

Hang Up and Listen
Slate Podcasts
A weekly sports discussion from Slate.Get more Hang Up and Listen with Slate Plus! Join for weekly bonus episodes of Hang Up and Listen and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Hang Up and Listen show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or visit slate.com/hangupplus for access wherever you listen.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 28, 2021 • 1h 10min
Carl Nassib Comes Out
Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss NFL player Carl Nassib’s historic announcement. They also talk about the key players and storylines in the NBA conference finals. Finally, they assess the Week in Sports Idiocy. Nassib (1:55): The significance of an active NFL player coming out. NBA (24:09): What Giannis Antetokounmpo and Trae Young have in common. Week in Sports Idiocy (42:19): The Tour de France and the College World Series were prime idiot-spotting territory. Afterball (56:44): Joel on 17-year-old track star Erriyon Knighton.Podcast production by Margaret Kelley.Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 21, 2021 • 1h 20min
Did the Supreme Court Just Kill the NCAA?
Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss NBA injuries, Kevin Durant’s heroics, and Ben Simmons’ struggles. Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern also joins to assess the Supreme Court’s decision in NCAA v. Alston. Finally, David Epstein talks about distance runner Shelby Houlihan, who claims her positive drug test came from eating a burrito. NBA (3:14): What does the data say about NBA injuries? And what happened to the Nets and Sixers? Alston v. NCAA (24:13): Does this week’s unanimous ruling put the college sports business model in peril? Houlihan (46:50): The case against the American track star, and why she might be telling the truth. Afterball (66:33): Stefan on the on-field death of NFL player Chuck Hughes.Podcast production by Margaret Kelley.Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 14, 2021 • 1h 13min
What Happened to Christian Eriksen
Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss Danish soccer player Christian Eriksen’s collapse at the UEFA European Championship. Stephanie Apstein of Sports Illustrated also joins to talk about baseball pitchers slathering the ball with goo. Finally, Stefan and Josh interview Jon Wertheim about Glory Days, his new book on sports in 1984. Eriksen (2:14): The agony of waiting to see if the soccer star was OK. Sticky stuff (22:28): What will baseball’s powers that be do about the game’s latest scandal? 1984 (43:58): How Michael Jordan, Lakers vs. Celtics, Martina Navratilova, and more changed the sports landscape forever. Afterball (60:25): Stefan, Josh, and Jon Wertheim on the French Open.Podcast production by Margaret Kelley.Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 7, 2021 • 1h 13min
The Kevin Durant and the Asteroid Edition
Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by Sam Anderson to discuss Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets. They also discuss the U.S. men’s national team’s win over Mexico and the retirement of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.Durant (01:52): What makes him unique among NBA superstars. Soccer (21:44): Is the U.S. men’s national team’s latest victory meaningful or meaningless?Coach K (42:06): Understanding the legacy of a college basketball legend.Afterball (61:06): Josh on Mike Krzyzewski and Abar Rouse.Podcast production by Margaret Kelley.Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 1, 2021 • 1h 15min
The Naomi Osaka Withdraws Edition
Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about what Naomi Osaka’s French Open withdrawal reveals about athletes and mental health and athletes and the press. They also discuss the spate of atrocious fan behavior in NBA arenas, and Rebecca Schuman joins for a conversation about Simone Biles’ latest feat of gymnastics excellence.Osaka (2:20): How the controversy over her French Open comments played out, and what comes next. NBA (25:44): Has fan behavior reached a new low or are we just paying closer attention?Biles (45:47): Why her new vault is so amazing, and why judges are undervaluing it.Afterball (63:26): Remembering Lee Evans, who staged a quiet protest at the 1968 Olympics.Podcast production by Margaret Kelley.Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 24, 2021 • 1h 4min
The Old Man Mickelson Wins a Major Edition
Joel Anderson and Josh Levin are joined by Shutdown Fullcast’s Spencer Hall to discuss the start of the NBA playoffs and the spate of injuries befalling NBA stars. They also discuss Phil Mickelson’s PGA Championship triumph and Tim Tebow’s possible NFL return.NBA (2:46): How LeBron looks, and how injuries have changed pro basketball’s postseason outlook.Golf (18:30): How the 50-year-old Mickelson did it, and what his victory means for older athletes.Tebow (34:05): Will he make it as a tight end? Is it possible to have a good Tebow take?Afterball (51:04): Josh on the found art of Major League Baseball transaction logs.Podcast production by Margaret Kelley.Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 17, 2021 • 1h 13min
The New York Knicks Are a Thing Again Edition
Joel Anderson and Josh Levin are joined by the New Yorker’s Vinson Cunningham to discuss the rise of the New York Knicks and the start of the NBA playoffs. The Athletic’s Chantel Jennings also joins to talk about the start of the WNBA season. Finally, Joe Drape of the New York Times assesses the case against racehorse trainer Bob Baffert.NBA (3:42): Does the Knicks’ return to non-terribleness matter? And what are the big storylines going into the playoffs?WNBA (24:42): The return of Sabrina Ionescu and other big news from the league’s opening weekend.Horse racing (42:58): Is the sport turning on Bob Baffert after yet another doping scandal?Afterball (58:39): Joel on Sam Houston State’s football championship.Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Podcast production by Margaret Kelley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 10, 2021 • 1h 16min
The How Fast Is DK Metcalf? Edition
Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the upcoming NBA play-in tournament. They also discuss the latest brouhaha over violence in the National Hockey League and they assess NFL wide receiver DK Metcalf’s performance against pro sprinters. NBA (2:49): Why LeBron James hates the play-in games and most everyone else loves them. NHL (21:21): Does hockey have a cultural problem or a Tom Wilson problem? DK Metcalf (43:03): He didn’t come close to winning. He still proved something. Afterball (61:37): Josh on Armando Galarraga’s almost-perfect game, 10 years later.Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Podcast production by Margaret Kelley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 3, 2021 • 1h 16min
The Move Back the Pitcher’s Mound Edition
Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin welcome a trio of guests. Master Tesfatsion of Bleacher Report discusses the NFL draft. Ben Lindbergh of the Ringer explains why moving back the pitcher’s mound could boost Major League Baseball’s anemic offenses. And Rebecca Schuman talks about the leotard, the unitard, and the sexualization of female gymnasts. NFL draft (3:06): Five quarterbacks got picked in the first round. No one really knows if they’ll succeed. Baseball (26:09): A minor league is moving the mound back one foot. Will the majors try it next? Gymnastics (48:48): Why it’s revolutionary that a trio of German women have ditched the leotard. Afterball (01:06:26): Joel on why high school sports matter, especially for transgender athletes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 26, 2021 • 1h 17min
The Future of Trans Athletes Edition
Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Tariq Panja of the New York Times to discuss European soccer’s Super League fiasco. Stefan, Josh, and Joel Anderson then talk about Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry’s absurd month. Plus, an interview with researcher Joanna Harper about transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports. Super League (2:11): Why did it implode? What comes next? Stephen Curry (26:04): Assessing one of the most incredible months in the history of the NBA. Joanna Harper (43:45): An interview with the transgender runner and researcher about the science, politics, and culture war around trans girls and women in sports. Afterball (63:34): Josh on the many grudges of new LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey.Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Podcast production by Margaret Kelley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices