The Distraction: A Defector Podcast
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The Provenance of the Lobster with Giri Nathan
Defector’s resident Knicks fan, Giri Nathan, joins Drew and Roth this week! After droppingGame 3, how is Giri feeling about his team? The series seems to hinge on whether or not Victor Wembanyama is…
Don’t Tell Anyone How I Live with Leander Schaerlaeckens
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…
A Larry David Look-a-like with David Grann
Drew and Roth are joined by David Grann, bestselling author of The Wager, Killers of the Flower Moon, and other precious tomes, and staff writer at The New Yorker! And, better yet, the Knicks made…
You Can’t Zarf Someone in Pips with Ian Livengood
Drew and Roth are joined by Ian Livengood, an NYT puzzle editor who works on Pips (Drew’s true joy) and the Midi! Ian shares behind-the-scenes info on how puzzles are constructed, edited, and sent…
Look at What They Done Been Through with Patrick Redford
It’s time to get serious about the NBA playoffs, so Drew and Roth welcome fellow Defector and host of Nothing But Respect and Only If You Get Caught Patrick Reford to the show! They start in the West…
Introducing: No Such Thing
We’re excited to share a preview of a new podcast we think you’d enjoy: No Such ThingNo Such Thing is a show where three best friends and journalists settle their dumb arguments — and yours — by…
Shodders For The Cup with Lauren Theisen
Defector’s chief hockey officer Lauren Theisen is back! Drew and Roth ask her how it’s possible that the Sabres hadn’t made the playoffs in 14 years. Also, Drew bought a Quinn Hughes jersey while…
Eating a Super Soaker with a Knife & Fork
It’s a classic Drew and Roth solo joint, and they’re finally talking about currently ongoing sports instead of indulging Drew’s NFL fetish. Is there any reason to believe that this Knicks postseason…
My Car Died In Worcester with Aaron Schatz
Drew and Roth are joined, for the first time ever, by Aaron Schatz, Chief Analytics Officer at FTN Fantasy, ESPN NFL writer, and founder of Football Outsiders! Football data companies are being…
Blame It On Pazuzu with Mike Schur
Mike Schur is back, and we’re talking baseball! The MLB has rolled out its automated ball strike challenge system, but how do Mike and Roth feel about it? Will they trash CB Buckner for having six of…
The Largest Man On The Beach with Ed Zitron
Ed Zitron is back on the show, because it’s been too long since he last came on to yell at us about AI. And there’s a lot to yell about! To kick it off, we get the latest on the Big AI Companies, and…
Bad Baseball Grannies with Kelsey McKinney
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…
My Best Reply Guys with Emma Baccellieri
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…
A Never-Ending Math Orgy with Ken Pomeroy
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?…
A Hot Sauce Faceprint on the Hotel Door with Rohan Nadkarni
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…
I Was Born in the Cutty Sark with Spencer Hall
Spencer Hall of Channel 6 joins Drew and Roth to talk college football! But first they have to figure out whether college sports as a whole are poised to go extinct, or if that rhetoric is actually…
Digest It As It Comes In with Tom Ley
Roth “got stranded by the blizzard,” so Tom Ley, Editor-In-Chief at Defector, is here! Drew and Tom debate whether this was the best winter Olympics in their lifetime, then Tom decides whether each…
A Good Set of Stones with John Cullen
Drew and Roth are joined by comedian, podcaster, and curling professional and expert John Cullen! His new book, Curling Rocks!: Chronicles of the Roaring Game, is out now. They talk all things…
A Well-Rounded Apple Dome with Kathryn Xu
Drew and Roth are joined by Kathryn Xu (Defector) to talk dogs! Kathryn covered the Westminster Dog Show, and it was a lovely, fluffy, yappy experience. Did her favorite, Aslan the Pomeranian, come…
A Difference of Degree and in Kind
We remember Dan McQuade.Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 909-PANERA-0!Stuff We Talked AboutLone Wolf McQuadeAmerican…
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The Distraction: A Defector Podcast has published 296 episodes since July 2020, covering topics in Society & Culture, Sports.
The Distraction: A Defector Podcast is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 56m.
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