Hang Up and Listen: The How Extreme Is Too Extreme Edition
Slate’s sports podcast on Mike Shanahan’s benching of Robert Griffin III, Mack Brown’s last days at the University of Texas, and the documentary The Crash Reel.
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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 talk about Mike Shanahan’s benching of Robert Griffin III and the Washington football team’s state of dysfunction. They are also joined by Grantland’s Bryan Curtis to discuss Mack Brown’s departure from the University of Texas, Brown’s legacy, and UT’s chaotic recruitment of Alabama coach Nick Saban. Finally, they review the documentary The Crash Reel, which tells the story of snowboarder Kevin Pearce, and his recovery from the traumatic brain injury he sustained in a 2009 crash.
Here are links to some of the articles and other items mentioned on the show:
- The Washington NFL team lost to the Atlanta Falcons 27–26 on Sunday.
- Head coach Mike Shanahan walked out of the post-game press conference after several questions about his relationship with recently benched quarterback Robert Griffin III.
- Reports suggest that Shanahan and Griffin are no longer on speaking terms.
- Kent Babb of the Washington Post writes that Dan Snyder’s friendship with Griffin has recently come under scrutiny.
- Kyle Shanahan, the team’s offensive coordinator and the son of the head coach, has reportedly decided to leave the team after this season. The younger Shanahan also allegedly does not like the food in the cafeteria.
- Bryan Curtis wrote a piece for Grantland on the end of the Mack Brown era at the University of Texas.
- Nick Saban signed a new contract with Alabama that will pay him more than $7 million annually.
- Saban claims he “never considered going to Texas.”
- Subscription websites such as Orangebloods.com offer monthly access to premium college sports information and rumors.
- The Crash Reel can be seen on HBO Go. The film was included on the Academy Awards’ short list for Best Documentary Feature.
- Director Lucy Walker explained on her website how she became interested in Kevin Pearce’s story.
- John Branch of the New York Times wrote about Pearce five months after his snowboarding accident.
- Marc Peruzzi wrote a piece for Outside on increasing rates of brain injuries in outdoor sports.
- Freestyle skier Sarah Burke died in January 2011 after an accident on a half-pipe course in Utah.
- Pearce recently told the Boston Globe that he does not think snowboarding has gotten unreasonably dangerous.
Hang Up and Listen’s weekly Lizzy the Boxer:
Mike’s Lizzy the Boxer: Considering the Football Championship Subdivision’s Simple Rating System (SRS).
Stefan’s Lizzy the Boxer: On the elusive etymology of slew-footing, a hockey violation similar to tripping.
Josh’s Lizzy the Boxer: Remembering the plane crash that claimed the life of 34-year-old LSU coach Bo Rein.
Podcast production and edit by Mike Vuolo. Links compiled by Casey Butterly.
You can email us at hangup@slate.com.