Hang Up and Listen

Josh Levin and Stefan Fatsis are joined by Jessica Luther to discuss Ohio State’s decision not to fire its football coach Urban Meyer; Stefan talks to John Branch about competitive Rubik’s cube solving; and the hosts play two of their favorite Slate Plus segments from 2018, on the perils of co-ed sports and Chinese NBA nicknames.

Ohio State (2:53): What does it say about college football that Ohio State chose to suspend, but not fire, Urban Meyer for his failure to do much of anything about domestic abuse allegations against an assistant coach?

Speedcubing (21:35): John Branch talks about the subculture of speedcubing, his son’s fascination with the Rubik’s cube, and the autistic teenager who can twirl a cube faster than anyone in the world.

Co-ed sports (40:10): Slate’s Christina Cauterucci joins to discuss the lessons she learned as a 9-year-old girl on a co-ed soccer team.

Chinese NBA nicknames (56:10):Stefan and Mike Pesca discuss their favorites.

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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by The Root’s Damon Young to discuss Jalen Ramsey, Jarvis Landry, and the state of NFL trash talk. They also talk about major rule changes in college basketball, and the Athletic’s Dana O’Neil joins to assess the future of UMBC basketball.

NFL trash talk (1:52): Jalen Ramsey gave his honest opinion about a handful of NFL quarterbacks. Should more players adopt his approach? And is Jarvis Landry’s rant what the Cleveland Browns needed?

College basketball (24:04): Are the NCAA’s moves to allow players to sign with agents and to test the waters of the NBA draft a step in the right direction?

UMBC (38:08): The No. 16 seed made history by beating No. 1 Virginia in the NCAA tournamentT Where can the Retrievers go from here?

Afterballs (56:25): Stefan on plaques in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Josh on Marge Schott, and Damon on Zion Williamson.

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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Slate’s Jim Newell to discuss Tiger Woods’ near-win at the PGA Championship, SB Nation’s Spencer Hall talks about toxic college football cultures, and ESPN’s Sam Miller assesses the effectiveness of shifts in baseball.

PGA (2:15): Brooks Koepka won the PGA Championship, but all eyes were on runner-up Tiger Woods. Is Tiger really back? And will Koepka finally get his time in the spotlight?

College football (20:25): Has DJ Durkin coached his last game at Maryland? And why are we only hearing about the program’s abusive culture now?

Defensive shifts (42:25): Shifts have been around for decades, but their use has skyrocketed in recent years. How effective are they? And do they suppress offense or boost it?

Afterballs (58:19): Stefan on a recent Scrabble triumph and Josh on a teenage pole-vaulting prodigy.

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Josh Levin is joined by Deadspin’s Laura Wagner and the New Yorker’s Vinson Cunningham to talk about Urban Meyer’s possible ouster at Ohio State, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees Terrell Owens and Ray Lewis, and the NFL’s new helmet rule.

Urban Meyer (1:40): Ohio State has placed its head coach on administrative leave. Does that signal a societal shift in how institutions handle domestic violence?

Pro Football Hall of Fame (23:36): Terrell Owens’ solo ceremony was a strange spectacle. So was Ray Lewis’ long speech in Canton, Ohio. What should we make of both players’ performances on stage and in their careers?

Helmet rule (40:10): Will the NFL’s new ban on leading with the head change the game or will the league forget about enforcing it once the regular season begins?

Afterballs (49:39): Laura stumps for the demise of five-set tennis matches, Vinson revels in watching NBA players destroy small children, and Josh describes the joys of the 2016 Classic Tetris World Championship.

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Live from the airwaves of WRNT, the 50,000 watt scorching (yet fictitious) voice of Boston sports radio….it’s The Dougie and The Donk Show. On today’s episode we take a trip to a fantastical football universe. A new TV special about a notorious 2001 Patriots game asks a lot of crazy questions. Like what if quarterback Drew Bledsoe, the hero of Pats Nation, had been pulled and replaced by benchwarmer Tom Brady? And what if Bill Belichick took over for the Big Tuna? It’s a bunch of malarkey but we’ll give our guest Steve Kornacki a chance to explain before The Donk destroys him. And as always, we’ll take your calls.

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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Dallas Wings star Liz Cambage to discuss the state of the WNBA. VeloNews’ Frederick Dreier talks about the Tour de France. Finally, Keith Barnes of the Mamie Johnson Little League talks his history-making team.

Liz Cambage (1:42): The All-Star center has spoken out against basketball's gender wage gap and WNBA officiating. Will the league listen?

Tour de France (19:25): What do we know about Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas? Is it good for cycling that the Chris Froome era is winding down? And what should we make of Lance Armstrong’s latest apology?

Little League (38:04): A squad representing the Mamie "Peanut" Johnson Little League just became the first all-black team to win the Washington D.C. city championship. The league president explains how they got there.

Afterballs(51:15): Stefan on a beloved Boston journalist who wrote about the ravages of the NFL and Josh on what LeBron James Jr. can learn from Michael Jordan’s kids.

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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by ESPN’s Howard Bryant to discuss the militarization of sports, Slate’s Christina Cauterucci talks about Jaelene Hinkle, and Deadspin’s Dom Cosentino assesses the future of flag football.

Sports and the military (1:56): From flags the size of football fields to veterans throwing out the first pitch, sports and the military have become so closely tied since 9/11 that some forget it wasn’t always this way. What do veterans think of these patriotic pre-game displays?

Jaelene Hinkle (19:08): Last year, the pro soccer player turned down a spot on the women’s national team because she didn’t want to wear a rainbow jersey during LGBTQ Pride Month. What should we make of U.S. Soccer’s decision to extend her another invitation?

Flag football (36:39): The American Flag Football League just concluded its first complete season. As more and more kids are choosing not to play tackle football, is the flag version the future of the sport?

Afterballs(56:12): Stefan on the Icelandic club Vikingur Reykjavik F.C. and Josh on Mississippi State’s search for a “ball coach.”

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Henry Grabar and Josh Levin are joined by Men in Blazers’ Roger Bennett to discuss the World Cup. Racquet Magazine’s Caitlin Thompson talks about Wimbledon. And Sports Illustrated’s Emma Baccellieri assesses the terrible Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals.

World Cup (2:33): France won the World Cup with an average age of 25 years and 10 months. Is this the beginning of a French soccer dynasty?

Wimbledon (20:12): Is Serena Williams’ remarkable comeback truly unprecedented: Also, Kevin Anderson and John Isner’s semifinal match lasted 6 hours and 36 minutes. Is it time to bring fifth-set tiebreakers to Wimbledon? Should men play three sets instead of five?

Baseball (39:40): The Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals are on pace to be some of the worst teams of all time. Is that a problem the major leagues needs to try to solve?

Afterballs(55:18): Henry on horse racing tracks and Josh on the bizarre shooting of Cubs shortstop Billy Jurges.

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Nick Greene and Josh Levin are joined by Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl to discuss the World Cup. The New Yorker’s Vinson Cunningham also joins to discuss Stephen A. Smith. Plus, an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim about Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. 

World Cup (1:25): How will a young French team fare against Belgium’s front three? Will England’s reliance on a set piece–heavy offense end its tournament run? And is Croatia headed to penalties for the third straight game? 

Stephen A. Smith (18:20): How did the talking head go from being one of the most hated people in sports media to becoming the face of ESPN? And what’s he really like in person?

Federer-Nadal (38:04): Ten years ago, the pair went head to head in the greatest match ever played. The new documentary Strokes of Genius looks back at the 2008 Wimbledon final and their 15-year rivalry.

Afterballs(55:22): Nick on a Chilean soccer scandal and Josh on flipping the order of penalty kicks and extra time.

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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Slate’s Ben Mathis-Lilley to discuss LeBron to the Lakers, Sports Illustrated’s Luis Miguel Echegaray talks about the World Cup, and the Political Gabfest’s Emily Bazelon assesses the controversy over Luke Heimlich.

LeBron (1:16): How will the NBA’s balance of power shift now that the league’s best player is on the West Coast? What does LeBron’s departure mean for Cleveland? And will the Lakers be able to compete with the Warriors?

World Cup (27:26): How disappointed should Mexico be after yet another Round of 16 departure? Also, does Russia have a chance to win it all?

Luke Heimlich (44:43): The Oregon State baseball star went undrafted after it came out that he’d pled guilty to a sex crime as a juvenile. Should he get a chance to play in the major leagues?

Afterballs(1:11:58): Stefan on Pele in America and Josh on a new perspective for the penalty shootout.

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