Hang Up and Listen

Josh Levin and Stefan Fatsis are joined by the Washington Post’s Ben Golliver to discuss Victor Wembanyama’s NBA Summer League debut. The Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans also joins to talk about baseball stars Elly de la Cruz, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Shohei Ohtani. Finally, legendary New York Times sports columnist Robert Lipsyte comes on to talk about the demise of the Times sports department. Wembanyama (5:45): What happened with Britney Spears? And what about his iffy debut? MLB (29:46): A look at the game’s most exciting players. New York Times (51:06): A Times legend on what comes next for the paper’s sports section. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Levin and Stefan Fatsis are joined by TV producer Mike Schur for a special episode: a debate on which sports have generated the best art and made the greatest contributions to culture. Topics discussed include Schur’s Field of Dreams adaptation, whether basketball or football has a greater canon, and if boxing will lose its cultural footprint.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Levin and Stefan Fatsis are joined by the Ringer’s Ben Lindbergh to talk about Luis Arraez’s run at a .400 batting average. The Athletic’s Steph Yang also joins to discuss the U.S. women’s national team’s World Cup roster. Finally, college golfers Maycee Kay Aycock and Sarah Marshall come on to explain why they stuck with the sport despite shooting some of the worst scores of all time. .400 (3:14): Why it’s still a magic number in baseball. USWNT (21:57): Will injuries doom them at the World Cup? Bad golfers (42:26): How two women from Meredith College became sports heroes. Afterball (1:02:08): Josh on meat judging. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Levin, Stefan Fatsis, and Joel Anderson talk about whether the Pelicans should trade Zion Williamson. Josh and Stefan are also joined by the Athletic’s Paul Tenorio to discuss the U.S. men’s national soccer team's wins over Mexico and Canada and the rehiring of Gregg Berhalter. Finally, Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal joins for a conversation about how Vegas became America’s No. 1 sports town. Zion (4:47): The Pelicans are in a very tough spot. U.S. soccer (27:35): Why Gregg Berhalter got his old job back. Las Vegas (56:14): How it went from a sports desert to every league’s favorite destination. Afterball (01:11:36): Stefan on the World Football League’s very colorful pants. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Levin and the New Yorker’s Louisa Thomas are joined by the Washington Post’s Ben Golliver to discuss how the Denver Nuggets took a commanding lead in the NBA Finals. Next, Slate’s Henry Grabar comes on to talk about Novak Djokovic’s record-setting French Open title. Finally, Josh is joined by Slate’s Alex Kirshner and the Fried Egg’s Brendan Porath to sort through the PGA Tour’s new deal with the Saudis. NBA Finals (2:16): What makes Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray a historically great duo? French Open (26:55): How Djokovic keeps winning. Golf (49:37): Why the PGA Tour reversed its big moral stand. Afterball (1:13:34): Josh and Louisa discuss her feature story on how pitcher Daniel Bard lost control, regained it, and lost it again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Levin and Stefan Fatsis are joined by Jack Hamilton to discuss the NBA Finals. The New York Times’ Tariq Panja also comes on for a conversation about Saudi Arabia’s efforts to lure Lionel Messi and conquer global soccer. Finally, the Athletic’s Zach Buchanan discusses his piece on the pioneering mascot the San Diego Chicken.Nuggets-Heat (3:05): How Miami tied up the series.Saudi soccer (24:18): Can they get Messi? What are they trying to accomplish?The Chicken (42:49): What Ted Giannoulas created.Afterball (1:05:20): Josh on Rodney “Crash” McCray. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Levin and Stefan Fatsis are joined by Joel Anderson to talk about the Celtics’ Game 7 loss to the Heat. They’re also joined by Mike Simmonds of Luton Today for a conversation about Luton Town’s rise to the Premier League. And finally, writer Sam Miller comes on to discuss the indelible image of Randy Johnson killing a bird with a fastball. Celtics-Heat (6:49): How Boston came so far, and then collapsed. Luton Town (28:27): The inside scoop on an incredible underdog story. Baseball and birds (47:15): Why we’re still talking about a pitch from 2001. Afterball (1:07:07): Stefan on Tom Wambsgans and Bill Wambsganss and Josh on whether Clarence Thomas could dunk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Levin and Stefan Fatsis discuss the Heat and Nuggets and their stars Jimmy Butler and Nikola Jokic. They’re also joined by writers Dave Zirin and Jesse Washington to talk about the life and legacy of Jim Brown. Finally, Defector’s Maitreyi Anantharaman joins to assess Brittney Griner’s return, Becky Hammon’s suspension, and other WNBA storylines. NBA (3:10): How Miami and Denver are steamrolling to the NBA Finals. Jim Brown (24:00): He was a football star, a civil rights icon, and a domestic abuser. How should we think about him? WNBA (54:25): Making sense of the busiest opening week in league history. Afterball (1:13:56): Stefan on race, wealth, and baseball in Washington, D.C. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Levin and Stefan Fatsis are joined by the Washington Post’s Ben Golliver to discuss the 76ers’ Game 7 loss to the Celtics and other NBA playoff storylines. Meg Rowley of FanGraphs also joins to assess the terrible Oakland A’s and the excellent Tampa Bay Rays. Finally, the New York Times’ Sarah Lyall talks about reporting on the Westminster Dog Show. NBA (3:26): How Philly blew it and what to look for in the conference finals. Baseball (30:15): Are the A’s one of the worst teams in history? Dogs (52:13): How a breed few people have heard of won Best in Show. Afterball (1:08:41): Stefan on Joe Kapp, NFL labor pioneer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Levin and Slate’s Jack Hamilton and Ben Mathis-Lilley discuss Nikola Jokic’s tiff with Suns owner Mat Ishbia and Kevin Durant’s quest for a third title. They also talk about Alabama’s head baseball coach getting fired in a sports gambling scandal. Finally, they assess Bronny James’ decision to go to USC. NBA (3:11): The subplots and plot twists of the Suns-Nuggets Western Conference semis. Gambling (24:58): The NCAA and the pro sports leagues are walking a thin line with legalized betting. Bronny (47:50): What his decision to play college basketball says about the sport and his future prospects. Afterball (1:05:00): Josh and Jack on gun violence, sports, and the three Virginia football players who were killed in November. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices