Legacy of Speed

Legacy of Speed

When two Black sprinters raised their fists in protest at the 1968 Olympic Games, it shook the world. More than 50 years later, the ripple effects of their activism are still felt. In this new series from Pushkin Industries, get to know the runners who took a stand, and the coaches and mentors who helped make them fast enough — and brave enough — to change the world. Hosted by Malcolm Gladwell.

Episodes

Coming Soon: Legacy of Speed

June 1, 2022 • 2 mins
When two Black sprinters raised their fists in protest at the 1968 Olympic Games, it shook the world. More than 50 years later, the ripple effects of their activism are still felt. In this new series from Pushkin Industries, get to know the runners who took a stand, and the coaches and mentors who helped make them fast enough — and brave enough — to change the world. Hosted by Malcolm Gladwell. If you’d like to keep up with the mos...
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Episode 1: Relax and Win

June 14, 2022 • 35 mins
A small group of people — all connected to a second-tier state college — revolutionized coaching and athletic activism in the 1960s. In this episode, we hear how coach Bud Winter took what he learned from working with fighter pilots in World War II and created a system for training sprinters at San Jose State. His “Relax and Win” methods used breathing, visualization and other unconventional coaching techniques to create a powerhou...
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Episode 2: Building a Movement

June 28, 2022 • 29 mins
By the early 1960s, Speed City was earning a reputation for breaking records. But Bud Winter’s track program was broke. He stretched his scholarship budget so far that many athletes struggled to make ends meet. That, coupled with the racism Black athletes faced on the mostly white campus of San Jose, ignited the budding activist Dr. Harry Edwards. He wanted to take a page out of the playbook being written by civil rights leaders of...
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Episode 3: Exit, Voice or Loyalty

July 6, 2022 • 35 mins
Tommie Smith. Lee Evans. John Carlos. Hear how these three legendary sprinters all ended up at San Jose State. They spurred each other to record-breaking success – and became leaders in the movement to boycott the 1968 Olympic Games. Their mentor and professor Dr. Harry Edwards found them to be the perfect students for his “Revolt of the Black Athlete”. The tragedy and chaos in America leading up to the Games made the decision to t...
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Episode 4: The Mexico City Games

July 26, 2022 • 34 mins
After months of debate about whether to boycott or not, our trio of Speed City sprinters are headed to Mexico City. In this episode, we zoom in on those fateful days: From the penultimate race that left Tommie Smith injured, to the world-record breaking 200M finals, to Smith and Carlos’ protest and expulsion from the games. Then, their teammate Lee Evans is set to run his races, but the pressure of the games – and whether and how t...
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Episode 5: The Legacy

August 9, 2022 • 37 mins
The track in San Jose has been turned into a parking lot. But the legacy of Speed City is alive and well, on and off the track. More than half a century after Tommie Smith and John Carlos sprinted their way into the spotlight and shocked the world with a silent protest on the victory stand, the ripple effects of their actions can still be felt today. Their mentor Dr. Harry Edwards is still a central figure in the world of sports to...
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Bonus: Just Relax with Malcolm Gladwell

August 16, 2022 • 7 mins
Writer and podcast host Malcolm Gladwell is guest hosting an entire week of the podcast, Radio Headspace. He'll be discussing how to increase performance in your personal and professional life. Today, he talks about how superstar track and field coach, Bud Winter, discovered that relaxation can lead to big wins. 
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Episode 6: Live in Eugene

August 23, 2022 • 44 mins
Legendary sprinters Wyomia Tyus, Ato Boldon and Tommie Smith join host Malcolm Gladwell live on stage for a conversation about sports and activism. Recorded live at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to subscribe to our email list at Pushkin.fm.
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Introducing Good Sport: Something in the Water: Where Do Great Athletes Come From?

February 15, 2023 • 36 mins
Here's a preview from Good Sport, a new show from TED. “Muck City”, Florida. Kinston, North Carolina. The courts of New York City in the 80s and 90s. These places share one unique trait: they found a way to produce a particular kind of great athlete, over and over. Is there something in the water – or is it something else? In our first episode, Jody talks to sports journalist Bomani Jones and Olympic table tennis coach Rajul Sheth ...
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Running in Recycled Shoes from What's Your Problem?

March 16, 2023 • 27 mins
Here's a special episode of another Pushkin podcast, What's Your Problem? Every week on What's Your Problem?, former Planet Money host Jacob Goldstein talks with entrepreneurs and engineers about the future they’re trying to build – and the problems they have to solve to get there. Caspar Coppetti is the co-founder of On, a company that makes athletic shoes. Caspar's problem is this: How can you sell tens of millions of shoes a yea...
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From Started from the Bottom: Malcolm Gladwell and Justin Richmond Live at Medgar Evers College

March 29, 2023 • 43 mins
Here's a special preview of a new Pushkin podcast, Started from the Bottom. Every week on Started from the Bottom, host Justin Richmond interviews successful people who grew up on the outside – people of color, people who weren’t part of the old boys’ network, people who came from a world where almost nobody went to college. How did they do it? How did they beat the odds while also beating away the feeling of being an imposter? In ...
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