Monday Jun 08, 2020

Episode 16: Racism, Rebellion, and the Sport Media Complex with Hemal Jhaveri

In this episode, Derek and Nathan speak with Hemal Jhaveri, editor and columnist at USA Today's For The Win, about how the uprising against police violence and white supremacy is affecting the world of sport. The three discuss the myriad statements of solidarity on offer from athletes and sports organizations alike and break down the difference between a meaningful gesture and worthless pablum. The latter half of the conversation then shifts to a discussion of sport media, appraising how it has covered the uprising and pandemic and the way that structural racism and patriarchy affect the industry.

You can find Hemal's article on white NHL player responses to the uprising here, her piece on the silence of white hockey players prior to the uprising here, her discussion of the NY Islanders' less than worthless statement here, and her piece on the treatment of athletes during the pandemic here. You can find Sut Jhally's classic scholarly article on the sport media complex here.

Some particularly valuable resources include the books below:

Angela Davis:

Are Prisons Obsolete?

Abolition Democracy: Beyond Empire, Prisons, and Torture

Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement

The Meaning of Freedom: And Other Difficult Dialogues

Arbitrary Justice: The Power of the American Prosecutor

Desmond Cole, The Skin We’re In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power

Robyn Maynard, Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present

Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow

James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time

Jesmyn Ward, Sing, Unburied, Sing