about the UK.

Afterball (1:00:52): Stefan on whether the Ivy League is ready to change with the times.

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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the Washington Post’s Molly Hensley-Clancy to discuss her reporting on the troubles surrounding Ja Morant. ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. also joins to talk about whether Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder will get forced out of the NFL. Finally, they speak to Slate’s Alex Kirshner about the quarterback dilemmas at the top of the NFL Draft.

Morant (3:17): What comes next for the Memphis Grizzlies star?

Snyder (22:07): The scandals are mounting. Will he finally get the boot?

Quarterback prospects (42:07): Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson, and the Bears’ big choice at No. 1.

Afterball (1:01:05): Josh on podcast ads and the National Council on Problem Gambling.

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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Joseph Goodman of AL.com to talk about the murder roiling the Alabama basketball program. They’re also joined by Jeremy Woo to discuss his Sports Illustrated cover story on French basketball phenom Victor Wembanyama. Finally, CNBC’s Alex Sherman comes on for a conversation about the death of regional sports networks.

Alabama (5:08): Why is star freshman Brandon Miller still playing?

Wembanyama (27:42): Inside the media rollout of the next NBA superstar.

RSNs (48:41): Is the sports TV business model dead?

Afterball (1:11:59): Stefan on a century of complaints about slow baseball games.

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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Kevin Van Valkenburg of No Laying Up to talk about Tiger Woods’ return to tournament golf. Claire Watkins of Just Women’s Sports also joins to discuss the Canadian women’s soccer team’s fight for equal pay. Finally, Michael Baumann of Fangraphs comes on to assess Major League Baseball’s latest rule changes.

Tiger Woods (3:14): His competitors on the PGA Tour think he could win again.

Equal pay (24:46): How the labor battle in Canada is different from the one in the U.S.

New baseball rules (43:43): A pitch clock! Banning the shift! Bases as big as pizza boxes!

Afterball (1:06:19): Josh on ghost runners. Or are they zombie runners? Or something else?

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the Chiefs’ victory over the Eagles. They also discuss Kevin Durant’s move from the Nets to the Suns. Finally, the Athletic’s Chantel Jennings joins to talk about South Carolina and its challengers in women’s college basketball.

Super Bowl (4:15): Was the game-clinching holding call the right decision?

Durant (25:22): What’s the Nets’ legacy? What are the Suns’ title chances?

Women’s college basketball (44:32): Can anyone stop the Gamecocks from winning another title?

Afterball (1:04:56): Joel on a potential boycott of Florida schools by college athletes.

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Joel Anderson and Stefan Fatsis are joined by NPR’s Gene Demby to discuss the trade of talented, problematic superstar Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets to the Dallas Mavericks, and to preview the Super Bowl match-up between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. Also, Sabreena Merchant of the Athletic helps explain what an unprecedented free-agent frenzy means for the WNBA. 

Kyrie Irving (5:05): The perpetually disgruntled superstar is on the move again.

Super Bowl (28:54): After more than half a century, two Black quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts, are finally starting in the Super Bowl.

WNBA (48:39): Free-agent moves by superstars Candace Parker and Breanna Stewart signal an era of super-teams.

Afterball (1:07:46): Stefan on Philadelphia’s outdated self-image as an underdog town.

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Joel Anderson and Stefan Fatsis are joined by Lindsay Jones of the Ringer to break down the NFL conference championship games, won by the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. Joel, Stefan, and Josh Levin discuss the impact of college athletes finally making money through name, image, and likeness rights. Finally, an interview with former Olympian Edie Thys Morgan about Mikaela Shiffrin, who is on the verge of becoming the winningest ski racer of all time. 

NFL (3:49): The biggest takeaways from the NFL conference championship games.

NIL (27:49): Is college sports funding declining because athletes are getting money?

Mikaela Shiffrin (50:48): The skier is one World Cup win from tying Ingemar Stenmark’s all-time record.

Afterball (1:06:46): Stefan talks to Leander Schaerlaeckens about Weston McKennie, Leeds, and the U.S. men’s national soccer team.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin assess the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. They also discuss Tony Dungy’s history of anti-gay rhetoric, and whether NBC and the NFL should do something about it. Finally, Slate contributor Isaac Butler joins to talk about the rise of American men at the Australian Open and Netflix’s tennis reality series Break Point.

NFL (5:37): The biggest takeaways from the weekend’s games.

Dungy (26:19): Should the ex-coach still be on television?

Tennis (47:49): Who are all these new American stars? Is Break Point worth watching?

Afterball (1:11:37): Josh on Shannon Sharpe, Vernon Maxwell, and NBA fracases.

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