Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
If you love What Next: TBD, join Slate Plus at slate.com/youtubeplus? to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts.
Major League Baseball has rolled an “Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System” this season, which allows players to appeal how pitches were called. But what about the jobs of human umpires? Aren’t missed calls part of the game? And what implications does this have on the future of sports?
Guest: Ben Lindbergh, senior editor at The Ringer, co-host of Slate’s Hang Up and Listen.
This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock exclusive episodes of What Next TBD—you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the What Next show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.
Podcast production by Evan Campbell and Patrick Fort. Video production by Rob Gunther.
If you love What Next: TBD, join Slate Plus at slate.com/youtubeplus? to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts.
Major League Baseball has rolled an “Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System” this season, which allows players to appeal how pitches were called. But what about the jobs of human umpires? Aren’t missed calls part of the game? And what implications does this have on the future of sports?
Guest: Ben Lindbergh, senior editor at The Ringer, co-host of Slate’s Hang Up and Listen.
This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock exclusive episodes of What Next TBD—you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the What Next show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.
Podcast production by Evan Campbell and Patrick Fort. Video production by Rob Gunther.
