Slate’s sports podcast on replacements refs in the NFL, the Paralympics, and marathon fraud.

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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 NFL’s decision to start the season with replacement refs and whether fans will care. They also talk about the feats and controversies in the Paralympics, and the lack of coverage the games have gotten in the United States. Finally, they speak with The New Yorker’s Mark Singer about marathon fraudster Kip Litton and Paul Ryan’s claim (since retracted) that he ran a marathon in under 3 hours.

Here are links to some of the articles and other items mentioned on the show:

• The NFL will begin the regular season with replacement officials.
• ESPN.com’s Darren Rovell wonders whether the refs are worth the investment.
• The preseason hasn’t been pretty for some of the backups, like Don King.
• Sam Borden details some of the preseason blunders in the New York Times.
• Time’s Sean Gregory writes that the lockout could jeopardize player safety.
• Legal analyst Michael McCann says NFL players could theoretically stage a walkout.
• Video of the Paralympics opening ceremony, narrated by Stephen Hawking.
• The games have received minimal media coverage in the United States as compared with Great Britain.
• An amazing diving shot by table tennis Paralympian David Wetherill.
• Cyclist Jody Cundy was disqualified because of a false start, and he wasn’t happy about it.
• Oscar Pistorius lost in the 200 meters, then said gold medalist Alan Oliveira was using oversized prosthetic legs.
• Awesome Paralympians: Bradley Snyder, Ellie Simmonds, Esther Vergeer, Sarah and Barney Storey.
• Paralympic athletes have been warned about the dangers of “boosting.”
• Mark Singer’s New Yorker piece on Kip Litton, the mysterious marathon man.
• Litton’s controversy is a hot topic on letsrun.com, a website for elite runners.
• Paul Ryan isn’t nearly as fast as he originally claimed.
• In the New York Times, Paul Krugman calls Ryan the “Rosie Ruiz of American Politics.”
• The New Yorker’s Nicholas Thompson asks whether Ryan was lying or misremembering.

Hang Up and Listen’s weekly West Wyomings:

• Mike’s West Wyoming: The Raza System, created by Maz Raza, helps officials compare the performances of athletes with varying disabilities.
• Stefan’s West Wyoming: On the occasion of the exuberant Pia Sundhage’s departure as coach of the U.S. women’s soccer team, a look at studies of athletic celebration.
• Josh’s West Wyoming: The International Flipper Pinball Association championship was hosted by retired NBA player Todd MacCulloch.
  

Podcast production and edit by Mike Vuolo. Our intern is Eric Goldwein.

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

The Hang Up and Listen T-shirt, designed by listener Todd Johnson, is now on sale. A shirt can be had for as little as $15.75, and you can choose between two color schemes—the green-and-gold “Oakland” edition or the red “Portland” edition. Support the show by buying both!