Hang Up and Listen

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by USA Today’s Marisa Kwiatkowski to discuss the Senate hearing on the FBI’s failures in the Larry Nassar case. They also assess Eli and Peyton Manning’s Monday Night Football debut and discuss whether the 2021 UConn Huskies are the worst college football team of all time.

Nassar case (3:14): What stood out in the Senate hearings, and what will it take for the gymnasts to get closure?

Mannings (23:18): How’d Peyton and Eli do on their first broadcast? Will their show have staying power?

UConn (43:05): How the Huskies became historically bad.

Afterball (59:00): Stefan on the U.S. women’s soccer team’s uncompetitive friendly matches.

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Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and the New Yorker’s Louisa Thomas talk about Daniil Medvedev’s upset over Novak Djokovic and Emma Raducanu’s shocking U.S. Open title. They also discuss Jameis Winston, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Cam Newton’s interview with his dad. Finally, they assess the U.S. men’s national soccer team’s rocky opening to World Cup qualifying.

U.S. Open (2:25): What to make of Djokovic’s loss, and his response to it. Plus, where did Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez come from?

NFL (31:12): Making sense of pro football’s opening weekend.

U.S. soccer (48:19): How concerning are the USMNT’s on-field struggles?

Afterball (1:06;30): Stefan on Sheriff Tiraspol, the Moldovan soccer underdog that you maybe shouldn’t root for

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Josh Levin and Joel Anderson are joined by Spencer Hall to talk about the opening weekend of the college football season. They also discuss Bishop Sycamore, the fake high school that made its way into an ESPN football showcase. Finally, the CBC’s Morgan Campbell joins to assess Canada’s series of sporting triumphs.

College football (1:48): Alabama looks like its old self. But what’s up with Clemson?

Bishop Sycamore (24:37): Where did it come from? Is it unique or a sign of a larger phenomenon?

Canada (40:44): Soccer, track, tennis. What’s behind Canada’s run of athletic success?

Afterball (56:35): Josh on Dutch tennis player Botic van de Zandschulp.

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Josh Levin interviews Ben Rothenberg about his reporting on domestic abuse allegations against tennis player Alexander Zverev. Josh, Stefan Fatsis, and Joel Anderson are then joined by Grant Wahl to discuss Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Manchester United. Finally, assessing Rachel Nichols’ fall and Stephen A. Smith’s rise at ESPN.

Zverev (3:50): What are the accusations and how has the tennis world responded?

Ronaldo (19:19): Why he’s returning to the club where he became an international superstar.

ESPN (41:57): What we know about personnel moves at the Worldwide Leader.

Afterball (1:06:15): Josh on what might be the longest down and distance in NFL history.

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Joel Anderson and Stefan Fatsis talk with track writer Jojo Gretschel about sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson’s last-place finish in her return from a suspension. Former pro basketball player Rod Benson discusses Draymond Green’s revealing conversation with Kevin Durant and the future of athlete-driven sports media. Finally, an interview with Claire McNear of the Ringer about her blockbuster reporting that brought down the new host of Jeopardy!

Sha’Carri (5:23): Track writer Jojo Gretschel on Sha’Carri Richardson’s 100-meter flop.

Dray and KD (22:31): Ex-basketball pro Rod Benson on Draymond Green’s revealing interview with Kevin Durant.

Jeopardy! (40:57): Claire McNear of the Ringer on the comments that brought down Alex Trebek’s successor.

Afterball (1:04:54): Stefan on pro ultimate frisbee. 

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about Major League Baseball’s Field of Dreams game. Writer Jessica Luther also joins to discuss the Deshaun Watson and Trevor Bauer cases. Finally, they review the documentary Malice at the Palace.

Field of Dreams (4:42): Is this kind of nostalgia good or bad for baseball?

Watson and Bauer (26:02): How should leagues handle allegations of sexual misconduct?

Malice at the Palace (46:35): What the Netflix documentary leaves out.

Afterball (1:07:16): Stefan on hockey players fighting fans in 1979.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the end of the Tokyo Olympics. They also discuss NFL players who’ve refused to get the COVID vaccine, and what the league should do about it. Finally, author Simon Kuper explains the tearful end of Lionel Messi’s brilliant career at F.C. Barcelona.

Olympics (3:31): The troubled 2020 Olympics could reset how fans view athletes and the games.

NFL (22:32): Kirk Cousins would rather surround himself with Plexiglas than get vaccinated.

Lionel Messi (42:12): Why did it have to end this way? And what’s next for Messi and his longtime club?

Afterball (57:53): Joel on the tiny countries that bagged Olympics hardware for the first time.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the latest in the saga of Simone Biles at the Tokyo Olympics. They also assess the U.S. women’s national soccer team’s semifinals loss to Canada and other stories from the Summer Games. Finally, Jeff Passan of ESPN joins to talk about Major League Baseball’s trade deadline.

Biles (2:31): What are the bigger picture lessons of the gymnastics legend’s Tokyo opt-out?

Olympics (23:45): A surprise in the men’s 100 meters and a smile in the men’s high jump.

Baseball (42:34): MLB’s trade deadline was the craziest in history.

Afterball (1:04:55): Stefan on the return of Olympic Channel News, the state-run broadcasting service of the Summer Games.

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This episode features Cynt Marshall, CEO of the Dallas Mavericks and the NBA’s first Black female CEO. After spending 36 years in senior management at AT&T, Cynt pivoted to the sports industry where her values-based leadership has transformed the Mavericks’ culture to emphasize community and employee engagement. Cynt’s authentic and humanizing perspectives shed light on how empathy and technology can help us stay connected and enhance shared experiences.

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Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the weirdness of the Tokyo Olympics being staged without spectators. They also assess the wobbly starts by the U.S. men’s basketball and women’s gymnastics teams. Finally, they examine the implications of Texas and Oklahoma seeking to leave the Big 12 for the powerhouse SEC.

 Olympic atmosphere (2:39): The absence of fans has made for a weird start to the Summer Games.

Olympic sports (24:41): Simone Biles and the U.S. women’s gymnastics team stumbled in the preliminary competition.

SEC (47:11): Will Texas and Oklahoma usher in a major realignment in college sports?

Afterball (1:09:12): Josh on baseball broadcast pioneer Mary Shane, the subject of the latest episode of his new podcast series, One Year.

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