Hang Up and Listen

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the NBA Finals matchup between the Heat and the Lakers. They also discuss why they’re watching college football and life inside the NHL bubble. Finally, they’re joined by Father Edwin Leahy to discuss the documentary series Benedict Men.NBA (02:11): How did the Heat rebuild after LeBron left? And do they have a chance against LeBron now?College football and the NHL (16:22): Why we can’t shake an immoral sport, and what we’ve learned about the pro hockey postseason.Benedict Men (33:44): Why does a critic of big-time high school basketball preside over one of the nation’s top basketball programs?Afterball (47:54): Stefan on Brian’s Song, which has not aged well. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the Lakers’ win over the Nuggets and the Seahawks’ win over the Patriots. They also discuss the Big Ten’s decision to play football this fall. Finally, Slate’s Jim Newell joins to assess U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau.Sunday in sports (02:24): Four good teams, two great finishes. Are sports normal again? Big Ten (20:36): Is it surprising that the conference uncancelled the fall football season?DeChambeau (37:47): What you need to know about golf’s weirdo tinkerer.Afterball (57:01): Joel on Deion Sanders, a bad coaching hire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the NFL’s opening weekend. They also discuss Naomi Osaka’s victory and her outspokenness at the U.S. Open. Finally, they survey happenings in college football, the NBA, and the Premier League. NFL (02:56): The protests, Tom Brady’s interceptions, and everything else that happened on and off the field.U.S. Open (20:56): How Naomi Osaka found her voice.Sports mania (40:32): What we watched and thought about on one of the biggest sports weekends ever.Afterball (01:00:21): Josh on the worst punts in football history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the Washington Post’s Ben Golliver to talk about the NBA playoffs. Tennis player Noah Rubin also joins to discuss Novak Djokovic’s disqualification and life in the U.S. Open bubble. And finally, Dom Cosentino of theScore comes on for a conversation about the start of the NFL season.NBA playoffs (01:52): What’s gone wrong for the Bucks? Are the Clippers still title favorites? Should the Rockets build a statue of P.J. Tucker?U.S. Open (22:38): Did Djokovic deserve to get tossed out? What’s going on behind the scenes in pro tennis during the pandemic?NFL (47:56): What will the league’s social justice protests look like, and what will the Patriots and Bucs do on the field?Afterball (01:05:10): Stefan on Stefanos Tsitsipas tweeting his feelings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joel Anderson, Josh Levin, and special guest Vinson Cunningham of the New Yorker discuss the aftermath of last week’s NBA strike. They also talk about the life and legacy of Georgetown basketball coach John Thompson. Finally, the Athletic’s Lindsay Jones joins to assess the latest reporting on the toxic culture of the Washington football team.NBA strike (01:40): Why did the players decide to come back? What did they gain?John Thompson (21:51): How he changed college basketball.Washington Football Team (41:38): What will it take for the NFL to have a #MeToo reckoning?Afterball (01:04:30): Joel on Cliff Robinson and the 1990-1991 Portland Trail Blazers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin get together for a special podcast on NBA players’ decision to boycott playoff games after the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. They discuss how the strike spread throughout the sports world, whether the NBA season will be cancelled, and how the pandemic might have factored into this unprecedented protest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joel Anderson and Stefan Fatsis discuss Luka Doncic’s spectacular performance for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA playoffs. They are joined by David Ubben of the Athletic to talk about the return of high-school football across the country. And Josh interviews Ethan Strauss of the Athletic about declining television ratings in the NBA.Luka Doncic (01:51): The 21-year-old Slovenian is already one of the best players in the NBA.High-school football (18:35): While colleges debate what to do, high schools are plowing ahead with football.NBA ratings (32:35): Are declining TV ratings a sign of big trouble for the NBA? Afterballs (51:41) Joel Anderson on rape allegations against football player Derrius Giuce. Stefan Fatsis on former NBA benchwarmer and youth-sports advocate Bob Bigelow, who died last week.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the 100th anniversary of baseball’s Negro Leagues. They’re also joined by the New York Times’ Rory Smith to talk about the Champions League. Finally, Louisa Thomas comes on for a conversation about the book Losers: Dispatches from the Other Side of the Scoreboard.Negro Leagues (03:35): How can MLB truly grapple with its segregationist past?Champions League (22:28): The storylines, the upsets, the excellent moments for North Americans.Losers (43:28): What makes a loser? What’s the difference between losing and failing?Afterballs (01:03:15): Joel on the Phoenix Suns and Stefan on the term “student-athlete.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Plus preview, Joel Anderson, Josh Levin, and Slate’s Ben Mathis-Lilley talk about the battle over the 2020 college football season.To help support Hang Up and Listen and listen to every episode in full, sign up now for Slate Plus. Members get to skip the ads and get bonus segments and episodes on many Slate podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the NBA’s strong restart and Major League Baseball’s disastrous season. They’re also joined by UCLA’s Otito Ogbonnia and Elisha Guidry for a conversation about the #WeAreUnited movement. Finally, they discuss Joel’s piece about Liberty University’s attempt to become a sports powerhouse—and why Black athletes have started leaving the school.NBA and MLB (02:42): What the NBA is doing right and what baseball is doing wrong.#WeAreUnited (22:46): How Pac-12 football players came together, and what reforms they want to see in college sports.Liberty (45:34): Can Jerry Falwell Jr.’s school overcome its racist past and present to become a college sports juggernaut?Afterball (01:05:07): Stefan on the Seattle Sockeyes’ romance novel roots. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices