CEO of The Onion Ben Collins joins Roth to talk about running The Onion. How does a private citizen actually buy a long-standing-and-at-the-time-languishing satirical newspaper? Do you just sit there and clap your hands as they make jokes? How do you stand back up beloved bits and programs in the media landscape of 2025? And Ben shares two important pieces of information: how he got flown out to Dallas and interviewed Eduardo Nájera as a pre-teen and how to eat a chop suey sandwich.

Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 909-PANERA-0!

Stuff We Talked About

• Trump Announces SEAL Team 6 Killed U.S. Protester In Daring Overnight Raid - The Onion
• Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - (Tears for Fears) Everybody Wants to Rule the World
• Funny Because It's True: How The Onion Created Modern American News Satire
• Salem’s Chop (Suey Sandwich)

Sponsors

- Blueland, where you can get 15% off your first order at https://blueland.com/distraction

Credits

- Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth

- Producer: Eric Silver

- Editor: Brandon Grugle

- Production Services & Ads: Multitude Podcasts

- Subscribe to Defector!

About The Show

The Distraction is Defector's flagship podcast about sports (and movies, and art, and sandwiches, and certain coastal states) from longtime writers Drew Magary and David Roth. Every week, Drew and Roth tackle subjects, both serious and impossibly stupid, with a parade of guests from around the world of sports and media joining in the fun! Roth and Drew also field Funbag questions from Defector readers, answer listener voicemails, and get upset about the number of people who use speakerphone while in a public bathroom stall. This is a show where everything matters, because everyone could use a Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Defector’s own and basketball podcaster Patrick Redford joins Drew and Roth to talk about the NBA playoffs! What teams are zagging with Hyperball? How capital-G Good are the Cavs and the Thunder? Should Steve Ballmer just come out as a ball-knower? And in the back half of the show, Patrick has to respond to breaking Sacramento Kings news and they dive into the Funbag, answering real questions from real listeners.

Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 909-PANERA-0!

Stuff We Talked About

• Everyone Thinks They Have A Shot | Defector
• Win The Draft And You Can Beat Everyone's Ass | Defector

Sponsors

- Raycon, where you can get up to 20% sitewide at https://buyraycon.com/distraction

- Mint Mobile, which is offering a 3-month unlimited wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/distraction

Credits

- Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth

- Producer: Eric Silver

- Editor: Brandon Grugle

- Production Services & Ads: Multitude Podcasts

- Subscribe to Defector!

About The Show

The Distraction is Defector's flagship podcast about sports (and movies, and art, and sandwiches, and certain coastal states) from longtime writers Drew Magary and David Roth. Every week, Drew and Roth tackle subjects, both serious and impossibly stupid, with a parade of guests from around the world of sports and media joining in the fun! Roth and Drew also field Funbag questions from Defector readers, answer listener voicemails, and get upset about the number of people who use speakerphone while in a public bathroom stall. This is a show where everything matters, because everyone could use a Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

National football reporter and writer of the Too Deep Zone substack Mike Tanier joins Drew and Roth to get excited about the NFL Draft. How do teams come up with a coherent draft board… or do they? Is everyone watching the same Shedeur Sanders tape? And how many Twitch streams do they need to grind tape on? And as always, they dive into the Funbag, answering real questions from real listeners.

Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 909-PANERA-0!

Stuff We Talked About

• Five Years Dead for Cap Purposes: A Saints Saga

Sponsors

- Hims, where you can start your free online visit today at hims.com/distraction

Credits

- Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth

- Producer: Eric Silver

- Editor: Brandon Grugle

- Production Services & Ads: Multitude Podcasts

- Subscribe to Defector!

About The Show

The Distraction is Defector's flagship podcast about sports (and movies, and art, and sandwiches, and certain coastal states) from longtime writers Drew Magary and David Roth. Every week, Drew and Roth tackle subjects, both serious and impossibly stupid, with a parade of guests from around the world of sports and media joining in the fun! Roth and Drew also field Funbag questions from Defector readers, answer listener voicemails, and get upset about the number of people who use speakerphone while in a public bathroom stall. This is a show where everything matters, because everyone could use a Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Here’s what Drew wrote for the agenda for this episode:

- I bitch about spring break

- Roth and I shoot the shit

That’s what will happen. And as always, they dive into the Funbag, answering real questions from real listeners.

Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 909-PANERA-0!

Sponsors

- Factor, where you can use promo code distraction50off at https://factormeals.com/distraction50off to get 50% off plus FREE shipping on your first box.

- ExpressVPN, where you can sign up at https://expressvpn.com/distraction

- Raycon, where you can get up to 20% sitewide at https://buyraycon.com/distraction

Credits

- Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth

- Producer: Eric Silver

- Editor: Brandon Grugle

- Production Services & Ads: Multitude Podcasts

- Subscribe to Defector!

About The Show

The Distraction is Defector's flagship podcast about sports (and movies, and art, and sandwiches, and certain coastal states) from longtime writers Drew Magary and David Roth. Every week, Drew and Roth tackle subjects, both serious and impossibly stupid, with a parade of guests from around the world of sports and media joining in the fun! Roth and Drew also field Funbag questions from Defector readers, answer listener voicemails, and get upset about the number of people who use speakerphone while in a public bathroom stall. This is a show where everything matters, because everyone could use a Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Director of politics, security, and science at Wired Tim Marchman joins Drew and Roth to explain what the hell is going on with DOGE. What exactly are they doing? How has Wired been able to investigate what’s been going? And what can Americans do to fight back? In the back half of the show, Marchman gets a chance to talk about the White Sox and they dive into the Funbag, answering real questions from real listeners.

Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 909-PANERA-0!

Sponsors

- Blueland, where you can get 15% off your first order at https://blueland.com/distraction

- Hims, where you can start your free online visit today at hims.com/distraction

- Mint Mobile, which is offering a 3-month unlimited wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/distraction

Credits

- Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth

- Producer: Eric Silver

- Editor: Brandon Grugle

- Production Services & Ads: Multitude Podcasts

- Subscribe to Defector!

About The Show

The Distraction is Defector's flagship podcast about sports (and movies, and art, and sandwiches, and certain coastal states) from longtime writers Drew Magary and David Roth. Every week, Drew and Roth tackle subjects, both serious and impossibly stupid, with a parade of guests from around the world of sports and media joining in the fun! Roth and Drew also field Funbag questions from Defector readers, answer listener voicemails, and get upset about the number of people who use speakerphone while in a public bathroom stall. This is a show where everything matters, because everyone could use a Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Defector’s own Maitreyi Anantharaman joins Drew and Roth to talk hoops and baseball! Who should we be rooting for in the women’s final four tournament? What’s going on with Paige Bueckers and does it have anything to do with Nico Harrison? Do we like the MBB Duke team now? And is the torpedo bat cheating or do we want the Yankees not to succeed? And as always, they dive into the Funbag, answering real questions from real listeners.

Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 909-PANERA-0!

Sponsors

- ExpressVPN, where you can sign up at https://expressvpn.com/distraction

- Raycon, where you can get up to 20% off their best-selling Everyday Earbuds at https://buyraycon.com/distraction

Credits

- Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth

- Producer: Eric Silver

- Editor: Brandon Grugle

- Production Services & Ads: Multitude Podcasts

- Subscribe to Defector!

About The Show

The Distraction is Defector's flagship podcast about sports (and movies, and art, and sandwiches, and certain coastal states) from longtime writers Drew Magary and David Roth. Every week, Drew and Roth tackle subjects, both serious and impossibly stupid, with a parade of guests from around the world of sports and media joining in the fun! Roth and Drew also field Funbag questions from Defector readers, answer listener voicemails, and get upset about the number of people who use speakerphone while in a public bathroom stall. This is a show where everything matters, because everyone could use a Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Musician Bob Mould joins Drew and Roth to talk about his newest album, Here We Go Crazy, as well as life in general! They discuss how his recent marriage has changed his songwriting, what sort of magic goes into that whole arcane process, and what keeps bringing a world-touring musician back to America, even in 2025.

Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 909-PANERA-0!

Sponsors

- Raycon, where you can get up to 20% off their best-selling Everyday Earbuds at https://buyraycon.com/distraction

Credits

- Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth

- Producer: Eric Silver

- Editor: Brandon Grugle

- Production Services & Ads: Multitude Podcasts

- Subscribe to Defector!

About The Show

The Distraction is Defector's flagship podcast about sports (and movies, and art, and sandwiches, and certain coastal states) from longtime writers Drew Magary and David Roth. Every week, Drew and Roth tackle subjects, both serious and impossibly stupid, with a parade of guests from around the world of sports and media joining in the fun! Roth and Drew also field Funbag questions from Defector readers, answer listener voicemails, and get upset about the number of people who use speakerphone while in a public bathroom stall. This is a show where everything matters, because everyone could use a Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

College basketball metrics analyst Ken Pomeroy joins Drew and Roth for his annual preview of this year’s March Madness tournament! They answer your burning college basketball questions: How does Ken feel about being quoted by the governor of West Virginia? Does the fact that some players are wandering ronin affect the quality of play? What’s going on with Gonzaga’s high KenPom ranking and low NCAA seed? Is High Point University a real school? And the eternal question, WHO YA GOT? And as always, they dive into the Funbag, answering real questions from real listeners.

Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 909-PANERA-0!

Stuff We Talked About

• The KenPom rankings
• West Virginia governor lashes out after NCAA tournament snub
• Tubby Smith steps down as High Point Panthers men's basketball coach, son G.G. Smith takes over
• Has Kevin Willard changed his scheduling strategy? "Sometimes," he says, "KenPom is full of sh*t."

Sponsors

- Raycon, where you can get up to 20% off their best-selling Everyday Earbuds at https://buyraycon.com/distraction

- Factor, where code FACTORPODCAST will get you 50% off your first box plus free shipping at factormeals.com/FACTORPODCAST

Credits

- Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth

- Producer: Eric Silver

- Editor: Brandon Grugle

- Production Services & Ads: Multitude Podcasts

- Subscribe to Defector!

About The Show

The Distraction is Defector's flagship podcast about sports (and movies, and art, and sandwiches, and certain coastal states) from longtime writers Drew Magary and David Roth. Every week, Drew and Roth tackle subjects, both serious and impossibly stupid, with a parade of guests from around the world of sports and media joining in the fun! Roth and Drew also field Funbag questions from Defector readers, answer listener voicemails, and get upset about the number of people who use speakerphone while in a public bathroom stall. This is a show where everything matters, because everyone could use a Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Defector’s own Jasper Wang joins Drew and Roth to share the true crime story that happened to him. Can you solve the mystery of the burst pipes in Montana? Speaking of, these NFL teams are busted, as revealed by their free agency performance! In the second half of the episode, they explore the possibilities of the MLB forcing Tamba Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg to sell. And they listen to some voicemail Funbag questions, answering real questions from real voicemails.

Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 909-PANERA-0!

Stuff We Talked About

• The Jets are Succession
• What's Mike Tomlin's Standard Now? | Defector
• MLB and other owners pressuring Rays owner Stu Sternberg to sell the team
• Rob Manfred Is The Face Of An Elite Mutiny Against Rays Owner Stuart Sternberg | Defector

Sponsors

- Blueland, where you can get 15% off your first order at https://blueland.com/distraction

- HelloFresh, where you can get up to 10 FREE meals and a free high protein item for life at HelloFresh.com/hellofreshpodcast

- Raycon, where you can get up to 20% off their best-selling Everyday Earbuds at https://buyraycon.com/distraction

Credits

- Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth

- Producer: Eric Silver

- Editor: Brandon Grugle

- Production Services & Ads: Multitude Podcasts

- Subscribe to Defector!

About The Show

The Distraction is Defector's flagship podcast about sports (and movies, and art, and sandwiches, and certain coastal states) from longtime writers Drew Magary and David Roth. Every week, Drew and Roth tackle subjects, both serious and impossibly stupid, with a parade of guests from around the world of sports and media joining in the fun! Roth and Drew also field Funbag questions from Defector readers, answer listener voicemails, and get upset about the number of people who use speakerphone while in a public bathroom stall. This is a show where everything matters, because everyone could use a Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Editor of the Bad Faith Times Denny Carter joins Drew and Roth to talk about everything that’s happening. They know what happened the last time Denny was on. That’s what they’re talking about.

But don’t worry, they’re pivoting about something much more sunny in the second half of the podcasts: the Dallas Mavericks! Is this team cursed, rigged, or just plain bad? And are there other sports teams that have painted themselves into a corner like this? And as always, they dive into the Funbag, answering real questions from real listeners.

Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 909-PANERA-0!

Sponsors

- Hims, where you can start your free online visit today at hims.com/distraction

- Mint Mobile, which is offering a 3-month unlimited wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/distraction

- Raycon, where you can get up to 20% off their best-selling Everyday Earbuds at https://buyraycon.com/distraction

Credits

- Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth

- Producer: Eric Silver

- Editor: Brandon Grugle

- Production Services & Ads: Multitude Podcasts

- Subscribe to Defector!

About The Show

The Distraction is Defector's flagship podcast about sports (and movies, and art, and sandwiches, and certain coastal states) from longtime writers Drew Magary and David Roth. Every week, Drew and Roth tackle subjects, both serious and impossibly stupid, with a parade of guests from around the world of sports and media joining in the fun! Roth and Drew also field Funbag questions from Defector readers, answer listener voicemails, and get upset about the number of people who use speakerphone while in a public bathroom stall. This is a show where everything matters, because everyone could use a Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.