The Distraction: A Defector Podcast

Stitcher

From Defector. Former Deadspin writers Drew Magary and David Roth should really stick to sports. Sure, their new indie sports podcast will break down the week in sports: the Mets grounding into quadruple plays, NBA players getting testy on the court and horny on Instagram, Bill Belichick cutting 80% of his roster just to keep himself interested, horrifying takes from sports talk radio that need to be broken down, etc. But these two men and their guests will have their fair share of off-the-field issues they’ll also have to address: stupid Funbag questions, bad tweets from bad people, pointless food arguments, and even less. Every week is a VERY long week these days. We could all use a little Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.

  • 53 minutes 18 seconds
    Williams Sonoma Price Is Right 2025! with Matt Selman

    It’s the most magical time of the year once again! Drew brings Roth and guest Matt Selman, The Simpsons EP and Showrunner, a list of Williams Sonoma’s finest – who is more in tune with the everyman consumer? Does anyone need a $350 Porsche-branded Smeg toaster? No.

    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 About

    • That new upstart TV show The Simpsons
    • USB ports in the ice maker
    • No possessions enlightenment
    • The finer points of contract law


    Credits

    - Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth

    - Producer: Brandon Grugle

    - Editor: Mischa Stanton

    - Production Services & Ads: Multitude Podcasts

    - Subscribe to Defector!


    About The Show

    The Distraction is 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 listener voicemails, and get upset about the number of people who use speakerphone while in a public bathroom stall. This is a show where everything matters, because everyone could use a Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    18 December 2025, 6:00 am
  • 1 hour 33 seconds
    Bad For Your Heart, Bad For Your Soul with Matthew Coller

    Drew and Roth are joined by Purple Insider’s Matthew Coller to talk football as the NFL season heats up. In this brand new world where K-balls are changing the entire game, how do we even tell if a player or a team is good at all?  Are the Cowboys actually any good? The Broncos? The Patriots? Is Matthew buying Caleb Williams? Then, they open up the Funbag to answer real questions from listeners. 

    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 About

    • Matthew’s rescued greyhounds
    • Why can’t teams pass anymore?
    • Gridiron granddads
    • Taco Today
    • Choice culinary crap


    Sponsors

    - Blueland, where you can get 15% off your first order

    - Storyworth, where you can save $10 or more

    - MeUndies, where you can get get up to 50% off


    Credits

    - Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth

    - Producer: Brandon Grugle

    - Editor: Mischa Stanton

    - Production Services & Ads: Multitude Podcasts

    - Subscribe to Defector!


    About The Show

    The Distraction is 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 listener voicemails, and get upset about the number of people who use speakerphone while in a public bathroom stall. This is a show where everything matters, because everyone could use a Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    11 December 2025, 6:00 am
  • 55 minutes 40 seconds
    Batteries Are Woke, Mining is Based with Peter Brannen

    Drew and Roth are joined by Peter Brannen, author of The Story of CO2 Is the Story of Everything: How Carbon Dioxide Made Our World to talk about CO2’s role in our lives, past and present. Should CO2’s image be rehabbed? Then, they talk about the NBA–with the OKC Thunder at 21-1, how screwed is the rest of the league? Finally, they open up the funbag to answer real questions from listeners, like are string cheese and mozzarella sticks the same?

    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 About

    • Deep sea alkaline hydrothermal vents
    • Earth’s previous science fiction worlds
    • The Monster energy drink geological layer
    • The Celtics Abu Dhabi connection
    • Just passin’ through guys
    • Best celebrity + sandwich experience


    Sponsors

    - Mint Mobile, where you can get 50% off all Unlimited plans

    - Raycon, where you can get 20% off


    Credits

    - Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth

    - Producer: Brandon Grugle

    - Editor: Mischa Stanton

    - Production Services & Ads: Multitude Podcasts

    - Subscribe to Defector!


    About The Show

    The Distraction is 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 listener voicemails, and get upset about the number of people who use speakerphone while in a public bathroom stall. This is a show where everything matters, because everyone could use a Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    4 December 2025, 6:00 am
  • 47 minutes 52 seconds
    Eat As Much As You Can and Get Out

    Happy Thanksgiving! It’s a Drew and Roth solo episode this week, and they talk about Roth’s latest artistic discovery, Drew’s hometown, and, of course, their Thanksgiving food plans. Then, they’re joined by a lucky listener to open up the funbag and answer questions from other lucky listeners.

    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 About

    • Unexpected art galleries
    • First kisses
    • Movies that are better than girls
    • Good ass pie
    • Time savings vs emotional support
    • In-the-house accents


    Sponsors

    - HIMS, where you can get a free online visit


    Credits

    - Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth

    - Producer: Brandon Grugle

    - Editor: Mischa Stanton

    - Production Services & Ads: Multitude Podcasts

    - Subscribe to Defector!


    About The Show

    The Distraction is 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 listener voicemails, and get upset about the number of people who use speakerphone while in a public bathroom stall. This is a show where everything matters, because everyone could use a Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    27 November 2025, 6:00 am
  • 1 hour 47 seconds
    Reptile Epicurean Delights with Nathan Thornburgh

    Food journalist and founder of the newly-revived website Roads & Kingdoms Nathan Thornburgh returns to the podcast after many many moons. Where’s he been this whole time? Well it turns out, lots of places! Drew & Roth get a rundown of Nathan’s favorite food places in the world, as well asp the surprising challenges involved in preparing an iguana for consumption. And of course, we’ll serve Nathan up a Funbag question, sourced farm-to-table from real Defector readers & Distraction listeners.

    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 About

    • Asking chefs for money
    • Tap a toe in Bosnia
    • George from Georgia
    • The weirdest marsupials
    • Professional dishwasher loading


    Sponsors

    - Blueland, where you can get 30% off your order during their Holiday Sale

    - Storyworth, where you can get $10 or more off for the holidays


    Credits

    - Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth

    - Producer: Brandon Grugle

    - Editor: Mischa Stanton

    - Production Services & Ads: Multitude Podcasts

    - Subscribe to Defector!


    About The Show

    The Distraction is 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 listener voicemails, and get upset about the number of people who use speakerphone while in a public bathroom stall. This is a show where everything matters, because everyone could use a Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    20 November 2025, 6:00 am
  • 1 hour 6 minutes
    You Depraved the Manner of Men with Stefan Fatsis

    Stefan Fatsis joins Drew and Roth to talk about dictionaries! For his new book, Unabridged: The Thrill of (and Threat to) the Modern Dictionary (out now), Stefan embedded with Merriam Webster, and even drafted some new entries. Then, Stefan and Drew discuss the finer points of the letter V’s usage in Scrabble, and they figure out if NFL kickers are too good now. Finally, they open up the funbag to answer a question about begging the question.

    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 About

    • Sheeple
    • Filling your house with sand
    • New letters
    • Thou vs you
    • Garden variety swears
    • The return of K-balls


    Sponsors

    - MeUndies, where you can get get up to 50% off


    Credits

    - Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth

    - Producer: Brandon Grugle

    - Editor: Mischa Stanton

    - Production Services & Ads: Multitude Podcasts

    - Subscribe to Defector!


    About The Show

    The Distraction is 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 listener voicemails, and get upset about the number of people who use speakerphone while in a public bathroom stall. This is a show where everything matters, because everyone could use a Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    13 November 2025, 6:00 am
  • 1 hour 23 seconds
    An Emergency Private Podcast with Rohan Nadkarni

    Rohan is back with Drew and Roth to talk about the Mamdani win and what it could mean for the political future. But don’t worry, there’s plenty of sandwich talk as well! Then, they talk about the Dolphins, the Jets, the World Series, and the real insider secret to getting traded: location, location, location.

    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 About

    • NYC has a good mayor!
    • Secretary of Sandwiches Nadkarni
    • Pretending to be someone else in an Uber
    • Coaches not just on the field, but in real life
    • Planting a porn tree you will never sit under


    Sponsors

    - Mint Mobile, where new customers can get a premium wireless plan for $15 a month

    - Raycon, where you can get 20% off the Everyday Earbuds Classic


    Credits

    - Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth

    - Producer: Brandon Grugle

    - Editor: Mischa Stanton

    - Production Services & Ads: Multitude Podcasts

    - Subscribe to Defector!


    About The Show

    The Distraction is 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 listener voicemails, and get upset about the number of people who use speakerphone while in a public bathroom stall. This is a show where everything matters, because everyone could use a Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    6 November 2025, 6:00 am
  • 1 hour 13 minutes
    My Hobby is Sleeping

    It’s a Drew and Roth solo joint this week! They start with the World Series and how it’s good! Really good! Then, does the NBA gambling scandal matter? And finally, Drew is NOT making any predictions about the NYC mayoral election, but he and Roth have some hopeful thoughts about it.

    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 About

    • The magic of YT TV
    • The NY bagel of wonton skins
    • Organized crime
    • The NYC mayoral race
    • Follicular density


    Credits

    - Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth

    - Producer: Brandon Grugle

    - Editor: Mischa Stanton

    - Production Services & Ads: Multitude Podcasts

    - Subscribe to Defector!


    About The Show

    The Distraction is 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 listener voicemails, and get upset about the number of people who use speakerphone while in a public bathroom stall. This is a show where everything matters, because everyone could use a Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    30 October 2025, 5:00 am
  • 59 minutes 43 seconds
    Becoming A Failson with Justin Halpern

    Our good buddy Justin Halpern (of Harley Quinn and Abbott Elementary fame) takes some time away from his luxury box to return to the show for a World Series preview. The ALCS & NLCS were packed with highlights: clutch double-plays, out-of-the-park homers, and the Best Player Of All Time™. Can the World Series itself hope to match, or have the Dodgers sucked all of the fun out of baseball? We also set off Justin’s trap card and get him ranting about another baseball juggernaut: the Savannah Bananas. And then we’ll backflip into the Funbag, answering real questions from real listeners.

    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 About

    • Getting away with car accidents
    • Teams of Destiny
    • How ‘bout that Shohei Ohtani? How ‘bout that Vlad Guerrero Jr.?
    • Sharing the Best Game Ever with your son
    • Inexplicable mega-church influencer energy


    Sponsors

    - HIMS, where you can get a free online visit

    - MeUndies, where you can get get up to 50% off


    Credits

    - Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth

    - Producer: Brandon Grugle

    - Editor: Mischa Stanton

    - Production Services & Ads: Multitude Podcasts

    - Subscribe to Defector!


    About The Show

    The Distraction is 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 listener voicemails, and get upset about the number of people who use speakerphone while in a public bathroom stall. This is a show where everything matters, because everyone could use a Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    23 October 2025, 5:00 am
  • 1 hour 2 minutes
    Quantum Mechanical Quarterbacks with Seth Wickersham

    Seth Wickersham, senior writer at ESPN (and former high school quarterback) joins Drew and Roth to talk about his latest book, American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback. They talk about what being a quarterback at all levels asks of you. Then, Drew catches Roth up on J.J. McCarthy, and they open up the funbag to answer questions from listeners like you!

    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 About

    • Writing sports mythos
    • The lifestyle of a quarterback
    • The deal with J.J. McCarthy right now
    • Heavenly foods
    • Why aren’t you getting the scraps?


    Sponsors

    - Blueland, where you can get 15% off your first order


    Credits

    - Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth

    - Producer & Editor: Mischa Stanton

    - Production Services & Ads: Multitude Podcasts

    - Subscribe to Defector!


    About The Show

    The Distraction is 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 listener voicemails, and get upset about the number of people who use speakerphone while in a public bathroom stall. This is a show where everything matters, because everyone could use a Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    16 October 2025, 5:00 am
  • 1 hour 10 minutes
    Smack Barm Pea Wet with Eli Yudin

    Comedian and writer Eli Yudin joins Drew and Roth to talk about his new special, Humble Offering! He shares what it’s like making a living in comedy today without having oil money offered to you. Then, they open up the funbag for sandwich talk, and try to figure out where all those crayons go.

    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 About

    • The density of candle wax
    • The Ravens’ end zone design
    • Being gaslit by Raw Dog
    • Visible stink lines of loneliness
    • 30 seconds of Jon Bernthal


    Sponsors

    - HIMS, where you can get a free online visit


    Credits

    - Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth

    - Producer & Editor: Mischa Stanton

    - Production Services & Ads: Multitude Podcasts

    - Subscribe to Defector!


    About The Show

    The Distraction is 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 listener voicemails, and get upset about the number of people who use speakerphone while in a public bathroom stall. This is a show where everything matters, because everyone could use a Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    9 October 2025, 5:00 am
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