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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Slate’s Nick Greene to discuss the NFL’s wild card weekend. Jonathan Tjarks of the Ringer also joins to talk about James Harden and Roger Bennett of Men in Blazers assesses Chelsea’s acquisition of Christian Pulisic.
NFL playoffs (1:56): Lamar Jackson was bad, Cody Parkey doinked another field goal, and more happening from the opening weekend of the pro football postseason.
James Harden (21:30): The Houston Rockets guard is shooting 3-pointers at a record-setting rate. Can he possible sustain this pace?
Christian Pulisic (36:38): How much did marketing factor into Chelsea’s decision to sign the young American? And is the English mega-club the right place for the 20-year-old to develop his game?
Afterballs(47:25): Stefan on ties (they’re OK!) and Josh on college football’s targeting rule (it’s bad!)
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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin take listener questions in a special year-end call-in show. Topics include which sports movies are the most realistic, what sports story would make for a great season of Slow Burn, and what would happen if women’s sports were the only ones broadcast on television.
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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Shirley Wang to talk about her dad’s friendship with Charles Barkley. Jane Leavy also joins to discuss her Babe Ruth biography The Big Fella, and ESPN’s Joel Anderson helps assess the Mike Tyson-Buster Douglas documentary 42 to 1.
Lin Wang and Charles Barkley (1:50): Why Shirley Wang’s story about their unlikely friendship had such a profound effect on so many people.
Babe Ruth (14:20): Jane Leavy explains how the Bambino changed sports and celebrity culture, and how she debunked myths about Ruth’s childhood.
42 to 1 (34:42): Looking back at one of the greatest upsets in the history of sports, and pondering what we should make of Mike Tyson and Buster Douglas today.
Afterballs(53:54): Stefan on Babe Ruth’s best nickname and Josh’s continuing Pat Summerall / House of Buggin’ quest.
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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the New Yorker’s Vinson Cunningham. They discuss Raheem Sterling and racism in English soccer, the 25th anniversary of the FOX-NFL alliance (with the Ringer’s Bryan Curtis), and Stephen Curry’s comments about the moon landing being a hoax.
Raheem Sterling (2:26): How an Instagram post started a much-needed conversation about race, society, and soccer.
Fox and the NFL (21:57): Rupert Murdoch’s $1.6 billion deal changed the network and pro football forever. What were the biggest repercussions and missed opportunities?
Stephen Curry and the moon (39:10): Does Curry really believe that the moon landing was faked or was he just trying to go viral like Kyrie Irving?
Afterballs(51:04): Vinson on the “modern NBA,” Stefan on the origin of the game ball, and Josh on Pat Summerall and House of Buggin’.
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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by NPR’s Gene Demby to discuss Heisman winner Kyler Murray’s impending choice between pro baseball and pro football, the Philadelphia 76ers’ chemistry issues with Jimmy Butler in the mix, and the NFL’s request for new punting proposals.
Kyler Murray (2:30): Can the Oklahoma star play both football and baseball at the professional level? Should he try?
Sixers (22:27): Joel Embiid is the face of the franchise. Jimmy Butler is a hyper-competitive star. Can they get along and lead Philadelphia to NBA glory?
Punting (39:55): The NFL wants to “modernize” punting. What does that mean? And how can we help?
Afterballs(49:01): Stefan on poet and baseball writer Tom Clark and Josh on Zach LaVine.
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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by ThinkProgress’ Lindsay Gibbs to discuss the Kansas City Chiefs’ decision to cut Kareem Hunt. The New York Times’ Marc Tracy also joins to talk about Alabama’s comeback win in the SEC title game and Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl helps assess Gregg Berhalter, the new head coach of the U.S. men’s soccer team.
Kareem Hunt (3:19): The NFL clearly screwed up its investigation into Hunt’s offseason incidents. But what’s a better way to investigate off-field conduct?
Alabama (22:51): Backup quarterback Jalen Hurts led the Crimson Tide to victory. Should he be celebrated for his decision not to transfer?
Gregg Berhalter (42:20): U.S. Soccer’s hiring process was awful, but how will Berhalter be as a coach?
Afterballs (57:27): Stefan on Mongolian knuckle-bone shooting and Josh on the worst season ever by an NFL quarterback.
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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by SB Nation’s Spencer Hall to discuss Texas A&M’s seven-overtime win over LSU. Joshua Robinson of the Wall Street Journal also joins to talk about the chaos in Argentina surrounding a soccer match between Boca Juniors and River Plate. And Jim Newell assesses The Match between Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods.
College overtime (1:23): Football players are not built to run around for seven extra periods. Also, 146 points is a lot of points.
Copa Libertadores (18:29): What is it about soccer in Argentina that makes violence such an enduring part of the sport, and is there anything anyone can do to fix it?
Tiger vs. Phil (33:57): “The Match” was a debacle. What will sports leagues and sports executives learn from it?
Afterballs (50:11): Stefan on Olivier Giroud’s meaty French forehead and Josh on the Battle of the Bones trophy.
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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the Athletic’s Ethan Sherwood Strauss to discuss Draymond Green’s beef with Kevin Durant. Oliver Roeder of FiveThirtyEight also joins to talk about the World Chess Championship and the Atlantic’s Derek Thompson talks about income inequality in youth sports.
Draymond vs. KD (2:40): Will interpersonal strife tear the Golden State Warriors apart, or is this just a small bump on the road to another championship?
Chess (22:46): Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana have played eight games, all eight of which have ended in draws. Are we having fun yet??
Youth sports (41:40): Kids from wealthy families are playing sports at increasing rates, while participation is dropping for kids from lower-income families. What’s the solution?
Afterballs (1:03:50): Stefan talks to Brin-Jonathan Butler about his book The Grandmaster and Josh on a strange college basketball upset.
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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the Wall Street Journal’s Ben Cohen to discuss Duke freshman Zion Williamson and the video game–like NBA and NFL. Baseball writer Rob Neyer also joins to discuss Bill James’ claim that baseball players are replaceable.
Zion Williamson (4:09): After two games, the Duke star looks like the greatest athlete in the history of basketball. Where can he possibly go from here?
Sports as video games (19:55): Record-setting offenses in the NBA and NFL owe a lot to NBA Jam and Madden. How far will sports go in mirroring their video game counterparts?
Bill James (37:06): The legendary iconoclast said, “If the players all retired tomorrow, we would replace them, the game would go on.” Is he right?
Afterballs (58:58): Stefan on the next “next Bobby Fischer” and Josh on the case for NFL running backs to take performance-enhancing drugs.
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Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the Washington Post’s Rick Maese to talk about the state of the Maryland football program after DJ Durkin’s firing. Slate’s Nick Greene also joins to discuss Buffalo Bills quarterback Nathan Peterman and Bleacher Report’s Mirin Fader explains why WNBA players opted out of their collective bargaining agreement.
Maryland (1:07): Maryland suspended D.J. Durkin, then reinstated him, then fired him. Rick Maese explains how the process played out and why Durkin ultimately got ousted.
Nathan Peterman (21:18): The Buffalo Bills quarterback is, by some measures, the worst quarterback ever. Why does it bring us so much joy to watch someone who’s so bad at his job?
WNBA (36:25): The world’s best women basketball players want higher salaries and better treatment. Will they get what they’re after given that the WNBA perennially loses money?
Afterballs (54:27): Stefan on why high school football teams are forfeiting games and Josh on UConn football coach Randy Edsall’s bizarre incentive-laden contract.
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