

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

4 snips
Jan 29, 2024 • 1h 11min
Conference Title Game Agony and Ecstasy
Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the 49ers’ comeback win over the Lions and the Chiefs’ victory over the Ravens. The Washington Post’s Ben Golliver also joins to talk about the spate of high-scoring games in the NBA. 49ers-Lions (3:44): Did Dan Campbell’s coaching moves cost Detroit? Chiefs-Ravens (18:50): Patrick Mahomes won again. Lamar Jackson flopped. NBA scoring (35:36): Are all these amazing point totals bad news for the league? Afterball (56:56): Joel on meeting Andrew Luck at the playground. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

4 snips
Jan 23, 2024 • 1h 10min
Sports Illustrated Is Dead Again
Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss Kansas City’s win over Buffalo in the NFL playoffs. Adam Duerson also joins to talk about the collapse of Sports Illustrated and ESPN’s Myron Medcalf comes on for a conversation about second-generation athletes (and how they make us feel old). Chiefs-Bills (5:00): How Patrick Mahomes took down Josh Allen again. Sports Illustrated (21:49): Is there a path forward for SI? Second-generation athletes (39:36): Wait, there’s a Jameer Nelson Jr. now? Afterball (1:02:11): The time Buddy Ryan ran up the score on the Cowboys. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 17, 2024 • 1h 21min
The Lions Are Winners
Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the opening weekend of the NFL playoffs. They also talk about the departures of coaching legends Nick Saban, Bill Belichick, and Pete Carroll. Finally, Ben Rothenberg joins to discuss his new biography of tennis star Naomi Osaka. NFL playoffs (3:17): How did the Detroit Lions franchise turn itself around? Saban, Belichick, and Carroll (26:03): What do these coaching greats have in common and how do they differ from each other? Osaka (48:09): A deep dive into a modern sports icon. Afterball (1:14:22): Remembering Chris Laskowski. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

8 snips
Jan 10, 2024 • 1h 20min
Hail to the Victors
Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss Michigan’s win over Washington in the College Football Playoff. They also talk about Bill Belichick’s future and the Philadelphia Eagles’ decline. Finally, the Athletic’s Chantel Jennings assesses the state of women’s college basketball and the sport’s new TV deal. Michigan (7:14): How the Wolverines won it all. NFL (26:01): Why hasn’t Pats owner Robert Kraft made a move yet? Women’s hoops (50:40): Is the new TV contract a disappointment or a positive step? Afterball (1:09:43): What was the 2023 Sports Word of the Year? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

4 snips
Jan 2, 2024 • 1h 18min
Michigan and Washington Squeak Through
Joel Anderson and Josh Levin are joined by Slate’s Ben Mathis-Lilley to discuss the College Football Playoff semifinals. Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports also joins to talk about the Detroit Pistons’ epic losing streak. Finally, we look back at our 2020 segment on the Pac-12’s #WeAreUnited movement. CFP semis (5:21): How Michigan and Washington emerged victorious. Pistons (29:02): How did they get so bad? #WeAreUnited (51:06): A conversation from 2020 with then UCLA players Elisha Guidry and Otito Ogbonnia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 25, 2023 • 1h 5min
Let’s Remember Some 2023 Moments
Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the most important and most memorable sports moments of 2023. They’re also joined by Mark Wright to talk about his podcast The Bison Project, on Howard University’s 1971 NCAA champion soccer team. Finally, we look back at one of our favorite segments from the recent past, featuring … a mystery guest. Memorable moments (4:41): Damar Hamlin, Michigan sign-stealing, and everything in between. Howard soccer (21:06): Can a 50-year-old injustice be rectified? Mystery guest (42:57): Can you guess what sports innovation he came up with? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

5 snips
Dec 19, 2023 • 1h 19min
D.C. Sports at a Crossroads
Joel Anderson, Josh Levin, and Slate’s Alex Kirshner discuss Draymond Green’s indefinite suspension. They also talk about the Washington Capitals and Wizards reportedly leaving D.C. for Northern Virginia. And finally, they examine why every college quarterback is in the transfer portal. Draymond (4:43): What’s next for him and for the Warriors? Wiz and Caps (26:12): Are they actually leaving or is this just a classic case of owner extortion? Portal (45:53): Why so many quarterbacks are switching teams. Afterball (1:06:58): Joel on North Dakota State’s very lopsided basketball victory. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

5 snips
Dec 12, 2023 • 1h 21min
Baseball’s $700 Million Man
Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss Shohei Ohtani’s record-setting contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. They’re also joined by the Washington Post’s Ben Golliver to assess the NBA’s first in-season tournament. Finally, they discuss Joel’s story about his tenure at ESPN and what it’s become now. Ohtani (4:31): Did the Dodgers actually get a bargain? In-season tournament (23:41): Was it a flop or is it here to stay? ESPN (47:57): What is the Worldwide Leader trying to be? Afterball (1:08:30): Josh on Bills coach Sean McDermott talking about the teamwork of … the 9/11 hijackers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

8 snips
Dec 4, 2023 • 1h 10min
Sympathy for Florida State?
Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and the Ringer’s Bryan Curtis assess the decision to leave Florida State out of the College Football Playoff at the expense of Alabama. They also discuss Sports Illustrated using AI writers. And Stefan and Josh follow the continuing saga of LSU’s Kim Mulkey and Angel Reese. Florida State and Alabama (3:50): A total outrage or a totally understandable decision? Sports Illustrated (21:28): What does the magazine’s AI mess say about the present and future of sports media? Mulkey and Reese (39:36): The question that went unasked when the LSU basketball star returned. Afterball (1:00:19): Stefan on the origins of a famous quotation from baseball Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 28, 2023 • 1h 18min
Where’s Angel Reese?
Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the Michigan football team’s win over Ohio State and Alabama’s last-second victory over Auburn. They also discuss the mystery around why LSU women’s basketball star Angel Reese isn’t playing. Finally, the Wall Street Journal’s Jonathan Clegg explains the huge penalty the Premier League dished out to Everton. College football (6:31): Why this year’s rivalry week loss was so crushing for Ohio State. LSU women’s basketball (26:10): What’s going on between star Angel Reese and coach Kim Mulkey? Everton (48:22): Will Manchester City and Chelsea get hammered next? Afterball (1:07:17): Joel on the uplifting journeys of Idaho and New Mexico State football. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices