Hang Up and Listen

Vinson Cunningham, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the death of quarterback Dwayne Haskins. Slate’s Jim Newell also joins to discuss Tiger Woods’ dramatic return at the Masters. Finally, they assess the Los Angeles Lakers’ terrible season.

Dwayne Haskins (1:29): How should we talk about athletes who die young?

Tiger Woods (24:57): What comes after his miraculous comeback?

Lakers (47:58): What went so horribly wrong?

Afterball (1:08:17): Stefan on major leaguers who went for 7-for-7 in a single game.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss Kansas’ win over North Carolina’s in the men’s basketball title game, and the Athletic’s Chantel Jennings joins to talk about South Carolina’s win over UConn for the women’s title. Finally, they talk about Eric Church, and when it’s OK for sports to trump social and professional obligations.

NCAA men (2:21): How the Jayhawks turned it around against the Tar Heels.

NCAA women (22:16): How the Gamecocks steamrolled the Huskies.

Eric Church (46:47): Was he wrong to cancel a concert to go to the Final Four?

Afterball (1:06:51): Josh on a crazy two months in pro tennis.

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Slate’s sports podcast on the NCAA basketball tournaments and U.S. soccer. Plus, an interview with Bomani Jones.

NCAA basketball (3:26): After two weeks of upsets, it’s Duke, UNC, Kansas, and Villanova. 

World Cup (24:20): The U.S. men’s national soccer team is on the brink of qualifying after a 5-1 win over Panama.

Bomani Jones (47:33): Joel interviews ESPN personality Bomani Jones about his new HBO show, “Game Theory With Bomani Jones.”

Afterball (1:03:44): Stefan on watching last week’s U.S.-Mexico soccer game in Estadio Azteca.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the top storylines from the men’s NCAA tournament, and they’re joined by the Athletic’s Chantel Jennings for a conversation about the women’s tournament. Finally, they talk about the Cleveland Browns’ trade for Deshaun Watson.

NCAA men (3:07): TCU’s heartbreaking loss, Cinderella Saint Peter’s, and more.

NCAA women (24:34): Why are there more upsets all of a sudden? And has the NCAA really made its tourneys more equitable?

Deshaun Watson (48:23): What should we make of the robust market for a quarterback who’s been accused of sexual misconduct?

Afterball (1:05:24): Josh on Wordle variants for sports fans.

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Joel Anderson and Josh Levin are joined by the Ringer’s Bryan Curtis to discuss Tom Brady’s unretirement and other huge quarterback news. Alex Kirshner also joins to discuss March Madness storylines and Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley’s suspension for betting on NFL games.

Quarterbacks (3:36): Brady back to Tampa, Russell Wilson to Denver, Deshaun Watson to … somewhere.

March Madness (23:20): What to watch out for in the men’s and women’s tournaments.

NFL and gambling (47:03): Football, betting, and “the integrity of the game.”

Afterball (1:09:06): Joel on the history of conference basketball tournaments.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by Yahoo’s Hannah Keyser to discuss the Major League Baseball lockout. They also talk about WNBA star Brittney Griner’s detention in Russia and assess the spectacle of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final home game.

Baseball (3:28): When will the lockout end? What’s at stake?

Griner (23:16): Why was she in Russia in the first place, and what comes next for her and women’s basketball?

Coach K (46:35): Was this the perfect regular-season ending to his illustrious career?

Afterball (1:07:57): Stefan on Sports Illustrated’s profile of Lia Thomas and the anti-trans, anti-Thomas backlash.

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Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and the New Yorker’s Vinson Cunningham discuss the sports world’s reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They also talk about LeBron James’ plan to play alongside his son Bronny. And ESPN’s Katie Barnes joins Stefan and Josh for a conversation about trans swimmer Lia Thomas.

Russia (2:33): What’s happened so far and what should come next.

Bronny (24:25): Is LeBron putting too much pressure on his son? How good is Bronny anyway?

Lia Thomas (49:47): The UPenn swimmer is setting records amid controversy over whether she should be eligible to compete against other women.

Afterball (1:14:00): Josh on yet another basketball problem that the Elam Ending fixes.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by Slate’s Justin Peters for an Olympics wrap-up. They also discuss the Wisconsin-Michigan handshake line scuffle. Finally, Slate’s Alex Kirshner joins to talk about Saudi Arabia’s efforts to start a new golf tour.

Olympics (3:01): Were there any bright spots during these dark Winter Games?

Handshake fight (24:18): Why did things escalate? Should Juwan Howard have been suspended?

Saudi golf (47:00): How a plan to disrupt pro golf fell apart.

Afterball (1:08:23): Josh revisits his thoughts on Ben Simmons and mental health.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the Rams’ Super Bowl win over the Bengals. They’re also joined by David Epstein to discuss the decision to allow Kamila Valieva to skate in the Olympics. Finally, they assess the mega-trade between the Nets and 76ers.

Super Bowl (3:36): How Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp led the Rams to victory.

Valieva (23:13): Why is the 15-year-old competing after testing positive for a banned substance?

NBA (45:20): Who won the James Harden for Ben Simmons swap?

Afterball (1:04:27): Joel on Sherman Lewis, who never got the chance to be an NFL head coach.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by the New York Times’ John Branch to discuss Chinese-American skier Eileen Gu. They also talk about Brian Flores’ lawsuit against the NFL and ponder the 76ers’ Ben Simmons problem and the Nets’ various conundrums.

Eileen Gu (6:02): What to make of her decision to represent China at the Beijing Games.

Flores (23:40): Can anything change the NFL’s hiring practices?

NBA (43:15): Should we sympathize with Ben Simmons? Can the Nets turn it around?

Afterball (1:04:42): Joel on Jim Brown, Syracuse basketball player.

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