Episode 80 with Dave Zirin, Journalist, Activist, Host of The Edge of Sports for The Nation, and Author of 2021‘s Important The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee and Changing the World

Show Notes and Links to Dave Zirin’s Work and Allusions/Texts from Episode 80

 

      On Episode 80, Pete talks with Dave Zirin about his work as an activist and journalist, his early influences in reading and civic engagement, “ ‘Eureka’ moments,” his fine work with The Nation and book publishing, and his 2021 release, the important book, The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee and Changing the World. With discussion of the book comes conversation about some of the forces repressing change, but more importantly, famous people and not-so-famous people enacting change through educating others and through direct action. 

 

Dave Zirin, The Nation’s sports editor, is the author of ten books on the politics of sports, most recently, The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee, Changing the World. Named one of UTNE Reader’s “50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Our World,” Zirin is a frequent guest on ESPN, MSNBC, and Democracy Now! He also hosts The Nation’s Edge of Sports podcast. You can find all his work or contact him through his website EdgeofSports.com. Follow him on twitter @EdgeofSports.

Buy The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee, Changing the World

 

Dave Zirin’s Personal Website

 

Dave Zirin's Wikipedia Page

 

"Dave Zirin is The Kaepernick Whisperer" (The Ringer, 2018)

 

Support organization to which book proceeds go-Serve Your City DC

 

At about 2:00, Dave talks about his feelings as The Kaepernick Effect is a few days away from being published, and the mission he feels in publishing a book on such an important and underrepresented movement inspired by Colin Kaepernick; Dave highlights that proceeds from the book go to serveyourcitydc.org

 

At about 4:15, Pete asks Dave about his childhood relationship with the written word, including his love of sports and his older sister’s outsized impact on him, especially with the fact that she was a heavy reader; he also mentions his love of books like Season on the Brink by John Feinstein

 

At about 7:00, Dave highlights James Baldwin as a writer who has thrilled him throughout his life, leading Dave to talk about his love for rereading great books like Baldwin’s

 

At about 8:25, Dave talks about sportswriters like Frank DeFord, Leigh Montville, Selena Roberts, Ralph Wiley at Sports Illustrated and its power in his life, as well as his mother’s providing the family access to local news

 

At about 10:40, Pete asks Dave about starting points for him as a journalist and an activist, 

 

At about 12:30, Dave talks about turning points and how he came to write about sports and politics

 

At about 15:10, Pete asks Dave about his current reading, and Dave highlights David Maraniss and Howard Bryant, as well as Lindsey Adler

At about 16:30, Howard and Pete talk about tennis and Howard Bryant’s promotion of it and the text that Dave sent about playing on a tennis grass court

At about 18:10, Pete asks Dave about connections between “older” athlete/activists and what he has seen in his years at The Nation regarding current activist-athletes 

At about 20:45, Dave talks about the titanic changes that have come around regarding athlete/activism, due to 

At about 23:20, Dave talks about The People’s History of Sports in the United States and its genesis, as well as great interactions with his inspirations like Jim Bouton and Howard Zinn

At about 26:20, Pete and Dave discuss his book, The Kaepernick Effect, and its genesis, and Dave’s concern in summarizing and memorializing so much recent history; he talks about his inspiration by Howard Zinn’s curating

At about 30:15, Dave talks about how the largest protests in US history-regarding the police murder of George Floyd-changed the focus of his book

At about 32:15, Pete asks Dave about the revisionist history of Colin Kaepernick as “simply not being a good quarterback”

At about 34:20, Pete points to the juxtaposition of knees that starts off Dave’s book

At about 34:55, Dave talks about Steve Wyche’s perspective five years after being the first to cover the Kaepernick kneeling

At about 36:40, Dave and Pete discuss a few individual like April Parkerson and Rodney Axson who were the first athletes to follow Kaepernick’s lead; Dave puts these courageous acts into context, including the fallout in Beaumont, Texas

At about 39:50, Dave discusses the vitriol directed at Denby High School as discussed in the book

At about 40:50, Dave highlights a coach in Minnesota, Marjaan Siddar, who educates his players and keeps them working for progressive causes

At about 42:20, Pete asks Dave how he weighs and balances the future of the high school generation and their activism, as laid out in the book

At about 44:30, Dave discusses the book’s section about college player activists, as Pete and he highlight Alexis Bazen and the message that dave says “pays it forward”  

At about 48:15, Dave is asked about the idea of an “ally” and how one acts in solidarity, and its connection to Megan Rapinoe and others discussed in his book who 

At about 50:00, Pete asks Dave his thoughts on recent NCAA bylaws changing regarding selling one’s likeness and how this affects the rights of college athletes

At about 51:00, Pete and Dave highlight and discuss changemakers in the NFL and other pro sports, as outlined in the last chapter of the book, including Gwen Berry, Eric Reid, Kenny Stills, and Bruce Maxwell

At about 53:15, Dave points to Howard Bryant’s book, The Heritage: Black Athletes, a Divided America, and the Politics of Patriotism, in explaining the expanded conflation of patriotism and sports, especially since 9/11

At about 55:00, Dave talks about Michael Bennett’s worldview and work for change

At about 56:00, Pete and Dave highlight Dr. John Carlos’ inspiring words from the Epilogue, as well as his inspiring work for justice

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Please tune in for the next episode, Episode 81 with Cerise Castle, who has written for NPR, LAMag, and Vice News, among others, and has recently written an incredibly well-done history of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department gangs and cliques. The episode will air on September 28.