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"Seeing those things play out live, because these days everything's on Facebook or Instagram Live, really sparked something in our kids, and they wanted to know what could we do, how could we make a difference, and asking, 'Can we even make a difference?'" Pg.18

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"Seeing those things play out live, because these days everything's on Facebook or Instagram Live, really sparked something in our kids, and they wanted to know what could we do, how could we make a difference, and asking, 'Can we even make a difference?'" Pg.18

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This quote talks about how seeing real-time events, like social injustices, affects a group of people. Mentioning Facebook or Instagram Live shows how quickly and widely these events are seen in today's society. The fact that these things made our kids react shows that young people were really affected. The quote shows that the people were worried about whether they could help and if their actions would really make a difference. It shows that someone is paying close attention and wants to make things better when faced with problems in society and culture.

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"As a result. "I have been called multiple racial slurs, especially the N-word, by other student athletes and members of the student body".

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"As a result. "I have been called multiple racial slurs, especially the N-word, by other student athletes and members of the student body".

# data[].attributes.body
In this quote, the author starts to talk about a bad experience about someone being harassed because of their race. He talks about that they have been called a lot of racist names, especially the N-word. Other students and athletes have been using unfair words to hurt them. The quote is about how racism is a big problem in the speaker's school and sports teams. It shows that we need to be more aware, learn more about this issue, and try to make our community more welcoming and respectful to everyone.

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"You almost feel like you stand out everywhere. You're metaphorically the loudest one in the room just because your contrast is different."

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"You almost feel like you stand out everywhere. You're metaphorically the loudest one in the room just because your contrast is different."

# data[].attributes.body
In this quote, the speaker talks about how it feels to be noticed and stand out because of their unique differences. The phrase "metaphorically the loudest one in the room" means that someone stands out and is noticed in a certain place. The speaker thinks their differences, like their race or ethnicity, make them stand out in different situations. This means always knowing that you are different and facing difficulties in places where people focus on those differences.

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"It was definitely difficult walking to that environment with all the expectations of who I should be".

# data[].attributes.subject
"It was definitely difficult walking to that environment with all the expectations of who I should be".

# data[].attributes.body
In this quote, the person talks about the difficulties they had when they first entered a new place. The problem comes from the pressure of what society expects and what people already think about who they are. The saying "what people expect me to be" means that the person felt pressure to be someone they are not. This shows how what people expect of you and your cultural background can affect how you see yourself. It also shows how hard it can be to deal with these pressures in a particular place.

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"That's just me. But I feel like we, being Black men, are singled out by everybody. You've got black men killing each other."

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"That's just me. But I feel like we, being Black men, are singled out by everybody. You've got black men killing each other."

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In this quote, the person shares their own view on the struggles Black men have to deal with. The speaker thinks that society unfairly pays a lot of attention to Black men and treats them differently than other people. Talking about "Black men killing each other" may make people think about a bigger problem in society or a stereotype. It could also mean that there are complicated things happening in certain communities. The speaker feels frustrated because they think that Black men are treated unfairly by society because of their race, and sometimes even by their own communities.

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1. Who is Colin Kaepernick?

2. Who were the people mentioned in the book that were killed?

3. What is the Kaepernick effect?

4. What are black people facing in the book?

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1. Why do you think black people are treated differently than other races?

2. Was there more context to Colin Kaepernicks kneel than "disrespect"?

3. Why does the NFL blackball players that speak out on social issues?

4. Why do you think the author includes many stories of different people standing for justice?

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"Then came the backlash. The Board of Regents wanted them off scholarship, effectively kicked out of the school." Pg.106

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"Then came the backlash. The Board of Regents wanted them off scholarship, effectively kicked out of the school." Pg.106

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This quote is about something bad happening after a certain action or event. In this situation, it says that a negative reaction happened after something happened or a choice was made. The school leaders want to take away the scholarships of the people involved, so they will have to leave the school. The Board of Regents' reply indicates a serious and harsh response to whatever caused the negative reaction. It shows that there could be big consequences for the situation mentioned on page 106.

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"I asked if he felt that his actions laid the groundwork for this explosion of struggle in response to Floyd's murder. He said, "The groundwork has been laid by the labor of our ancestors. The groundwork was set by the people that came before us and were assassinated, or had been forced to remove themselves from this country." Pg.107

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"I asked if he felt that his actions laid the groundwork for this explosion of struggle in response to Floyd's murder. He said, "The groundwork has been laid by the labor of our ancestors. The groundwork was set by the people that came before us and were assassinated, or had been forced to remove themselves from this country." Pg.107

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In this quote, the speaker is asking if the person being interviewed thinks they caused the protests after George Floyd was killed. The person being interviewed doesn't take personal credit. They say that their ancestors worked hard and faced tough times like assassination and being forced to leave the country. This laid the foundation for the ongoing struggle. The person being interviewed shows that social movements are connected throughout history and that many people have worked together over time to fight against unfair systems. This reply sees the current fight as part of a long history of people standing up for their rights.

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"From an early age, she received the message that for her, as a Black woman, what people referred to as "acting hostile" toward police was not an option. I just knew this from my own experience with my family having to deal with police brutality and the justice system overall."

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"From an early age, she received the message that for her, as a Black woman, what people referred to as "acting hostile" toward police was not an option. I just knew this from my own experience with my family having to deal with police brutality and the justice system overall."

# data[].attributes.body
This quote shows how people feel about the rules society puts on Black people, especially Black women, when dealing with the police. The person talks about how they were told from a young age that they should not resist or act hostile towards the police. Talking about the speaker's own family experiences with police violence and the justice system helps us understand why they act this way. This shows that Black people know about the dangers of standing up to the police and it affects how they interact with them.

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"Another time was when a police officer followed his parents to their home because he assumed their car was too expensive for them to be driving it." Pg.104

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"Another time was when a police officer followed his parents to their home because he assumed their car was too expensive for them to be driving it." Pg.104

# data[].attributes.body
This quote talks about a time when a police officer went to the speaker's parents' house because the officer thought their car was expensive. The officer may have thought the family didn't own the expensive vehicle because of their race. This event shows how unfair it is when people are judged and treated badly because of their race. It shows how people are unfairly judged because of their race and the problems that communities who are often left out face in their everyday lives, even when they are just driving home.

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"There was a time, a week and a half ago, where I was just completely drained. Just from this stuff and getting back to work on a full time schedule, it was just tough." Pg.109

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"There was a time, a week and a half ago, where I was just completely drained. Just from this stuff and getting back to work on a full time schedule, it was just tough." Pg.109

# data[].attributes.body
This quote talks about a time when the person was feeling very tired and had a hard time about a week and a half ago. The tiredness is caused by many difficulties, including things like work and personal responsibilities. The words "just from this stuff" mean that something outside of their control, like things happening in their life, has made them feel exhausted. Going back to working full-time seems to add more stress. In general, the quote shows that the speaker is going through a tough time, feeling tired and having to deal with a lot of things that require their energy and focus.

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"I was the young gun on the team, a decent player at the time, but I had my breakout game. I scored thirty points, and on the way to the locker room, I was called a n---er by several people. And that was the first time that I really knew that racism was not only real, but something that could affect me in my daily life."

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"I was the young gun on the team, a decent player at the time, but I had my breakout game. I scored thirty points, and on the way to the locker room, I was called a n---er by several people. And that was the first time that I really knew that racism was not only real, but something that could affect me in my daily life."

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This quote talks about a time when someone had a great basketball game and did well, but then experienced racism, which was very upsetting. They were called a racist name after doing really well, and it made them realize that racism is real. This incident shows how bad racial prejudice is, and it made the speaker realize that racism is not just a big idea, but something that can really hurt them in their everyday life.

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'While playing Division 1 hoops at UC Santa Barbara in 2016, Mi'Chael Wright attempted to organize her team to take a knee-- and faced a hellacious backlash for her efforts." Pg.114

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'While playing Division 1 hoops at UC Santa Barbara in 2016, Mi'Chael Wright attempted to organize her team to take a knee-- and faced a hellacious backlash for her efforts." Pg.114

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This quote describes Mi'Chael Wright's time playing college basketball at UC Santa Barbara in 2016. It talks about how she tried to get her team to kneel as a protest, and how people got really mad at her for it. The word "hellacious" means that she faced a very tough and negative reaction to her protest when she tried to get her team involved during her time as a college athlete.

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"Come game time, six black players knelt along with two white teammates. Everyone else stood. That was expected. But it was the reaction in the stands that shocked Mi'Chael. 'This isn't UCLA or USC. We had small crowds. Many of our boosters and fans had been fans for thirty-five years and been supporting us for thirty-five years. But they started booing us. They threw trash on the court. People were flipping us off. People were leaving."

# data[].attributes.subject
"Come game time, six black players knelt along with two white teammates. Everyone else stood. That was expected. But it was the reaction in the stands that shocked Mi'Chael. 'This isn't UCLA or USC. We had small crowds. Many of our boosters and fans had been fans for thirty-five years and been supporting us for thirty-five years. But they started booing us. They threw trash on the court. People were flipping us off. People were leaving."

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This quote talks about a sad and shocking event where six black players and two white players knelt in protest during a game. The audience's bad response was not what the student thought would happen, especially from people who have supported them for a long time. The crowd reacted strongly against the players' peaceful protest by booing, throwing trash, and making offensive gestures. This situation shows how athletes may have a hard time sharing their opinions, even in a small, tight-knit community. The bad reaction shows how divided people are over protesting. It also shows that society is divided over many other things.

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" I would never compare anything to the civil rights demonstrations that were happening in the sixties, but I could feel the past in the present when those German shepherds were barking at us as we were chanting outside. It literally felt like a movie. We sat down and lay on the sidewalk in remembrance of how long Tamir Rice lay on the sidewalk until the ambulance got there".

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" I would never compare anything to the civil rights demonstrations that were happening in the sixties, but I could feel the past in the present when those German shepherds were barking at us as we were chanting outside. It literally felt like a movie. We sat down and lay on the sidewalk in remembrance of how long Tamir Rice lay on the sidewalk until the ambulance got there".

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This quote compares the current situation to the civil rights protests of the 1960s. The writer talks about a time when it felt like history was happening again, even though earlier protests were important too. The mention of German shepherds and the atmosphere brings up images of past civil rights struggles, showing that some challenges and confrontations continue over time. Sitting and lying on the sidewalk represents something important. It reminds us of a sad event involving Tamir Rice and shows that there are big problems in society.

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"There was less solidarity on campus among the white students. The overall dynamic "was definitely a ton of support on one end and a ton of scrutiny on the other."

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"There was less solidarity on campus among the white students. The overall dynamic "was definitely a ton of support on one end and a ton of scrutiny on the other."

# data[].attributes.body
This quote talks about how white students on a campus have different levels of support for each other. It shows how one group is strongly supported while the other gets a lot of criticism. The difference in how loud or soft things are shows how unity and disagreement in a community can be complicated. The quote shows that in a specific issue or movement, white students are divided into two groups. One group supports the issue a lot, while the other group is criticized a lot. This shows that social interactions can be difficult, with different levels of involvement and different points of view among a group of students with different backgrounds.

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"Jay said he taught his students, "y'all can believe whatever you want to believe, but I don't want you dissing Kaepernick just because you don't agree with him. Find out why he's doing what he's doing. Ask questions, do your own research, and then formulate your opinion."

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"Jay said he taught his students, "y'all can believe whatever you want to believe, but I don't want you dissing Kaepernick just because you don't agree with him. Find out why he's doing what he's doing. Ask questions, do your own research, and then formulate your opinion."

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In this quote, Jay says it's important to be open-minded and think carefully. He tells his students not to quickly judge or put down someone like Kaepernick just because they disagree with him, but to try to understand more. Jay supports thinking carefully about different opinions by doing research and asking questions. The message is about wanting to learn and understand different points of view. When we do this, we become more accepting of others and build a better society. It shows the importance of talking to others, learning new things, and making opinions after understanding all the information instead of just disagreeing right away.

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"Growing up, he was taught  "to watch out", because you're always going to be a target. You being a young black man in America, no matter what you do, no matter if you're a college graduate, you become a gang member in the eyes of many."

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"Growing up, he was taught  "to watch out", because you're always going to be a target. You being a young black man in America, no matter what you do, no matter if you're a college graduate, you become a gang member in the eyes of many."

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This quote talks about the unfair ideas and beliefs about young black men in America. The way the person was raised made them always be careful because society unfairly thinks that people with their skin color are dangerous, no matter how much education they have. The quote shows how young black men face a lot of challenges and unfair treatment because of their race. It shows the difficulty they have in trying to overcome the negative opinions and expectations that society has about them, which affects their lives and opportunities.

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"When we did end up protesting at the game, we got negative feedback from the community. I could understand the reason why, but at the same time I just wished they would've understood where we were coming from. We tried our best to do what we did respectfully."

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"When we did end up protesting at the game, we got negative feedback from the community. I could understand the reason why, but at the same time I just wished they would've understood where we were coming from. We tried our best to do what we did respectfully."

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This quote talks about the difficulties people have when they peacefully protest. Even though Tray meant well, people in the community didn't like what they said. This shows how hard it can be to get their message across in a good way. Tray wanted people to understand and respect their protest, and they understand the community's point of view. This talks about how activism can be complicated. People's reasons for doing things can be misunderstood. Even when people try to talk nicely, it's hard to understand different points of view. The quote shows how hard it is for people to understand and care about each other during peaceful protests. It also highlights the complex nature of social activism.

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"I didn't really think much of it when he did it initially, but what turned the spark in me was the reaction from others and how angry and heated and disgusted people were by it. Initially, I couldn't quite grasp why people thought it was so blasphemous."

# data[].attributes.subject
"I didn't really think much of it when he did it initially, but what turned the spark in me was the reaction from others and how angry and heated and disgusted people were by it. Initially, I couldn't quite grasp why people thought it was so blasphemous."

# data[].attributes.body
This quote shows how views can changed. At first, Winston didn't think the action was important. However, the reason he changed their opinion was because many people reacted very badly. He thinks about how they didn't understand why people were upset by the action at first. This story shows how people's thoughts and society's reactions can influence how individuals think. It means that how other people react and think about something can make a person change their mind and think about it differently.

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1. Do you think that kneeling during the national anthem is disrespectful towards the country?

2. Why do you think that celebrities and athletes raise awareness for social issues?

3. Do you think that injustice is not covered enough by the media?

4. Do you think the kneeling and protesting from 2016-2020 made any difference from a social justice standpoint?

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1. What did Richard Johnson ll talk about and why did he do it?

2. What was Alexus' point for sticking up for racism by taking a knee?

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Dave Zirin was born December 26, 1973 in New York.

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Dave Zirin was born December 26, 1973 in New York.

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Instagram- EdgeofSports

Twitter- EdgeofSports

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When Dave Zirin is not writing a book, he is most likely being a Sports Editor at "The Nation". Dave Zirin is a professor in the Humanities Department at Montgomery College where he teaches a course on the history of sports.

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It might impact their world-view because he probably grew up around racism since he is of jewish of descent. Growing up jewish might've been hard for Dave because he could've possibly been told anti-semitic remarks, especially in school.

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It might impact their world-view because he probably grew up around racism since he is of jewish of descent. Growing up jewish might've been hard for Dave because he could've possibly been told anti-semitic remarks, especially in school.

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1. Winner of Sport in Society

2. Nominated for a NAACP image award.

3. He is the author of 11 books on the politics of sports.

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Three Interesting Details about Dave Zirin

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Three Interesting Details about Dave Zirin

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Three interesting things to me that Dave Zirin has done is write 10 Books and make 2 movies, be a co-host on a radio show called "EdgeofSports" and become the Nation's first ever sports writer.

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1. The Kaepernick effect

2. The John Carlos Effect

3. What's my name, fool?

4. Things that Make White People uncomfortable.

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Dave Zirin attened Macalester College in St.Paul, Minnesota.

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Written Interview

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What inspired Dave Zirin to write was fighting against injustice and wrong-doings our country faces daily. He always wanted to talk about the reality of how the world treats people just because of their race/ethnicity and hoped to make a change by speaking out.

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To start the series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dave Zirin, a writer who has never shied away from exploring the relationships between sports and politics. Zirin, Press Action's 2005 and 2006 Sportswriter of the year, has been called "The best young sportswriter in America," by Robert Lipsyte, author and former New York Times sports columnist.

Zirin's weekly column is featured on his website edgeofsports.com, and his Edge of Sports radio show airs at 12 noon (EST) on Saturdays, XM Satellite Channel 167. His books include Welcome to the Terrordome, Muhammad Ali Handbook, and What's My Name, Fool!. In addition, Zirin is a columnist for Nation Magazine, SLAM Magazine, the Progressive, SI.com, and an op-ed writer for the Los Angeles Times. He has also appeared on such television programs as CNBC's The Big Idea with Donny Deutch, ESPN's Outside the Lines, and C-SPAN's BookTV. Just recently he was featured on National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation and All Things Considered.

In his newest book, A People's History of Sports in the United States (The New Press), Zirin explores the role sport has played in relation to politics, race, pop culture, and society throughout the history of the United States. Jim Bouton, author of Ball Four, said of the book, "Finally, the long-awaited prequel to all the sports books you've ever read. Put this first in the line of sports books on your shelf. It will help make sense of all the others."

Part of Howard Zinn's A People's History series, Zirin has been able to effectively demonstrate how influential sports in the United States have been with respect to civil rights, gender equality, and corporate America. This is a must read for any sports fan with an interest in politics, and a book that I wish I had had in high school while I struggled to stay focused in my US History classes.

Enjoy.

--Max

MT: Hi Dave, thanks for chatting with me today.

DZ: Sure.

MT: I came across your new book, actually my Mom told me about your new book, A People's History of Sports in the United States, after she heard you on National Public Radio (NPR). So naturally, as I always heed the advice of my Mother, I picked up your book and as I began reading I couldn't help but wish this book had been around when I was in high school, enrolled in American History 101. Your book, through examining the roles sports have played in society, is able to engage the reader on some of the major issues and political events throughout American History. It is really a great read.

DZ: [couple laughs], Thank you very much.

MT: Okay, we'll come back to the book, but to get things started would you mind going into your background a bit for our readers and how you got into sports writing.

DZ: Sure, I was born and raised in New York City, grew up just an absolute insane sports fan with very little interest in history or politics, but that really did change for me as I went to Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The thing that made me start thinking about the intersection between politics and sports was the controversy that surrounded Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, the Denver Nuggets player who refused to participate in the National Anthem before games. I heard several commentators compare him to people like Tommie Smith, John Carlos, or Muhammad Ali, saying [Abdul-] Rauf was following in the tradition of these other sports radicals. And that really opened my mind up because I had no idea, even being such a big sports fan, that there was a tradition of these sports radicals; that there were these political athletes and that any tradition between politics and sports even existed. At that point, the seed was planted in my head, which was about 12 years ago, for this book. And I really wanted to find a book that chartered that tradition, but it didn't exist.

MT: So you were still in college then?

DZ: Yeah, the book didn't exist that chartered that tradition of politics and sports and so at the time I thought, "Gee wouldn't it be great if there was a book like Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, that talked about sports." So then I started thinking about the book.

MT: So then you actually hooked up with Zinn because this is part of his New Press A People's History Series?

DZ: Yeah, its part of his series. Howard Zinn is a big sports fan, and he somehow got a hold of my first book, What's My Name, Fool!, and offered to do an event with me in Boston, and then that's how we got to know each other. I mean Howard Zinn has always been such a hero of mine, and every time I talk about my book, I always make the point to quote Howard Zinn who once said that, He doesn't study history to relive the past, but He does it so that he can change the future. And that's really why I wrote this book because I think if people want sports to be different, want sports to be more fulfilling, more interesting for the fans, or for the athlete for that matter then I think by learning the history it gives people a sense, a bit of a road map, in which to look forward to change sports.

MT: And I think that's what has made your writing resonate so strongly with readers as your book chronicles many issues throughout history that are still being seen in sports and society today.

Going along with that, you devote major sections of your book to three of the biggest figures in the history of United States sports in terms of their impact on society: Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, and Michael Jordan. And your take on each of them is really how they were able to use, or avoid using as in MJ's case, their athletic platforms to influence politics and society. Can you speak to how you portrayed each of these men in the book?

DZ: Sure, in many ways, they are products of the period in which they emerged. And these people aren't just these mechanical products of their period; they also played a role in shaping their period. Jackie Robinson emerged at a specific time and place, when there was a belief that, after the defeat of Fascist Germany in WWII, we would see the end of Jim Crow in this country and that racism would be something that would be made irrelevant to the past, and he reflected in a lot of ways those hopes. But then towards the end of his career he reflected a lot of the bitterness that those hopes were unfounded.

And for Muhammad Ali, if it wasn't for the theater of the 1960s, he may not have gone down in history as Cassius Clay, a great boxer who brought the showmanship of professional wrestling into boxing. He was very much a product of his time and place.

MT: Your work on Muhammad Ali is extensive, with you prior books about him, and an interesting fact you clarify was how the name a person chose to use when referring to Ali demonstrated his or her stance on Civil Rights. By using his former name, Cassius Clay, a person was basically expressing their racist sentiments, where as using his converted Muslim name expressed a progressive attitude in support of the Civil Rights Movement.

DZ: Yeah, that's where you stood; it's who you rooted for. I mean sports was political theater in so many ways. And to take it to even another place with Michael Jordan, he was very much a product of the 80s and 90s, where you saw a real chopping down of politics in sports at the expense of trying to market it as a global franchise.

But I don't want to make it seem like they were all just all plastic products of their time. There were athletes in Jackie Robinson's time that didn't have any of his courage, certainly there were athletes in Ali's time that didn't expand their social struggles, and there were athletes in Jordan's time who actually did take a stand. So while all three were very evocative of their time and place, they also showed tremendous amounts of human agency or lack there of in Jordan's case. Which is why we talk about them frankly, because they all do so sharply reflect these historical moments, they all teach us something about these moments in time.

MT: Your research ranges all the way back to the pre-19th Century perception of sports, to Native Americans playing lacrosse and the clarification of the true origins of baseball during the 19th Century, and continues up through the 20th Century. So it's clear that you did your homework. Could you discuss how you broke down the time periods in history and how you went about your research and incorporated it into the writing process?

DZ: Well there's something really interesting to me that, in a broad sense, you have these three very definable periods in American Sports. I think it's interesting to see how they play off each other. Like the way that in the founding of this country, sports were seen, in the broad sense, as something that at best, as a pastime, and at worst, as a waste of time. It was a reflection of a society that was focused on moving westward and conquering the land, and sports were seen as a waste of time. And I wanted people to really get a sense of the fact that this hasn't always been a sports-mad country; that there was a time when sports were actually seen as something evil.

Then you move forward into the 19th Century and you enter this period where a distinction begins to be made between good sports and bad sports. And then of course you have this third period today where it's not about good sports and bad sports, it's about sports as a global big business, an all-consuming big business.

What's really gone on in this country is a remarkable journey as sports being seen as something actually bad, to something beneficial, to now really taking the place in the national light to the point which presidential candidates argue over who's the better hockey-mom. I mean it's kind of crazy in a way. I mean the economy is going to hell, and on the same day, a couple weeks ago, when the market just imploded, Bush greeted the Boston Celtics at the White House.

MT: Right, I remember that, and that actually relates to something I wanted to ask you about. With the current economic crisis that we are in, how are you seeing the relationship between politics and sports right now? And have you drawn any comparisons to The Great Depression's impact on sports, which you talk about in your book?

DZ: Hmm, that's a really good question. I think one of the things about today is that sports is going to have to radically reconstruct the economic model that it has been existing on for the last several decades if it wants to survive this economic crisis. I think that's just fact.

During the Great Depression people could trade in milk bottles, my Father in the 1940s was one of these people, for a couple coins to go see a baseball game. So the idea of sports being this ready-made escape during very hard times was very real. But now there are some very different times here, and the economy of sports is a big business built on things like personalized seating licenses and publicly funded stadiums. And I don't see how either of those things will survive this current period. Like I don't see how people are, first of all, going to be able to afford season tickets, and I certainly don't see how these municipalities who are running hundreds of millions of dollars in debt are going to be able to justify paying for these publicly funded stadiums.

MT: Now in reading your book it is clear that an incredible amount of research went into producing this book. Could you talk about how you went about your research and how it translated to the actual writing process?

DZ: Well I went about it really with a loose idea of the themes that I wanted to hit, and then it was about trying to find the books that either backs those themes up or that tear them apart. And I tried to do a combination of things by going to some of the history books of sports I really respected like Elliot Gorn's and Warren Goldstein's book A Brief History of American Sports, which is terrific, to try and go after some real sources. If you look at the bibliography at the end of the book you'll see it's a combination of history books but also a lot of newspapers, a lot of out of print papers, and other direct sources which are invaluable. One of the things with these books that I try and do is use the less known sports press', such as the African-American and radical papers, which were almost like a Greek chorus during different times in history. I think these sports writers were really the historians who were recording the struggles in real time and were able to provide various perspectives on time period.

MT: Your book also mentions Grantland Rice, who you say was really the first ever sports writer. What other writers did you follow initially, growing up, and as you were starting your career?

DZ: Well for me one of the people was Robert Lipsyte who covered Muhammad Ali for the New York Times, and also Ralph Wiley and Frank Deford. So a lot of the long form Sports Illustrated writers back when they used to do the really long articles. And I think that was really an art that I respected a great deal; someone who could write a 10,000 word article about a specific athlete or a specific moment. Growing up with the old Sports Illustrated, it was really just a gold mine, looking back I don't think any of us really knew what they were doing, and now that it's gone I think people realize what we had.

MT: What advice could you give to our members at Bleacher Report, many of whom have goals to be professional sports writers?

DZ: Well, I like passing along the advice that was given to me, which has really served me well. This is more directed towards the newer writers than those who have been doing it a while, but the best advice I ever got, in two words, was "Writers' write." And the point of that is to say that it's very easy for writers to get caught in what they call "analysis paralysis" where you get so caught up in not knowing what to write about that you end up writing nothing. And that can be very harmful for a writer. Being a writer is like being an athlete, it's a muscle that you have to constantly exercise and hone it or it will get flabby and weak. It's very important to know that it's a process, it's an actual process that every writer has to go through to develop a voice that you can distinguish as your own. I've never heard of a writer that was able to establish a unique voice from the second they picked up a pen or opened their laptop. I mean it takes time to develop it. Even if you're writing about something that you think is crazy or stupid, that's okay, because the point is the writing not the subject. The writing is actually more important than the subject, particularly for young writers.

MT: That is great; I think that's terrific advice, which speaks to the fact that it's not always necessarily what you're saying, but how you say it.

And last question, what does the C.R.E.A.M. title mean?

DZ: Oh yeah, "Cash Rules Everything Around Me," that's a Wu-Tang Clan song from the mid-90s, I guess I'm kind of dating myself there.

MT: [Laughs] No, not at all, I know Wu-Tang and I think the same can be said for many of our writers, though some of the younger ones may be unfamiliar with them. What's going on with them? Reunion tour?

DZ: I don't know man, I mean a couple of them are dead now, I guess I just look old talking about the Wu-Tang Clan. [Laughs]

MT: [Laughs] No way, that wasn't too long ago, I'm sure there's still some Wu-Wear in circulation...

Well Dave, it's been great chatting with you and learning about your new book A People's History of Sports in the United States and I look forward to listening in to your XM satellite radio show "Edge of Sports" which airs at 12 noon (EST) on Saturdays, Channel 167 as well as reading your weekly column on your website at edgeofsports.com. Thank you Dave.

DZ: Thanks Max.

Guess what B/R Members....

Dave Zirin has joined B/R! You can find links to his weekly column as well as other content on his member page. If you have any questions or comments about his new book or his writing, become his fan and ask him!

Hope you enjoyed the interview and stay tuned for next week's B/R Interview with Jeff Pearlman, ESPN.com's Page 2 writer and author of the new book Boys Will Be Boys: The Glory Days and Party Nights of the Dallas Cowboys Dynasty...

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To start the series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dave Zirin, a writer who has never shied away from exploring the relationships between sports and politics...

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"And yet, these teenagers are strong in ways that no older generation could have imagined, except perhaps those who lived through the Great Depression of the 1930's. Their very existence in these terribly challenging times is resistance, but they are doing more than existing. They are fighting back. They are answering the call and challenging the crises that envelop their lives. " Pg.10

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"And yet, these teenagers are strong in ways that no older generation could have imagined, except perhaps those who lived through the Great Depression of the 1930's. Their very existence in these terribly challenging times is resistance, but they are doing more than existing. They are fighting back. They are answering the call and challenging the crises that envelop their lives. " Pg.10

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This quote shows how strong and tough teenagers can be when they face tough situations. The problems today are just as big as the ones people had during the Great Depression. The saying "just being alive and staying strong is a way to fight against tough times. " However, the quote also recognizes that these teenagers are not just trying to stay alive, but they are actively working to overcome the different problems that affect their lives. It shows how young people are good at dealing with the complicated world they live in.

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Dave Zirin, born 1974, is an American political sportswriter. He is the sports editor for , a weekly progressive magazine dedicated to politics and culture, and writes a blog named Edge of Sports: the weekly sports column by Dave Zirin. As of January 2022, he has authored eleven books.

Zirin was the host of the Edge of Sports Podcast, hosted by the Slate/ Panoply network. He also co-hosted "The Collision: Where Sports and Politics Collide on Pacifica Radio" with former NBA player Etan Thomas. Zirin is a contributor to , and has been a columnist for SLAM Magazine, and The Progressive. He has been a guest on ESPN's Outside The Lines and Democracy Now!.

His first book, What's My Name, Fool? Sports and Resistance in the United States ( Haymarket Books) has entered its third printing.

Zirin has published Welcome to the Terrordome: The Pain, Politics, and Promise of Sports, and A People's History of Sports in the United States, a sports-related volume in the manner of Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States series for The New Press. In addition to "What's My Name, Fool?", he has also published "The Muhammad Ali Handbook" for MQ Publications. Zirin is also the published children's book author of "My Name is Erica Montoya de la Cruz" ( RC Owen). "A People's History of Sports" forms the basis of a documentary co-written and narrated by Zirin called Not Just A Game: Power, Politics and American Sports, produced by the Media Education Foundation.

Zirin is the co-author with John Carlos of The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World ( Haymarket Books, 2011).

He writes a blog named Edge of Sports: the weekly sports column by Dave Zirin.

Zirin has repeatedly called for sports boycotts of certain teams, states, or nations for political reasons.

On April 27, 2010, writing for The Guardian, Zirin called for a boycott against sports teams from Arizona, in particular the Diamondbacks, to protest the Arizona SB 1070, the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act.[unreliable source? ] He expressed support during the 2010 NBA Playoffs for the Phoenix Suns, who went by "Los Suns" as a statement against the Arizona immigration law.

On June 2, 2010, writing for , Zirin justified the decision of the Turkish U-19 soccer team to boycott a match against Israel. He described the Gaza flotilla raid as an act of state terror committed by the Israeli government and proposed a boycott of Israel.

Criticism of Hank Williams, Jr.

On October 6, 2011, during a live interview conducted on the sports cable television network, ESPN, Zirin referred to Hank Williams, Jr. as racist and proslavery after Williams, the writer and singer of ESPN's then- Monday Night Football theme song, made a political statement in which he compared multiracial US President Barack Obama to former German national socialist leader, Adolf Hitler.

In an undated interview, Zirin claims "I never wrote that I "believe Bonds has never done steroids."" He continues: "unlike oh so many others, the man never actually failed a steroids test. Is there a ton of circumstantial evidence that the man juiced? Absolutely. But he is still the best player I've ever seen. The best player of what will go down as the anabolic era."[unreliable source? ] Zirin claims that, rather than steroid use, "much of the reaction to Bonds is simply bad old-fashioned racism ".

Things That Make White People Uncomfortable Hardcover - Apr 13 2018

Jim Brown: Last Man Standing Hardcover - May 15, 2018

The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee, Changing the World-September 14, 2021 - Hardcover

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Dave Zirin, born 1974, is an American political sportswriter. He is the sports editor for , a weekly progressive magazine dedicated to politics and culture, and writes a blog named Edge of Sports: the weekly sports column by Dave Zirin. As of January 2022, he has authored eleven books.

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Dave Zirin writes about the politics of sports for the Nation Magazine - their first sports writer in 150 years of existence. He also co-hosts a radio show with Etan Thomas called " The Collision: Sports and Politics" on Pacifica radio. Additionally, Dave Zirin is a professor in the Humanities Department at Montgomery College where he teaches a course on the history of sports.

Dave Zirin has also authored and co-authored numerous books, including The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World with John Carlos. Written for grade 7 and up, this account details the events leading up to the 1968 Olympics when Carlos and Tommie Smith raised their fists in the air, and what happened afterward.

Zirin's book Bad Sports: How Owners Are Ruining The Games We Love humorously details how sports franchise owners successfully squeeze every last penny out of their fan bases. Acclaimed Shock Doctrine author Naomi Klein claims that "not since Hunter S. Thompson has a sportswriter shown the right snarl for the job."

Glenn Greenwald called Zirin's Brazil's Dance with the Devil: The World Cup, the Olympics, and the Fight for Democracy "A remarkable mix of investigative sports journalism and insightful social history."

Zirin is also the author of A People's History of Sports in the United States, part of Howard Zinn's People's History series for the New Press. As former Yankee and Ball Four author Jim Bouton said of this work, "Finally, the long-awaited prequel to all the sports books you've ever read. Put this first in the line of sports books on your shelf. It will help make sense of all the others."

Zirin has brought his blend of sports and politics to multiple television programs including ESPN's Outside the Lines, MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann, ESPN Classic, MSNBC's Morning Joe, CNN's The Campbell Brown Show, MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show, Comcast Sports Network's Washington Post Live, Al-Jazeera's The Riz Khan Show, C-SPAN's BookTV, and Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman.

His writing has also appeared in the Washington Post, the New York Daily News, New York Newsday, the Baltimore Sun, the Houston Chronicle, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Pittsburgh Courier, The Source, and numerous other publications.

He loves the Mets, Jets, and Wizards. [Bio from Edge of Sports website.]

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Profile. People's history of sports author and commentator.

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Named one of UTNE Reader's " 50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Our World", Dave Zirin writes about the politics of sports for the Nation Magazine. He is their first sports writer in 150 years of existence. Winner of Sport in Society and Northeastern University School of Journalism's 'Excellence in Sports Journalism' Award, Zirin is also the host of Sirius XM Radio's popular weekly show, Edge of Sports Radio. He has been called "the best sportswriter in the United States," by Robert Lipsyte. Dave Zirin is, in addition, a columnist for SLAM Magazine and the Progressive.

His most recent book, is the acclaimedGame Over: How Politics Has Turned the Sports World Upside Down (The New Press.) which Christine Brennan of USA Today called "the perfect book for our time in sports." Sports Illustrated called the book "provocative", writing, "It will make you think about what we're really seeing when we watch the games we love."

Zirin is the co-author of the NAACP Image Award nominatedThe John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment that Changed the World, published by Haymarket Books in September 2011.

In 2010, Zirin publishedBad Sports: How Owners are Ruining the Games We Love (Scribner). Shock Doctrine author Naomi Klein called Bad Sports "an original and scathing look at how America works."

Zirin is also the author ofA People's History of Sports in the United States, part of Howard Zinn's People's History Series for the New Press. A People's History of Sports forms the basis of a documentary co-written and narrated by Zirin called Not Just A Game: Power, Politics and American Sports, produced by the Media Education Foundation. He has a second documentary produced with MEF called Race, Power, and Politics in American Sports.

In addition he has writtenWelcome to the Terrordome: The Pain, Politics, and Promise of Sports (Haymarket Books), with a foreword by the immortal Chuck D. Sports Illustrated wrote that Terrordome is "a provocative, sometimes chilling, look at sports and society right now." His first book, What's My Name, Fool? Sports and Resistance in the United States (Haymarket Books) has entered its third printing.

Zirin has brought his blend of sports and politics to multiple television programs including NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly, FX's Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell, ESPN's Outside the Lines, MSNBC's Morning Joe, ESPN Classic, CNN, MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show, Comcast Sports Network's Sports Talk Live, C-SPAN's BookTV, and Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman. He has also been on numerous national radio programs from sports radio to National Public Radio's Tell Me More, Talk of the Nation, and All Things Considered.

Zirin has debated FOX Sports president Ed Goren on college football's Bowl Championship Series for National Public Radio, Bridgestone Firestone President Dan Adomitis in the pages of the Los Angeles Times on whether his company should be the "official tire of the Super Bowl" while in court for using child labor in Liberia, and the issue of steroids in sports with Jose Canseco and John Rocker. His writing has also appeared in the New York Times, Vibe Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, the New York Daily News, New York Newsday, the Baltimore Sun, the Pittsburgh Courier, The Source, and numerous other publications.

If interested in booking an interview or speaking engagement, email dave@edgeofsports.com

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Named one of UTNE Reader's " 50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Our World", Dave Zirin writes about the politics of sports for the Nation Magazine. He is their first sports writer in 150 years of existence.