Hang Up and Listen

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin field listener questions about how sports changed the national response to COVID, whether the pandemic sowed mistrust between owners and players, their personal players of the year, and a whole lot more.

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

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the end of college football’s regular season and the College Football Playoff matchups. They also discuss Giannis Antetokounmpo’s decision to re-sign with the Bucks. Finally, they ponder what pandemic-era changes will become permanent and which will be forgotten.

College football (2:23) Did the committee get it right? Is it possible to make the sport more equitable?

Giannis (22:18): Why did he decide to run it back with the Bucks? Is his decision good for the NBA?

 Pandemic-era changes (41:44): How will players, leagues, and fans shift to a post-pandemic age?

Afterball (1:00:32): Josh on how Michael Jordan could’ve been a Dallas Maverick.

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

In this bonus episode preview, Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss “The Last Last Dance,” Joel’s special podcast on Michael Jordan’s tenure with the Washington Wizards. Topics discussed include why Jordan chose to go to D.C., how he treated Kwame Brown, and whether Jordan’s time in Washington makes him a more or less sympathetic figure.

Sign up for Slate Plus here to hear this bonus episode in full.

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

In this special episode of Hang Up and Listen, Joel Anderson tells the story of Michael Jordan's second comeback. How did Jordan end up in Washington, D.C.? Why couldn’t he make the Washington Wizards into winners? And what does the final chapter of Jordan’s career reveal about him as a player and a person?

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

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the latest humiliation of the winless New York Jets. They also discuss the Russell Westbrook-John Wall trade, and Russell Dinkins joins for a conversation about his quest to save college track programs.

Jets (03:55): Are they trying to lose on purpose? Should Trevor Lawrence stay away?

Westbrook and Wall (23:57): The thin line between NBA superstardom and basketball sadness.

Track (39:32): Why are men’s track programs disappearing, and what does race have to do with it?

Afterball (58:21): Joel on the end of the Southwest Conference and the decline of the Houston Cougars.

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

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the Broncos playing without a quarterback and other NFL COVID chaos. They also discuss the life and death of soccer legend Diego Maradona. Finally, they assess the debut of kicker Sarah Fuller, the first woman to play in a Power 5 football game.

NFL (02:03): Should the Broncos have been forced to play? Will the NFL make it to the playoffs?

Maradona (22:14): Could there ever be another player like him?

Sarah Fuller (40:51): What should we make of her historic achievement and her performance on the field? 

Afterball (57:28): Stefan on the “Greek Maradona,” Vasilis Hatzipanagis.

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

Joel Anderson and Josh Levin are joined by Yahoo’s Seerat Sohi to talk about the latest NBA deals. Jessica Luther then joins Joel, Josh, and Stefan Fatsis to discuss LSU’s mishandling of sexual misconduct allegations. Finally, Grant Wahl comes on to talk about American Prodigy, his new podcast on soccer phenom Freddy Adu.

NBA (03:17): What moves will make the biggest impact on the coming season? And is Giannis going to stay in Milwaukee?

LSU (21:57): What Yahoo’s investigation revealed, and what should come next.

Freddy Adu (44:54): Why was he so hyped? Was his career a failure?

Afterball (01:06:43): Joel on Utah high school football amid the coronavirus.

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

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by FanGraphs’ Meg Rowley to discuss the Marlins’ hiring of Kim Ng as baseball’s first woman general manager. They also talk about the putrid NFC East and why the sports world has failed to adjust as the COVID crisis worsens.

Kim Ng (02:54): Why did it take so long for her—or any woman—to get a job running a major-league team?

NFC East (21:55): How pro football’s showcase division got so bad.

COVID (39:42): Will the games still go on this winter? And why are leagues still insisting on having fans in the stands?

Afterball (57:14): Josh on domestic abuse allegations against tennis star Alexander Zverev.

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

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the differences between election TV and sports TV, and whether election forecasters should be criticized. They also compare how a great sports victory compares to a political one. And they discuss Notre Dame’s win over Clemson and the field-storming that followed.

Election TV (4:12): Can cable news learn something from how sports are covered?

Sports victories vs. political victories (24:23): Do we prefer landslides/blowouts or the thrill of a last-second win?

Notre Dame-Clemson (43:16): A great college football game feels different in 2020.

Afterball (58:36): Stefan on the heroism of Nebraska state senator Ernie Chambers.

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

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the positive COVID tests for the Dodgers’ Justin Turner and Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence. WNBA player Renee Montgomery then joins to talk about the More Than a Vote campaign. Finally, they revisit Ruth Shalit Barrett’s article about rich parents and niche sports, which the Atlantic has now retracted. 

Positive COVID tests (03:17): Why are outbreaks spreading in college football? And how have fans responded to Justin Turner’s maskless on-field celebration?

Renee Montgomery (23:03): Why she opted out of the WNBA season and how she approaches social activism.

Ruth Shalit Barrett (40:52): What lessons should be learned from the Atlantic’s decision to assign the story to Barrett, and then to retract it in its entirety?

Afterballs (01:00:56): Joel on Billy Tubbs and Josh on an NFL rule that needs to change.

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