Edge of Sports

This week on the Edge of Sports podcast, we are speaking with Evan Brown, a fellow with the Sports Fans Coalition, about the brewing stadium deal for the Washington Commanders and why it isn't suitable for the District. 

We also speak to education activist and author (#TeachTruth) Jesse Hagopian about the Little League team he coaches, the Steelheads, and their remarkable run to the city championship. 

Zirin, The Defeat o...

This week, we chop it up with Arya Shirazi to discuss the NBA Finals. We also discuss SGA’s place among the best in the league, and what to make of the recent spate of Achilles injuries. 

Zirin, The Defeat of Andrew Cuomo Would Be a Devastating Loss for Scumbag Centrism

https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/andrew-cuomo-scumbag-centrism/

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This week, we speak to Palestinian-American actor Sara Alami (Guardians of the Galaxy) about navigating Hollywood in a time when speaking out against genocide can mortally damage your career. 

Zirin, Why the LA Dodgers Stood Up to ICE

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/los-angeles-dodgers-ice/

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In a special emergency pod, Arya Shirazi joins the show to chop it up about the New York Knicks' decision to let go of Tom Thibodeau.

Zirin, Trump Threatens to Withhold New York’s Education Funding Unless Racist Mascoting Returns

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/linda-mcmahon-trump-massapequa-chiefs/

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This week, we speak to the legendary Bobbito Garcia about his new book, Bobbito's Book of B-Ball Bong Bong!: A Memoir of Sports, Style, and Soul. We also talk about his career as an author, his cultural contributions to Hip-Hop, basketball, and sneakers, and his takes on basketball films. You don’t want to miss this episode. 

Zirin, Trump’s World Cup Will Endanger Foreign Guests. Boycott Now!

https://www.thenation.com/article...

This week, we speak to Jeanne Theoharis, author of the groundbreaking new book  King of the North: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Life of Struggle Outside the South. It is a deep dive into the remarkable political work that Dr. King accomplished north of the Mason-Dixon line and in southern California. Theoharis has uncovered a treasure trove of information that has gobsmacked even serious historians of King's life and l...

This week is our long-awaited 2025 NBA preview with hoops savant Arya Shirazi. Even in difficult times, the NBA playoffs remind us of what’s good. Check out our preview.

Zirin, Can Steve Kerr Light an Anti-Trump Fire in the Sports World?

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/steve-kerr-trump/

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This week, we talk to Dr. Maurice Jackson, author of the new book Rhythms of Resistance and Resilience: How Black Washingtonians Used Music and Sports in the Fight for Equality. We also talk to Ari Drennen from Media Matters about their recent study about the politics of the people behind the Ultimate Fighting Championship. 

Rhythms of Resistance & Resilience

https://press.georgetown.edu/Book/Rhythms-of-Resistanc...

This week, we talk to Michael Messner, author of the fascinating new book, about what we can learn by looking at sports and yearbooks over the course of a century. It’s called “The High School: Sports, Spirit, and Citizens, 1903-2024.” Also, I’m talking to the savant, Arya Shirazi, about the days when March was truly mad. 

The High School

https://www.rutgersuniversitypress.org/the-high-school/9781978839533/

Zirin, With ICE Out...

This week, we speak to Rabbi Brant Rosen of the Tzedek Chicago Synagogue, a synagogue that claims anti-Zionism as a core tenet of their beliefs. We talk about this perilous moment when an antisemitic administration is weaponizing antisemitism to jail Israel’s critics. We also talk some sports! 

Brant Rosen

https://rabbibrant.com/

Zirin, Jackie Robinson Again Teaches Us to Never Back Down to Bigots

https://www.thenation.com/arti...

This week, we speak to Outsports journalist and Connecticut Ambush football player Karleigh Webb about her journey and insights on trans issues in sports. Also, we speak to hoops savant Arya Shirazi about the long-lost days of the court general, who was the point guard. We also remember the late great John Feinstein. 

Karleigh Webb

https://www.outsports.com/author/karleigh-webb/

https://www.instagram.com/rocketdyne1965/?hl=en

Z...

This week, we speak to US-born, Rio de Janeiro-based visionary Robert Wilson, whose short volume A Football Manifesto is a brilliant excavation of the systemic, structural problems in US men’s soccer and a radical fan-centric approach to radical change. It’s not just a diagnosis. It’s a wholly original cure. 

Robert Wilson

https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-football-manifesto-and-club-handbook-bringing-the-beautiful-game-to-the-peo...

This week, we have a talk I gave two years ago about the social function of sports in an authoritarian society. It rings more true today, and I wanted to share it with you all. Also, I talked to basketball savant Arya Shirazi about the injuries that changed the course of NBA history.

Zirin, Why Democrats Won’t Throw a Real Punch

https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/democratic-party-fecklessness/

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This week, we speak to former NFL player Chris Kluwe. Kluwe made news this week for his protest of MAGA at a Huntingdon Beach city council meeting, garnering headlines worldwide. We discuss what led to that moment, why he did what he did, and the sports world’s reaction to this administration and what explains it.

Zirin, Why Democrats Won’t Throw a Real Punch

https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/democratic-party-fecklessnes...

This week we speak to executive producer Arif Khatib and director Steven C. Bernier about their new documentary, Because They Believed: Minority Athletic Trailblazers Who Broke through The Racial Divide. The film is available on all streaming platforms and it's the documentary sports and politics lovers have been waiting for. Also, we talk to hoops savant Arya Shirazi about where this NBA season is going after a series of shock...

It's being called the most shocking trade in basketball or even sports history: All-NBA guard Luka Doncic was sent from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. Everyone is searching for reasons why the Mavericks would throw away Doncic, a generationally great player who is only 25 years old. 

On Edge of Sports, we break the trade down with none other than Kiese Laymon. The writer of books like Heavy...

This week, we speak to the legendary New York Times journalist and acclaimed Young Adult writer Robert Lipsyte. We talk about his new book, Rhino’s Run, the relationship between high school athletes and masculinity, and the galvanizing potential of American football. Al this and more on this week’s pod!

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/780979/let-us-play-by-harrison-browne-and-rachel-browne/

Zirin, A Meteorologist...

We have two guests, Harrison Browne, and Arya Shirazi, talking about trans athletes and the golden era of NBA centers.

This week, we speak to Harrison Browne, the first transgender pro hockey player, about a new book he wrote with his journalist sister Rachel Browne, Let Us Play: Winning the Battle for Gender Diverse Athletes, about how their stories are a key to defending their rights in the face of a fascist movement aimed at ...

Body: This week, we come from the famed Politics & Prose bookstore in Washington, DC, where I interview Derek Silva on the new book he co-authored, The End of College Football. His co-author, Nathan Kalman-Lamb, was denied entry to the U.S. from Canada, which we discussed. Thank you, Politics & Prose for permission to use the audio!

Zirin, Why Did the US Block a Canadian Professor From His Own Book Event?

https://www.then...