
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 | 285 | Founded | 6 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | Society & CultureSports | |||

Drew is off frolicking on another continent, so it’s time to talk about baseball! Kelsey is back with Roth to swap their first ballpark stories of the 2026 season. Of course, there’s lots of new things to grab your attention at a baseball game this y... more
Emma Baccellieri (Sports Illustrated) is back, and with a new book! Drew and Roth ask her about her writing process, and how she worked with co-author Jordan Robinson. Then, they talk Emma’s women’s Sweet Sixteen bracket and WNBA players’ collective ... more
Happy March Madness! As always, Drew and Roth are joined by Ken Pomeroy of KenPom.com to talk about the men’s bracket. Is Ken’s insight still the gold standard, or are AI rankings coming for his job? Do the top seeds all look ready to bloom on schedu... more
Rohan, of NBC News and sandwich fame, is back! He fills Drew and Roth in on his Italian Olympic experience, including, most importantly, his favorite meals. Rohan, like the rest of us, was bowled over by ice dancing, and by how Italians eat Italian f... more
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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.
Has long been a favorite of mine. Bring back the mash up, bring back the guys.
Big fans of both Drew and Roth. Drew seems to take some flack but he keeps this thing going and at least has some opinions/things to say. Roth doesn’t need to agree with every guest’s every opinion.
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
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Apple Podcasts | #180 | |
Apple Podcasts | #225 |
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A fast-talking, conversation-driven show that blends sharp sports analysis with culture, humor, and near-podcast-wide banter. Episodes frequently feature guests from sports media, journalism, and related entertainment worlds, who help unpack topics from college athletics economics to NFL intricacies, travel journalism, and behind-the-scenes media industry dynamics, all interwoven with personal stories, pop culture riffs, and signature reader-fueled bits. The unique rhythm comes from two hosts with strong chemistry, playful sponsor reads, and a willingness to switch from serious analysis to lighthearted riffs about sandwiches, travel, and current events, making it a distinctive mix of expert insight and irreverent humor.
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The Distraction: A Defector Podcast launched 6 years ago and published 285 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. Spencer Hall
2. Tom Ley
3. John Cullen
4. Kathryn Xu
5. Patrick Wyman
6. Matt Selman
7. Matthew Coller
8. Peter Brannen
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