Slate Culture Feed

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the Wall Street Journal’s Ben Cohen to discuss Duke freshman Zion Williamson and the video game–like NBA and NFL. Baseball writer Rob Neyer also joins to discuss Bill James’ claim that baseball players are replaceable.Zion Williamson (4:09): After two games, the Duke star looks like the greatest athlete in the history of basketball. Where can he possibly go from here?Sports as video games (19:55): Record-setting offenses in the NBA and NFL owe a lot to NBA Jam and Madden. How far will sports go in mirroring their video game counterparts?Bill James (37:06): The legendary iconoclast said, “If the players all retired tomorrow, we would replace them, the game would go on.” Is he right?Afterballs (58:58): Stefan on the next “next Bobby Fischer” and Josh on the case for NFL running backs to take performance-enhancing drugs.This episode is brought to you by the following advertisers:  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

YA author John Green has built his career on his ability to connect with young fans—but in his own lowest moments, the isolation he's felt has been all-consuming.Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter! Every Wednesday we send out podcast listening recommendations, fascinating letters from our inbox and updates from the show. Sign up at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter.And follow the show on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Got a story to share? Email us any time at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dana Stevens and Stephen Metcalf are joined by The Atlantic's David Sims, host of the podcast Blank Check to discuss the two new Orson Welles projects on Netflix, Robyn's new album Honey, and the concept of the "blank check" in the film industry.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the Washington Post’s Rick Maese to talk about the state of the Maryland football program after DJ Durkin’s firing. Slate’s Nick Greene also joins to discuss Buffalo Bills quarterback Nathan Peterman and Bleacher Report’s Mirin Fader explains why WNBA players opted out of their collective bargaining agreement.Maryland (1:07): Maryland suspended D.J. Durkin, then reinstated him, then fired him. Rick Maese explains how the process played out and why Durkin ultimately got ousted.Nathan Peterman (21:18): The Buffalo Bills quarterback is, by some measures, the worst quarterback ever. Why does it bring us so much joy to watch someone who’s so bad at his job?WNBA (36:25): The world’s best women basketball players want higher salaries and better treatment. Will they get what they’re after given that the WNBA perennially loses money?Afterballs (54:27): Stefan on why high school football teams are forfeiting games and Josh on UConn football coach Randy Edsall’s bizarre incentive-laden contract. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm ran for office, she was told not to remind voters that she'd be the first woman to hold the office — and that her hair needed to be short.The Death, Sex & Money eye mask is here! Sign on to become a sustaining member of the show at $8 a month, and we'll send you your very own DSM gel eye mask...perfect for popping on when you're ready to listen to a podcast, and tell the world you're in do-not-disturb mode. Go to deathsexmoney.org/donate to see it.This episode is a collaboration with the podcast The United States of Anxiety. Check out their third season here. Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter! Every Wednesday we send out podcast listening recommendations, fascinating letters from our inbox and updates from the show. Sign up at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter. And follow the show on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Got a story to share? Email us any time at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this spooky scary edition of the show: Dana Stevens, Stephen Metcalf, and Isaac Butler discuss the new Halloween reboot, Netflix's Haunting of Hill House, and the absence of women in horror film direction. This episode is brought to you by the following advertisers:I Travel For, a new podcast that explores what inspires us to travel. Listen and subscribe today at https://apple.co/2DPEWJE.Dream Corp LLC. Catch the new season on Adult Swim.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What did you learn about sex that you wish you hadn't? Send a voice memo about how sex ed failures played out in your own life to deathsexmoney@wnyc.org. And we're working with the BBC on this project, so we'd especially love to hear from our listeners in the UK!The Death, Sex & Money eye mask is here! Sign on to become a sustaining member of the show at $8 a month, and we'll send you your very own DSM gel eye mask...perfect for popping on when you're ready to listen to a podcast, and tell the world you're in do-not-disturb mode. Go to deathsexmoney.org/donate to see it.Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter! Every Wednesday we send out podcast listening recommendations, fascinating letters from our inbox and updates from the show. Sign up at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter.And follow the show on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by ESPN’s Sam Miller to discuss Boston’s fourth World Series title in 15 years. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin also joins to talk about LeBron and the Lakers, and the Ringer’s Kevin Clark explains why NFL coaches are finally getting aggressive on fourth down.World Series (3:31): How the Red Sox won a championship, how David Price got vindication, and how Dodgers manager Dave Roberts got criticized for removing Rich Hill from Game 4.Lakers (21:07): The Lakers are off to a 2-4 start. How is LeBron’s team looking, and what’s the nature of the media scrum around basketball’s biggest star? Plus, why did LeBron’s old team fire its head coach Tyronn Lue?Aggressive NFL coaches (35:37): How coaches stopped worrying and starting going for it on fourth down and going for two-point conversions with increasing abandon.Afterballs (54:57): Stefan on the historical significance of Arizona’s Warren Ballpark and Josh on kicker Morten Andersen’s single “Take It to the Top.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Dear Prudence and Slow Burn. Sign up now to listen and support our work.Ong's Hat, or The Incunabula Papers, is a conspiracy theory that arose on the early internet. Combining cutting edge science, mysticism, and obvious hokum, it intrigued thousands of people who tried to find out what it all meant. Today we uncover the secrets of Ong's Hat, the man behind it, and the new art form it inadvertently birthed. Check out our showpage at slate.com/culture/decoder-ringThis episode is brought to you by the following advertisers:Aleph Mattresses, a handmade mattress experience: TrustAleph.com② Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Hit Parade’s “Def Jams Edition,” we told you about rap’s first wave in the ’80s. But in this sequel (don’t believe the hype!) we enter the ’90s with still no No. 1 rap hits on the Hot 100—even though the music was starting to dominate both streets and stores: from conscious rappers like Public Enemy, to gangstas like N.W.A, to left-field innovators like De La Soul. It would take Billboard rebooting its charts in 1991 tallyingrecord sales more accurately than ever with SoundScan data—for rap to get a fair shake on the charts. That boosted a new wave of crossover acts, from P.M. Dawn to Arrested Development to Sir Mix-a-Lot. But rap’s elders were not entirely thrilled at these new chart-toppers…and some rappers literally bum-rushed the show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.