Hang Up and Listen

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by SB Nation’s Spencer Hall to discuss college football. Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders also joins to talk about NFL tanking, and Ed Cunningham explains his move to quit his job as a football announcer for ESPN.College football openers (2:14): Spencer Hall talks about Texas A&M’s crushing loss to UCLA, Howard’s exhilarating win over UNLC, and other scenes from college football’s opening weekend.NFL tanking (21:08): Aaron Schatz explains why and how the Jets, Bills, and Brows are losing on purpose; whether tanking is a sound strategy for NFL teams; and what the league should do to address it, if anything.Ed Cunningham (37:43): The longtime ESPN announcer explains how he came to the decision to quit his job as a college football analyst, why he developed ethical qualms about the game, and why he doesn’t enjoy watching the NFL.Afterballs (57:48): Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the Wall Street Journal’s Jason Gay to discuss  Floyd Mayweather’s win over Conor McGregor, by Ken Rosenthal to talk about the Athletic, and by Robert Lipsyte to assess Clay Travis and ESPN’s supposed liberalism.Mayweather-McGregor (1:30): Jason Gay, who watched the fight while high, explains why fans weren’t unhappy with the experience, and looks at what’s next for the two very rich fighters.The Athletic (16:09): Longtime sportswriter and baseball sideline reporter Ken Rosenthal explains why he signed on with the sports media start-up and why he believes its business model makes sense. Clay Travis and ESPN (32:54): Former ESPN ombudsman Robert Lipsyte discusses accusations that the Worldwide Leader of Sports is a liberal bastion and the marketing genius of Clay Travis, who has brought the culture wars to sports.  Afterballs (52:24): Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis is joined by former NFL player Hamza Abdullah and ESPN’s Howard Bryant toanalyze race and sports. ESPN writer Mechelle Voepel and MinnPost.com’s Pat Borzi chat aboutthe WNBA. And director Adam Hootnick discusses his documentary about Texas high-schoolfootball, What Carter Lost. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Johnette Howard to discuss Ezekiel Elliott’s suspension, tennis writer Ben Rothenberg comes on to talk about Sascha Zverev, and Mike Schur analyzes the Los Angeles Dodgers’ excellence. Ezekiel Elliott (2:16): Johnette Howard joins to review the domestic abuse allegations leveled against the Cowboys running back, if the NFL punishment system worked in this case, and whether the suspension marks a change in the NFL’s treatment of alleged victims. Sascha Zverev (15:14): New York Times tennis writer Ben Rothenberg and Johnette assess Zverev’s impressive defeat of Roger Federer and if the 20-year-old can be the one to finally unseat tennis’ Big 4. Los Angeles Dodgers (27:47): The Good Place creator Mike Schur discusses how the Dodgers got so great, the team’s transition from lousy to good (and rich) ownership, and how fans in L.A. might react to another early postseason exit. Afterballs (47:17): Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by ProPublica’s David Epstein to discuss Usain Bolt’s loss to Justin Gatlin. The Irish Times’ Ken Early also talks about Neymar’s record-setting transfer, and Josh and Stefan analyze Colin Kaepernick’s NFL exile. Usain Bolt (1:14): David Epstein joins to dissect Usain Bolt’s final competitive 100-meter race, Justin Gatlin’s surprise win, and how the sport is handling its perpetual doping problems. Neymar (19:06): Ken Early assesses the shocking departure of the Brazilian star from Barcelona, the mind-boggling price paid by Paris Saint-Germain, and why he believes the transfer is such a tragedy.   Colin Kaepernick (32:10): Josh and Stefan discuss whether the league is colluding against the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback and whether it would ever be possible to prove such collusion is happening. Afterballs (49:20): Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by sportswriter Jessica Luther to discuss girls in baseball. Dan Nosowitz also talks about trends in basketball sneakers, and Scrabble champion Will Anderson comes on the show to recount his victory.Girls in Baseball (1:29): Jessica Luther joins to describe her time covering the elite Girls Travel Baseball team, why girls are dissuaded from playing baseball in high school, and what can be done to increase female participation in the sport.Death of the High-Top (15:53): Esquire contributor Dan Nosowitz assesses Kobe Bryant’s role in the decline of high-top basketball shoes, whether the ankle support actually works, and how sneaker-makers are finding more ways to sell shoes. Scrabble (29:38): An interview with Will Anderson, 2017 the North American Scrabble champion, with analysis of his victory, the debate over Boggle versus Scrabble, and some stump-the-champ anagramming. Afterballs (50:57):  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Levin and ESPN’s Mina Kimes are joined by Slate’s Jim Newell to discuss Jordan Spieth’s British Open win. Josh and Mina also dissect Kyrie Irving’s trade drama, and Slate’s Ben Mathis-Lilley analyzes Hugh Freeze’s ousting as Ole Miss football coach. Jordan Spieth (2:15):Jim Newell joins to talk about how Jordan Spieth avoided a Sunday collapse, how he compares to Tiger Woods, and whether Spieth is cool or dorky. Kyrie Irving Trade Request (13:49): Josh and Mina examine the motivations behind the star point guard’s bid to leave Cleveland, where he could end up landing, and if this means the last of LeBron James’ prime years will be wasted.Hugh Freeze (30:50) Slate’s Ben Mathis-Lilley delves into the scandal-filled backstory of the Ole Miss football coach’s ouster, which featured gas mask bongs, America’s public information laws, and a vengeful coach named Houston Nutt. Pre-Twitter Viral Sports Stories (45:30): In lieu of afterballs, Josh, Mina, and Ben opine on what notable pre-social media sports story would have broken Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wimbledon (2:15):Howard Bryant joins to assess Roger Federer’s routine victory, Venus Williams’ recent resurgence, and whether the next generation of tennis stars will ever step up to challenge the sport’s veterans. Record-Setting Rookies (16:04): Sam Miller of ESPN discusses the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger and the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge, and whether either of the two players can become the new face of baseball. (Sorry, Mike Trout.) 30 for 30 (29:03): Producer Rose Eveleth talks about the inaugural season of ESPN’s new podcast series, featuring episodes on an all-female Arctic expedition and a multi-million-dollar baccarat swindle. Afterballs (46:47) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Levin and Ben Mathis-Lilley are joined by Daniel “Progressive Liberal” Harnsberger to chat about his wrestling persona. The Ringer’s Bryan Curtis also discusses Jamie Horowitz and Fox Sports, and Nick Greene analyzes NBA free agency. The Progressive Liberal (1:27): Professional wrestler Daniel Harnsberger joins to describe the inspiration behind his character, whether he’s critiquing the Democratic Party, and what it’s like to be the bad guy in wrestling. Jamie Horowitz (19:01): Bryan Curtis, editor-at-large of the Ringer, comes on the show to assess what the sacking of Fox Sports 1’s Jamie Horowitz means for the channel and FS1’s lineup of debate-based programming. NBA (35:04): Nick Greene joins to discusses Kevin Durant’s massive pay cut, and whether anything can be done about the massive exodus of talent from the East to the West. Afterballs (54:04) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by former NBA player Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf to discuss his return to basketball in the BigIG3, his protest of the national anthem, and how Tourette's Syndrome affected his career. Golden State Warriors President Rick Welts also comes on the show to discuss being openly gay in the NBA and how the franchise is grappling with its status as the league’s supervillain. Finally, Slate’s Henry Grabar explains what makes Miami’s new, David Beckham–-backed stadium deal so great and why Las Vegas’ plans for a new NFL stadium will hurt the city and its taxpayers.More information at slate.com/hangup.Sign up for Slate Plus at slate.com/hangupplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices