Slate’s sports podcast on the NCAA’s punishment of Penn State, Adam Scott’s British Open collapse, and the dawn of the London Olympics.

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In this week’s episode of Slate’s sports podcast Hang Up and Listen, Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Mike Pesca discuss the NCAA penalties against Penn State, including a $60 million fine and a four-year postseason ban. They also talk about Adam Scott’s collapse at golf’s British Open and the rise of the long putter. And with the Olympics just a few days away, they preview the 2012 London Games: the opening ceremony, the politics, the best events for poor countries to invest in, and the prospects for USA basketball.

• Here are links to some of the articles and other items mentioned on the show:
• The NCAA fined Penn State $60 million and banned the Nittany Lions from postseason play for four years
• Yahoo’s Dan Wetzel on NCAA President Mark Emmert’s “swift, bold action.”
• Dave Zirin is not a fan of the NCAA’s actions against Penn State.
• Ernie Els won the British Open after Adam Scott bogeyed the last four holes.
• ESPN announcer Paul Azinger screwed up the rules on a Tiger Woods bunker shot.
• Golf’s powers that be are talking about whether to ban long putters.
• Long putters don’t really improve your performance on the greens.
• In his “Moneygolf” series on Slate, Michael Agger explained that Ernie Els is a really, really bad putter.
• The opening ceremony for the London Games will feature sheep, chickens, and British humor.
• Brits are complaining about the Olympics.
• The New York Times’ Nate Silver plays Medalball: Which sports offer small, poor countries the best chance to win gold?
• The IOC won’t have a moment of silence for the Israeli athletes who were killed at the 1972 Munich Games, but Bob Costas will.
• The U.S. men’s basketball team beat Argentina by just six points in an Olympic tuneup.
  

Hang Up and Listen’s weekly Glastonbury Tors:

• Mike’s Glastonbury Tor: Strange moments in the history of NCAA infractions: Morehouse College’s soccer program got the death penalty in 2003.
• Stefan’s Glastonbury Tor: The latest on team handball, including Team USA’s woes and Iceland’s funding problems. (Here’s Stefan’s conversation with Team Handball News’ John Ryan.)
• Josh’s Glastonbury Tor: Will the Lingerie Football League take off in Canada?

Podcast production and edit by Mike Vuolo.

You can e-mail us at hangup@slate.com.

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