Edge Of Sports

The REBOOTED PODCAST now sponsored by the Nation Magazine is officially underway! We start it off with an interview with legendary documentary filmmaker, and the producer of Hoop Dreams, Peter Gilbert. We talk about youth basketball, what’s changed and what’s stayed the same since his landmark 1994 film.I also have some “choice words” about the anti-Trump sentiment bubbling in the NBA, some “harsh words” for sports radio sexist dinosaur Mike Francesa, a Kaepernick watch about the quarterback’s decision to no longer kneel for the National Anthem.BREAKING NEWS: the statement from Seattle Seahawk Michael Bennett in support of the Women’s Strike on International Women’s Day March 8th. I will read it and it is the first time it’s been read anywhere, BOOM!Peter Gilbert:http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0318201/Zirin,  Why the NBA Is in Revolt Against Trumphttps://www.thenation.com/article/why-the-nba-is-in-revolt-against-trump/ —http://www.edgeofsportspodcast.com/ | http://twitter.com/edgeofsports | http://fb.com/edgeofsp

It's mourning in Atlanta. To get the lowdown on the scene in the ATL after New England's epic Super Bowl comeback victory, we speak to Atlanta and NBA television's own Sekou Smith. We also speak to Sekou about why it is NBA players have been by far the most outspoken athletes of the Trump era. I also have some "choice words" about the political energy thrumming beneath the Super Bowl and a Just Stand Up award for the one Patriots player not going to gently to Trump's White House. We are taking a short hiatus. Please stay frosty and The Edge of Sports podcast will be back before you know it. In the meantime, please subscribe to the pod, please tell a friend, and please listen to our back catalog of interviews that captures this era of the political athlete.Sekou Smith:http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/tag/sekou-smithhttps://twitter.com/SekouSmithNBAZirin,  Political Fervor Thrums Beneath the Super Bowl’s Surfacehttps://www.thenation.com/article/political-fervor-thrums-beneath-the-super-bowl

For Super Bowl week, we have Sports Illustrated NFL editor Melissa Jacobs to discuss her column "Why Tom Brady's friendship with Donald Trump is the Public's Business." We talk about the backlash face by writers who probe this relationship, and why the Brady/Trump nexus matters. Also this week some choice words about why the sports world needs to stand with Muslim athletes. We have listener calls about the "alternative facts" in the sports world, and a 'Just Stand Up' award to Pat Tillman is heroic widow Marie for speaking out against the Trump travel ban.Melissa Jacobs: "Why Tom Brady's friendship with Donald Trump is the public's business"http://www.si.com/nfl/2017/01/24/tom-brady-donald-trump-friendship-electionmore: http://www.si.com/author/melissa-jacobshttps://twitter.com/thefootballgirlhttps://www.facebook.com/MelissaJacobsNFLPat Tillman Foundation:http://pattillmanfoundation.orgZirin: "The Sports World Must Stand With Muslim Athletes" https://www

Nancy Hogshead-Makar is a three-time gold-medalist swimmer, sexual assault survivor, and one of the most renowned Title IX attorneys in the US. We speak to her about the importance of defending Title IX and what a Donald Trump presidency could mean for the landmark 1972 legislation. We also speak to her about the Women's March on Washington, which she attended with her 11-year-old daughters. I’ll also speak about my experience at Trump's tiny Inauguration ceremony, and Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich collects another ‘Just Stand Up’ award for speaking truth to power.Nancy Hogshead-Makar, Champion Womenhttp://twitter.com/Hogshead3Auhttp://twitter.com/iChampionWomenhttp://championwomen.orgGroups mentioned by Nancy Hogshead-Makar: National Women’s Law Center: http://www.nwlc.org/California Women’s Law Project: http://cwlc.org/Equal Rights Advocates: http://equalrights.org/American Civil Liberties Union: https://aclu.org/Athlete Ally: http://athleteally.org/You Can Play Project: http://youcanplayproject.org/Co

In front of 400 high school students in Concord, Massachusetts I speak to 1968 Olympic legend Dr. John Carlos about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King and what it means for today. Also this week I have some choice words about Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and the attacks made against him by fascists in Greece. We also have a very special Kaepernick watch. Stay frosty, people.http://www.johncarlos68.comhttp://twitter.com/DrJohnCarlosDave Zirin in The Nation: https://www.thenation.com/authors/dave-zirin/Kaepernick hailed as a new civil rights leader, by Steve Collins (Sun Journal, Maine)http://www.sunjournal.com/news/maine/2017/01/17/kaepernick-hailed-new-civil-rights-leader/2061149Thank you Pascale Musto and Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusettshttps://www.mxschool.edu/—http://www.edgeofsportspodcast.com/ | http://twitter.com/edgeofsports | http://fb.com/edgeofsportspod | email us: edgeofsports@slate.com | Edge of Sports hotline: 401-428-3343 (EDGE) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.

In front of over 800 people at Town Hall Seattle, we speak to Seahawks all-pro defensive end Michael Bennett about sports, society, masculinity, and everything in between. If you don't know Michael Bennett, it's time for you to know a player who is funny, fearless, and proudly political. We also have some choice words about why athletes should just say no to visiting the Trump White House. Our 'Just Stand Up' award goes to for Steph Curry, and 'Kaepernick Watch' reviews the QB's big shoe donation to a homeless shelter and $50,000 of support to the Mni Wiconi Health Clinic Partnership at Standing Rock.—http://www.edgeofsportspodcast.com/ | http://twitter.com/edgeofsports | http://fb.com/edgeofsportspod | email us: edgeofsports@slate.com | Edge of Sports hotline: 401-428-3343 (EDGE)--All music by Seattle's finest, Jake One https://jakeuno.bandcamp.com full notes at http://www.edgeofsportspodcast.com/ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https:

This week we speak to Chris Webber about his new podcast ‘Fearless or Insane’ as well as his politics, growing up in a union household, hip-hop, and fine dining. I also read an email I received from a security guard at Viking Stadium about the protest banner hanging against the Dakota access pipeline and we have I just stand up or that goes to the entire San Francisco 49ers team.Tonight in Seattle:Dave Zirin with Michael BennettThe Collision: Sports and Politics in the U.S.7:30PM, Thursday, January 5, 2017Great HallInfo & tickets: http://townhallseattle.org/event/dave-zirin/Chris Webber podcast: Fearless or Insanehttp://podcastone.com/fearless-or-insane-with-chris-webberhttp://apple.co/2iME64DColumn, Why Jack Johnson’s Family Should Refuse Any Exonerationhttps://www.thenation.com/article/why-jack-johnsons-family-should-refuse-any-exoneration/Colin Kaepernick’s Teammates Give Him an Award for Couragehttps://www.thenation.com/article/colin-kaepernicks-teammates-give-him-an-award-for-courage/—http://www.edge

Hey Seattle, come out to our own Dave Zirin's big event on January 5 at Town HallDave Zirin with Michael BennettThe Collision: Sports and Politics in the U.S.7:30PM, Thursday, January 5, 2017Great Hall(Free – $5)Free admission for students. Doors open at 6:30PMInfo:http://townhallseattle.org/event/dave-zirin/Tickets:http://townhall.strangertickets.com/events/39214033/dave-zirin-the-collision-sports-and-politics-in-the-us—http://www.edgeofsportspodcast.com/ | http://twitter.com/edgeofsports | http://fb.com/edgeofsportspod | email us: edgeofsports@slate.com | Edge of Sports hotline: 401-428-3343 (EDGE) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Jack McCallum is the most important, respected basketball writer of the last 50 years. We talk to Captain Jack about how basketball players will respond to a trump presidency, the career resurrection of my kids and toni, and the differences – from the three-point shot to basic muscle tone – of players in the league. I also speak about what it would look like if Donald Trump could name our sports commissioners. We respond to a hotline call about Jim Brown meeting the President-Elect, and finally we have a first-ever Just Stand Down award, handed to the Minnesota football team.Jack McCallum: http://www.jackmccallum.net/ | https://twitter.com/McCallum12Zirin column, The ‘Brutal Solidarity’ of the Minnesota Gophershttps://www.thenation.com/article/the-brutal-solidarity-of-the-minnesota-gophers/—http://www.edgeofsportspodcast.com/ | http://twitter.com/edgeofsports | http://fb.com/edgeofsportspod | email us: edgeofsports@slate.com | Edge of Sports hotline: 401-428-3343 (EDGE)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle

First, we hear from Patrick Hruby, a contributing editor at VICE Sports, who makes the case against High School Football in his latest piece, “Friday Night Lights Out.” Then, I tell the story of 2016 in Sports & Struggle, and finish with a ‘Just Stand Up’ award to the Women’s Basketball Team at UC Santa Barbara their Athletic Director John McCutcheon who stood up for the team’s right to protest.Patrick Hruby: website, twitterFriday Night Lights Out: The Case For Abolishing High School Footballhttps://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/friday-night-lights-out-the-case-for-abolishing-high-school-footballUCSB AD supports Gaucho women's basketball team's right to kneel during National Anthemhttp://www.keyt.com/sports/ucsb-ad-supports-gaucho-womens-basketball-teams-right-to-kneel-during-national-anthem/192889257Zirin column, 2016 in Sports: Joy and Resistance While the World Burnedhttps://www.thenation.com/article/2016-in-sports-joy-and-resistance-while-the-world-burned—http://www.edgeofsportspodcast.com |

We speak this week to Michael Meeropol, whose parents, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, were executed by the US government in 1953. We talk about his efforts to clear his mother's name and the importance of the Brooklyn Dodgers in their lives. Meeropol reads from the letters of his parents where they discuss baseball. I also have choice words about rap icon Kurtis Blow and his underrated importance to the development of the NBA as a global phenomenon. Finally we have a tribute to the late Black Panther leader Fred Hampton, via a t-shirt on our weekly Kaepernick watch.Dave in Seattle with Seahawk Michael Bennett on January 5, 2017: https://townhallseattle.org/event/dave-zirin/ http://fb.com/events/1139387102852694Michael and Robert Meeropol, We Are Your Sons: The Legacy of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg Exonerate our Mother, Ethel Rosenberg: http://www.rfc.org/ethelChange.org petition: https://www.change.org/p/president-obama-exonerate-our-mother-ethel-rosenbergThe Assassination of Fred Hampton: http://www.hamptonb

Today we speak to the most influential person in basketball who never laced up sneakers or coached on a sideline: former Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro – the guy who connected sneaker money to so-called amateur hoops. He is also is the person who has become perhaps the most important spokesperson against the injustices the NCAA. I also have some "choice words" about an event I moderated last week with San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and Dr. Cornel West in front of 350 San Antonio high school students and most of the Spurs team. We also have our "Just Stand Up" award and a new segment we are titling Kaepernick Watch! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

—http://twitter.com/edgeofsports | http://fb.com/edgeofsportspod | email us: edgeofsports@slate.com | Edge of Sports hotline: 401-428-3343 (EDGE) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Legendary sports sociologist Dr. Harry Edwards has been working with Colin Kaepernick and speaking in locker rooms around the country. We speak with him about the recent elections and the challenges as well as the opportunities it creates for this new generation of athlete-activists. We also ask Dr. Edwards what inspiration can be drawn from the life of his old friend Muhammad Ali. In addition, I have some choice words about critics of Colin Kaepernick's decision not to vote, we have an extended just stand up award section for every athlete already standing up to Trump and we take calls about how folks are dealing with the altered political landscape.Full notes at http://www.edgeofsportspodcast.com—http://twitter.com/edgeofsports | http://fb.com/edgeofsportspod | email us: edgeofsports@slate.com | Edge of Sports hotline: 401-428-3343 (EDGE) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

ESPN The Magazine's Howard Bryant joins the podcast to talk about the only issue that matters. The election of Donald Trump was a slap in the face to anyone who believes that racism, sexual assault and anti-immigrant sentiment are are bad. But the election of Trump - with a minority of the vote remember - is far more complicated that just saying it's racism. It's the Democratic Party, it's the Clinton campaign, and it's the way working class people - white, black and brown - have been crushed in this country. We also have an inspiring Just Stand Up award to the only three-time winner Wisconsin's Nigel Hayes.Full notes at http://www.edgeofsportspodcast.com—http://twitter.com/edgeofsports | http://fb.com/edgeofsportspod | email us: edgeofsports@slate.com | Edge of Sports hotline: 401-428-3343 (EDGE) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We are honored to speak with Reverend Jesse Jackson about his trip to North Dakota to fight the Dakota access pipeline (DAPL,) giving Jackie Robinson's eulogy, and playing one-on-one against Marvin Gaye. We are equally honored to speak to native American journalist Jackie Keeler about her experiences in North Dakota, its connection to a Native American mascots in sports, and why the DAPL resistance has produced, in her mind, "the most unified native response since Little Big Horn." We also have Choice Words about what politics could look like in the NBA locker room after their greatest fan leaves the White House, the Just Stand Up goes to two Wisconsin players with their eyes on the prize: Bronson Koenig and - again - to Nigel Hayes.https://twitter.com/RevJJackson | http://rainbowpush.orghttps://twitter.com/jfkeeler—http://www.edgeofsportspodcast.com | http://twitter.com/edgeofsports | http://fb.com/edgeofsportspod | email us: edgeofsports@slate.com | Edge of Sports hotline: 401-428-3343 (EDGE)—mu

In a week dominated by stories about former New York Giants place kicker Josh Brown and the NFL's continual coverup of domestic violence, we speak to Jessica Luther, author of the book “Unsportsmanlike Conduct: College Football and the Politics of Rape.” This week I also have some choice words of my own about the Giants’ shameful handling of the Josh Brown incident and why Roger Goodell should, in my opinion, no longer be employed. Lastly, the ‘Just Stand Up’ award goes to Denasia Lawrence, a National Anthem singer with a purpose.Jessica Luther: http://jessicawluther.com | https://twitter.com/scATX Unsportsmanlike Conduct: College Football and the Politics of Rape http://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/unsportsmanlike-conduct/Zirin column, ‘Another Shocking Domestic Violence Case Is Rocking the NFL’ https://www.thenation.com/article/another-shocking-domestic-violence-case-is-rocking-the-nfl—http://www.edgeofsportspodcast.com | http://twitter.com/edgeofsports | http://fb.com/edgeofsportspod | email us: edgeof

John Cusack is a renowned actor, best known for classics like Being John Malkovich, Better Off Dead, Say Anything, and for my money, the greatest sports movie of all time, Eight Men Out. Cusack is also a serious political thinker with a new book “Things That Can and Cannot Be Said: Essays and Conversations,” co-written with Indian author Arundhati Roy about a range of subjects from patriotism, war, resistance, and empire – most centrally a reflection on a trip Cusack took with Roy and famed whistleblower of the Pentagon Papers, Daniel Ellsberg to meet with NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. We speak with Cusack on his book, his beloved Chicago Cubs, patriotism, the anthem protests of Colin Kaepernick and I slip in a couple of movie questions as well. I also have some "choice words" about Kaepernick's first start of the season in Buffalo and “Just Stand Up” awards go to Wisconsin Badger Nigel Hayes and LA Dodger Adrian Gonzalez.Things that Can and Cannot Be Said: Essays and Conversations by Arundhat

In an attempt to excuse his own repugnant behavior, Donald Trump unwittingly started a real conversation on what he dubbed “locker room talk” about sexual violence against women. Our guest, Detroit Lions linebacker DeAndre Levy, is the rare pro athlete who is awake to this issue. Levy writes, advocates, and fundraises to fight domestic and sexual abuse. We also speak to him about the Kaepernick protests. Then, we have ’Choice Words’ about my own experience with "locker room talk" and the ‘Just Stand Up’ award goes to Mets broadcaster Ron Darling for speaking out against the “rage of the inarticulate.”The Nation column, Not in My Locker Room https://www.thenation.com/article/not-in-my-locker-room‘Man Up,’ DeAndre Levy essay http://www.theplayerstribune.com/deandre-levy-sexual-assault-awareness/‘Our Issue’ T-Shirts, benefiting the Michigan Women’s Foundation and ‘Detroit Hustles Harder’ https://www.crowdrise.com/our-issueDetroit Hustles Harder https://fb.com/detroithustlesharderofficialTo purchase '

We speak to Dr. Walter Beach, starter on the Cleveland Browns 1964 Championship team and member of the famed Muhammad Ali Summit about the politics of sports and racism: what has changed and what remains the same from his days in the NFL. He is as deep a thinker as you will find and this will "wow" you. We also speak about Colin Kaepernick's comments about the Trump=Clinton elections, the gorilla taking the field with an All Lives Matter sign, and we have a Just Stand Up award for a player released from the NFL after taking a knee in London, and the East Carolina band.The Nation, Colin Kaepernick Has a Right to Hate Both Candidateshttps://www.thenation.com/article/colin-kaepernick-has-a-right-to-hate-both-candidates/—Please take our survey at http://panoply.fm/survey—http://edgeofsportspodcast.com | http://twitter.com/edgeofsports | http://fb.com/edgeofsportspod | email us: edgeofsports@slate.com—music: “Classic Man” - Jidenna http://jidenna.com (Jidenna, Nana Kwabena, Nate "Rocket" Wonder