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February 9, 2025 • 41 mins

Today is the Super Bowl, and while millions gather to watch, we’re here to ask: What are we really watching? In this episode of All My Relations, Temryss Lane (Lummi Nation) and Matika Wilbur (Swinomish & Tulalip) dive into the deep, complex relationship between Native communities and sport.

American football is more than just a game—it’s a battlefield. From its origins at the Carlisle Indian School to its modern-day spectacle of billion-dollar profits, colonial metaphors, and racialized labor, the sport reflects a larger American story. ā€œFootball is about violence. It’s about territory. It’s about power,ā€ Temryss reminds us.

We discuss how sports have been both a tool of oppression and liberation for Native athletes, the NFL’s plantation-like structure, the devastating impact of CTE on Black and Indigenous players, and the erasure of Native identity through mascotry (looking at you, Chiefs fans).

ā€œI can’t unsee it. Football is a game where predominantly Black players put their brains on the line for white owners to get richer,ā€ says Matika. ā€œAnd yet, I grew up watching it with my grandma, pretending to care at Super Bowl parties, and even playing fantasy leagues for years.ā€

We hold the contradictions of loving sport, recognizing its harm, and pushing for better. ā€œSports teach us belonging,ā€ Temryss says. ā€œIt’s why Native people are damn good at them.ā€

Watch the Super Bowl if you must, but listen to this first. And for the record—Go Eagles. šŸ¦…

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Follow us on Instagram @amrpodcast, or support our work on Patreon. Show notes are published on our website, Allmyrelationspodcast.com. Matika's book Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America is available now! T'igwicid and Hyshqe for being on this journey with us.

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