
Defector's flagship podcast about sports (and movies, and art, and sandwiches, and certain coastal states) from longtime writers Drew Magary and David Roth. Every week, Drew and Roth tackle subjects, both serious and impossibly stupid, with a parade of guests from around the world of sports and media joining in the fun! Roth and Drew also field Funbag questions from Defector readers, answer listen... more
| Publishes | Weekly | Episodes | 298 | Founded | 6 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | SportsSociety & Culture | |||

Kelsey is here! Drew is not! Alex Sujong Laughlin is also here to discuss the new season of Try Hard, the first episode of which just came out last week. Alex has written some really good and really scathing stuff about the scourge of The Video Podca... more
Ray Ratto joins Drew and Roth to talk about two cups, Stanley and World. But first, on a scale of Not Very to Maybe A Little, how happy is Ray for New Yorkers right now? Then, because Drew does not watch nor care about either the Vegas Golden Knights... more
Defector’s resident Knicks fan, Giri Nathan, joins Drew and Roth this week! After dropping
Game 3, how is Giri feeling about his team? The series seems to hinge on whether or not Victor Wembanyama is dialed in. Why has his play in this series been s... more
Leander Shaerlaeckens (author of the book The Long Game: U.S. Men's Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts) joins the show for a World Cup preview! We’ll get the skinny on the unique challenge that is hosting a soccer c... more
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My grandma always says that she hated the early rules and wanted to play like the boys played.
I haven’t listened to this in a while, then I saw Spencer Hall was going to be on. Cool! Then These self righteous clowns spent the whole time talking over him, not cool! Zzzzz
Roth is the absolute best! Someone needs to stage an intervention for Drew to get him to stop spreading his horrendous Vikings inspired nonsense that has infiltrated an otherwise stellar podcast. Love that Mina Kimes and Roth called him out for this in the latest episode.
Aside from that, keep up the amazing work!
Love the show, smart, funny, great guests, I should probably start paying for this.
I could frankly do without the theme song and Drew’s traditional show-opening catchphrase. Aside from those niggling complaints, it’s a delight.
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
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Apple Podcasts | #215 |
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A bold, humorous take on sports culture with sharp banter between two veteran writers, often featuring a rotating cast of guests from sports media, analytics, and storytelling. Episodes blend tactical sports discussion (basketball, football, and analytics), pop culture riffs, personal anecdotes, and candid sponsorship bits. A standout aspect is the chemistry between hosts and a willingness to chase wide-ranging tangents, from the economics of NIL to the craft of sports journalism, all delivered with irreverent wit. This show tends to attract listeners who enjoy provocative takes, inside-baseball sports analysis, and playful debate about the culture surrounding sports, media, and fandom.
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The Distraction: A Defector Podcast launched 6 years ago and published 298 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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Recent guests on The Distraction: A Defector Podcast include:
1. David Grann
2. Ian Livengood
3. Lily Kaplan
4. AJ Jacobs
5. Lauren Theisen
6. Aaron Schatz
7. Michael Schur
8. Ed Zitron
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