The following podcast contains explicit language, including the words, well, you'll just have to wait and see.

Hi, I'm Josh Levine, Slate's national editor. This is Hang Up and Listen for Marty Gras Week.

That is the week of February 16th, 2021.

On this week's show, we're going to talk about the debate over whether to play the national anthem at sporting events.

We'll also discuss what the pandemic taught us about the mysteries of home field advantage.

And Ryan Smith of ESPN will join us for a conversation about a lawsuit alleging that the NFL's concussion settlement discriminates against black players.

I'm in Washington, D.C. I'm the author of The Queen, the host of Slowburn, Season 4 on David Duke.

Also in D.C., Stefan Fatsis. He's the author of the book's Word Freak in a few seconds of Panic and 23 across in the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle.

Hello, Stefan.

Hello, Josh.

That was very exciting.

Was that your first Sunday appearance?

It was my first Sunday appearance.

I've been in the daily once as my name, once with the book as the answer.

And the biggest thrill was when I was the acrostic right after Word Freak was published.

You're going to get those framed?

You know, I haven't gotten the other ones framed.

Maybe it's time to frame something.

You got a lot of space back there in that room, so you could just a lot of room area there.

Subtle, subtle critique.

That's an angled ceiling, Joel.

Kind of hard to hang things, but people do that.

...