Edge of Sports

We have a show this week that fills me with pride and anger. The pride comes from the fact that we interview two NFL Hall of Fame players who grew up in the Jim Crow south, went to Historically Black Colleges, and played in the 1960s: Willie Lanier and Ken Houston. We hear their stories and it is – to put it mildly - powerful stuff. The anger comes with our opening topic: my thoughts on the cancelling of MSNBC’s The Melissa Harris Perry Show, a place where I was regularly accorded a platform to discuss the politics of sports. After giving my own thoughts, I speak to original Melissa Harris Perry Show producer - and current MTV News journalist - Jamil Smith about the abrupt cancellation of the show. I also give the Just Stand Up Award to a college football team trying to end sexual assault.#NerdlandForever—This episode of Edge of Sports is brought to you by FreshBooks. For the best way to make tax season easy, especially for freelancers like me, get FreshBooks, a cloud accounting software designed exclusively for small business owners and freelancers. Go to http://FreshBooks.com/Edge and enter Edge in the “How You Heard About Us” section for a 30-day free trial.—“Melissa Harris-Perry’s Email to Her #nerdland Staff”https://medium.com/@JamilSmith/melissa-harris-perry-s-email-to-her-nerdland-staff-11292bdc27cb#.nbmyqf9tjcolumn: “Thank You, Melissa Harris-Perry” http://www.thenation.com/article/thank-you-melissa-harris-perry-tears-for-nerdland/Special thanks: Willie Lanier, Ken Houston, George Atallah, Carl Francis, Jamil Smith (http://twitter.com/JamilSmith)—http://twitter.com/edgeofsports | http://edgeofsportspodcast.com | http://fb.com/edgeofsportspod | edgeofsports@slate.comMusic by The Funky Meters http://funkymeters.com and a.bee https://soundcloud.com/abe-e Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This week on Edge of Sports, we have two sports/politics legends of 1968 and we speak to them in front of 500 people in a packed Oakland auditorium. They are DR. JOHN CARLOS, who raised his fist on the medal stand in Mexico City along with Tommie Smith, and the great WYOMIA TYUS, the first person to ever win back-to-back 100 meter gold at the Olympic games in 1964 and 1968. Ms. Tyus also stood in solidarity with John Carlos and Tommie Smith although that has been written out of most mainstream histories. This week’s column read is on “The Hidden History of Muhammad Ali and the Black Panthers” and we give our “Just Stand Up Award” to the Jayhawks: aka the people in the Athletic Department at the University of Kansas.See the full event video: https://youtu.be/soaaLNnXgDoCenter for Sport and Social Justice: http://www20.csueastbay.edu/ceas/cssj/Dave’s column: http://thenation.com/article/muhammad-ali-and-the-black-panther-party/PBS “The Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution” http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/the-black-panthers-vanguard-of-the-revolution/Special thanks to the Center Sports and Social Justice at Cal State East Bay and Prof. Rita Liberti. —-This episode of Edge of Sports is brought to you by FreshBooks. For the best way to make tax season easy, especially for freelancers like me, get FreshBooks, a cloud accounting software designed exclusivelyfor small business owners and freelancers. Go to http://FreshBooks.com/Edge and enter Edge in the “How You Heard About Us” section for a 30-day free trial.—http://twitter.com/edgeofsports | http://edgeofsportspodcast.com | http://fb.com/edgeofsportspod | edgeofsports@slate.com-Music: “Contact!” by The Kount http://soundcloud.com/the-kount, “Volcano Zone” by Ramzoid http://soundcloud.com/ramzoid, “The Champ Is Here” (instrumental) by Jadakiss produced by DJ Green Lantern http://soundcloud.com/djgreenlantern Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Edge of Sports welcomes Martina Navratilova, one of the greatest tennis players ever and one of host Dave Zirin’s political-athlete heroes. Martina made history not just with her utter on-court dominance of the 1980s, but through a remarkable journey away from her family in totalitarian Czechoslovakia, and to a life where she lives today as a political, open LGBT American. This week’s column read is “The Past Is Never Dead: Peyton Manning and Today’s Jock-Rape Culture at Tennessee,” and we give “Just Stand Up Awards” to musicians Win Butler and Kendrick Lamar.—-This episode of Edge of Sports is brought to you by FreshBooks. For the best way to make tax season easy, get FreshBooks, a cloud accounting software designed exclusively for small business owners and freelancers. Go to http://FreshBooks.com/Edge and enter "Edge" in the “How You Heard About Us” section for a 30-day free trial. We’re also sponsored by Casper mattresses. Go to http://Casper.com/Edge for great offers on amazing mattresses, and you’ll be supporting Edge of Sports.—9:54 Sports Illustrated: Jason Collins a 'game-changer' http://on.si.com/1mJ3HJA16:53 Jan Palach Funeral (1969) http://youtu.be/A26Z4MB1yJ818:22 Soviets Put Down Prague Spring (1968) http://britishpathe.com/video/soviets-pu…wn-prague-spring19:34 Navratilova wins 1st US Open over Chris Evert, 1983 http://youtu.be/3LBR1mlKj7A21:28 Mel DiGiacomo: http://northjersey.com/arts-and-entertai….1332027?page=all26:50 Dave Zirin: http://thenation.com/article/the-past-i…ture-at-tennessee/28:42 Shaun King: http://nydailynews.com/news/national/kin…article-1.253039530:58 Jessica Luther: http://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/wit…-explaining-to-do34:25 Win Butler: http://youtu.be/fhxtrSIkseA35:47 Kendrick: http://video.vulture.com/video/Kendrick-L…s-Performance-at—Music: Vytis http://soundcloud.com/vytisbeats | Hamry http://soundcloud.com/hamry | ABBA http://abbasite.com | Floex http://soundcloud.com/floex | Arcade Fire http://arcadefire.com | Kendrick Lamar http://kendricklamar.com—twitter.com/martina | martinanavratilova.comtwitter.com/edgeofsports | edgeofsportspodcast.com | fb.com/edgeofsportspod |edgeofsports@slate.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In the aftermath of Super Bowl 50, we look at two figures who personify "Unapologetic Blackness." First, we discuss the indomitable of Cam Newton with former NFL pro, Harvard Business School grad and columnist Domonique Foxworth. Next, we get in ‘formation’ for Beyoncé with Dr. Brittney Cooper AKA Professor Crunk, who schools us on the rich symbolism of Beyoncé’s latest cultural touchstone. Then, Dave Zirin delivers an antiseptic column read: “Super Bowl 50: Brought to You by Toe Fungus,” and finally, a smackdown challenge to Rob Lowe (yes, the actor) who had some choice words for Cam Newton on twitter.—Edge of Sports is brought to you by Harry’s Razors. Save half the price on name brand blades with Harry’s factory-direct prices and a money-back guarantee. When you use the code EDGE at http://Harrys.com, you save $5 on your first purchase, AND you’re supporting this program. We’re also sponsored by FreshBooks. For freelancers and small business owners, FreshBooks takes the pain out of accounting. Have a question about the service? A real-live human will answer every call in about 3 rings. Get your 30-day free trial by going to http://FreshBooks.com/Edge and entering EDGE in the “How You Heard About Us” section.—Beyoncé “Formation” video: http://youtu.be/LrCHz1gwzTo | Beyoncé owns Super Bowl 50 Halftime show: http://youtu.be/L_Hgh7sPDLMDave’s column in TheNation.com: “Super Bowl 50: Brought to You by Toe Fungus” http://www.thenation.com/article/super-bowl-50-brought-to-you-by-toe-fungus/Domonique Foxworthin USA Today: “Why we should celebrate Cam being Cam” http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/02/cam-newton-domonique-foxworth-black-culturehttp://twitter.com/Foxworth24Dr. Brittney Cooper AKA Professor Crunk is an Assistant Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies and Africana Studies at Rutgers University http://brittneycooper.com | http://twitter.com/ProfessorCrunktwitter: http://twitter.com/edgeofsports | facebook: http://fb.com/edgeofsportspod | homepage: http://edgeofsportspodcast.com | email: edgeofsports@slate.comMusic: "Formation" by Beyoncé http://youtu.be/LrCHz1gwzTo | "Formation" Paul Cabbin Instrumental Remake http://paulcabbinbeats.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Edge of Sports Super Bowl Blockbuster Special features radical linguistic theorist Noam Chomsky giving his first-ever sports interview. Today, the MIT professor drops knowledge on the gladiatorial spectacle capturing the world's attention, but far from a sports-grinch, you'll also hear Chomsky re-live his early love affair with baseball. He assesses the phenomena of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump after the Iowa caucuses, and to top it all off - he even gives the long-awaited Chomsky Super Bowl pick. Dave’s column this week is about transformational Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, and the ‘Just Stand Up’ award goes to Greek soccer teams who stood up for Syrian refugees by sitting down.—Edge of Sports is brought to you by FreshBooks. For freelancers and small business owners, FreshBooks takes the pain out of accounting. Have a question about the service? A real-live human will answer every call in about 3 rings. Get your 30-day free trial by going to http://FreshBooks.com/Edge and entering the code EDGE.—Links:•Noam Chomsky on Firing Line with William F. Buckley: http://archive.org/details/NoamChomsky-04-03-69-DebateWithWilliamF.Buckley-CompleteTopAudio•Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists ‘Doomsday Clock’: http://thebulletin.org/timeline •Climate Change action: http://350.org •Dave’s column “Cam Newton: The Bridge to Somewhere”: http://thenation.com/article/cam-newton-the-bridge-to-somewhere/•Greek match delayed as players stage sit-down protest over migrant deaths: http://theguardian.com/football/2016/jan/30/greek-match-delayed-players-sit-down-protest-migrant-deathsNoam Chomsky website: http://chomsky.infoDave Zirin twitter: http://twitter.com/edgeofsports Podcast homepage: http://edgeofsportspodcast.comEmail: edgeofsports@slate.com_Music: "Look at My Dab" by Migos, Instrumental by DrummaBoy https://soundcloud.com/madedrummaboyfresh | "No Sass" by Photay, Remix by Mitch Website http://soundcloud.com/mitch-website | "The Babylon Device" by Yung Death Ray & Mitch Website https://soundcloud.com/yung-death-ray | "Where Ya At" by Future/Drake Instrumental by Metro Boomin http://soundcloud.com/metroboomin Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today, the video of Dave Zirin's interview with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is available on TheNation.com, EdgeOfSportsPodcast.com, and YouTube. You'll hear and see aspects of this experience that had to be cut out of the podcast.Short clip: https://youtu.be/hP5aTGcXMwgFull interview: https://youtu.be/9xtI8c0Dg8QIn honor of this release, we're bringing back our conversation with Kareem in its entirety. You can hear something new with every listen.3:11 “These Terrorist Attacks Are Not About Religion”http://ti.me/1x57Sgy10:13 “This is the difference between Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders” http://wapo.st/1NY53ug10:59 “The Coming Race War Won’t Be About Race“http://ti.me/1mZr2Rc30:27 “College Athletes of the World, Unite”http://jacobinmag.com/2014/11/college-athletes-of-the-world-unite/33:53 “Mycroft Holmes” by Kareem Abdul-Jabbarhttp://titanbooks.com/mycroft-holmes-7528/Kareem's latest article:  Why Black People Are 'Invisible to Oscar Voters hollywoodreporter.com/news/kareem-abdul-jabbar-why-black-859551The HBO Documentary 'Minority of One' hbo.com/kareemLinks to Kareem: kareemabduljabbar.com | twitter.com/kaj33 | facebook.com/kajLinks to Dave: edgeofsportspodcast.com | twitter.com/edgeofsports | fb.com/edgeofsports | email: edgeofsports@slate.com—This episode is brought to you by Harry’s Razors. Save half the price on name brand blades with Harry’s factory-direct prices and a money-back guarantee. When you use the code EDGE at Harrys.com, you save $5 off your $15 starter set AND you’re supporting this program.—Music: Bobby Hutcherson (Goin’ Down South, Black Heroes) bluenote.com/artists/bobby-hutcherson | Gil-Scott Heron (The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, Who’ll Pay Reparations On My Soul?, Late Last Night) gilscottheron.net | Ibrahim Maalouf (Alf Leila Wa Leila - Introduction) ibrahimmaalouf.com—Special thanks: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Deborah Morales, Audy & Janice. Thirsty Tiger TV: Valerie Chow, Angie, Alessandro, Wayne, Scott & Tim. Panoply: Brendan & Andy. The Nation: Frank Reynolds. Produced by Dan Bloom. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Lawrence Phillips was a phenomenal football talent, a back-to-back National Champion at the University of Nebraska and a top NFL draft pick in 1996. But a childhood marred by trauma and violence undercut Phillips’ promise of a fruitful life. Despite his obvious athletic gifts, a pattern of disturbing off-field behavior pushed Phillips out of the league and into legal trouble. In 2008, Lawrence Phillips entered Kern Valley State Prison. He would never get to see the outside again. In January of 2015, while awaiting trial for the alleged murder of his cell-mate, Phillips was found dead in his cell - a suspected suicide. Today, Dave Zirin seeks clarity and lessons from the tragic life of Lawrence Phillips. Our guests are Damon Benning, a Cornhusker teammate of Phillips and a current radio host in Lincoln, Howard University Professor Christian-Dotson Pierson, and Neil Irvin, Executive Director of ‘Men Can Stop Rape.’Zirin article: “Who Killed Lawrence Phillips?” http://www.thenation.com/article/who-killed-lawrence-phillips/Edge of Sports homepage http://edgeofsportspodcast.comhttp://twitter.com/edgeofsports | http://fb.com/edgeofsports | email edgeofsports@slate.com Damon Benning twitter http://twitter.com/damonbenningMen Can Stop Rape http://mencanstoprape.org | Neil Irvin twitter http://twitter.com/mcsr_nirvinChristian Dotson-Pierson twitter http://twitter.com/profcdpMusic: Hide & Seek by WTCHCRFT http://soundcloud.com/wtchcrft2 | Blankets by Swell http://soundcloud.com/swll | 808s and birthday cake by Tim Legend http://soundcloud.com/timlegend Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the consummate renaissance man of basketball. The all-time leading scorer in NBA history is also an author, historian, and now, a cultural commentator on the most hot-button political topics of the day. Dave Zirin traveled across the country and spoke with Kareem for the full hour, discussing his deep history of activism, scholarship and steadfast self-discovery. We’ll be releasing video of this interview at TheNation.com in the coming weeks.3:28 article: “These Terrorist Attacks Are Not About Religion”5:52 Trump on Muslims6:50 Are you a Bernie Sanders supporter?8:03 Kareem in Brazil9:40 The Obama era10:30 article: “This is the difference between Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders”11:16 article: “The Coming Race War Won’t Be About Race“15:20 Ever been pulled over “driving while black?”16:24 Assassination of Malcolm X17:10 Choice of UCLA20:41 The Ali Summit23:12 1968 Olympics, reason for sitting?23:58 Sports in society24:18 Jackie Robinson25:28 John Lewis26:55 Missouri football29:17 Sports in the black community30:10 NCAA reforms30:44 article, “College Athletes of the World, Unite”31:14 Bruce Lee34:10 book: “Mycroft Holmes” by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar36:02 Robert B. Parker37:14 Gil-Scott Heron42:00 Bobby Hutcherson43:00 Yoga44:05 Younger generation of activists44:46 Did Murdock have the fish?45:23 Joe Louis & Lana Turner46:09 Message to your younger selfLinks to Kareem: kareemabduljabbar.com | twitter.com/kaj33 | hbo.com/kareemLinks to Dave: edgeofsportspodcast.com | twitter.com/edgeofsports | fb.com/edgeofsports | email: edgeofsports@slate.com—This episode of Edge of Sports is brought to you by Harry’s Razors. Save half the price on name brand blades with Harry’s factory-direct prices and a money-back guarantee. When you use the code EDGE at Harrys.com, you save $5 off your $15 starter set AND you’re supporting this program.—Music: Bobby Hutcherson (Goin’ Down South, Black Heroes) | Gil-Scott Heron (The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, Who’ll Pay Reparations On My Soul?, Late Last Night)  | Ibrahim Maalouf (Alf Leila Wa Leila - Introduction)—Special thanks: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Deborah Morales, Audy & Janice. Thirsty Tiger TV: Valerie Chow, Angie, Alessandro, Wayne, Scott & Tim. Panoply: Brendan & Andy. The Nation: Frank Reynolds. Produced by Dan Bloom. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This week, Edge of Sports is traveling to LA to interview Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Instead of taking the week off, Dave Zirin is dropping into your podcast feed to call for questions and give listeners a window into his thought process going into this once-in-a-lifetime interview. Dave also reads his current column from The Nation about Lebron James and the competing opinions about his lack of comment after Tamir Rice’s police killers scandalously avoided indictment. Finally, the ‘Just Stand Up’ award goes to Baltimore-based activist Tariq Touré who started this conversation by thinking up the hashtag #NoJusticeNoLeBron.--Column: “The Tactical Intelligence of #NoJusticeNoLeBron” http://www.thenation.com/article/the-tactical-intelligence-of-nojusticenolebron/Email Dave at edgeofsports@slate.com, tweet http://twitter.com/edgeofsports, and find all the previous episodes at http://edgeofsportspodcast.com including last week’s look back at our best interviews of 2015.Music: ‘Cadillac’ by Kayloo & Silo [ https://soundcloud.com/kayloo-sound | https://soundcloud.com/silo-beats ]‘Neon Nightriders’ by Jasper Staal [ https://soundcloud.com/jasperstaal ] Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

“Life moves pretty fast…if you don’t stop and look around once in a while…you could miss it.” Wise words from Ferris Bueller animate the year’s final episode, where we revisit our favorite Edge of Sports guests of 2015. You’ll hear from musicians Chuck D and John Legend, Orioles owner John Angelos, NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith, journalist Jeanne Marie Laskas and NBA Champion Samaki Walker, the first NBA player to ply his trade in Syria. Also, Dave delivers his film review of ‘Concussion’ and gives his inaugural “State of the Sports Union.” We have big plans for the new year, starting with a trip to LA and an interview with NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. --Please send your questions and interview topics to edgeofsports@slate.com or tweet Dave at http://twitter.com/edgeofsports. Thanks for listening, and have a safe & happy New Year.1:00 - Chuck D, 5:30 - John Legend, 13:40 - John Angelos, 19:30 - DeMaurice Smith, 22:30 - Jeanne Marie Laskas27:16 - Dave ‘Concussion’ review: http://www.thenation.com/article/why-the-movie-concussion-spells-trouble-for-the-nfl-and-moral-angst-for-the-rest-of-us/, 34:24 - State of the Sports Union, “Women Roar”: http://www.thenation.com/article/women-roar-the-story-of-the-year-at-the-intersection-of-sports-and-politics/39:50 - Samaki WalkerMusic: Stoopkid - Day Bow Bow https://soundcloud.com/stoopkidbeats. Public Enemy - Welcome to the Terrordome, Harder Than You Think, He Got Game. John Legend & The Roots - Our Generation,  I Can't Write Left Handed. Nina Simone - Baltimore. West1ne - The Elks https://soundcloud.com/west1ne. Ibrahim Maalouf - InPressi http://ibrahimmaalouf.com. HUNTS. & west metro - better days https://soundcloud.com/west-metro http://soundcloud.com/huntsssHomepage: http://edgeofsportspodcast.com | Email: edgeofsports@slate.com | Twitter: http://twitter.com/edgeofsports | http://twitter.com/danbloomsports Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy