Podcast / Edge of Sports / Mar 3, 2025

Sports Under Fascism & All-Time NBA Injury What-Ifs

On this episode of Edge of Sports, a talk from 2023 on sports during authoritarianism and Arya on NBA injury what-ifs.

Edge of Sports
Edge of Sports

Where sports and politics collide, hosted by Nation magazine Sports Editor Dave Zirin

“Sports Under Fascism & All-Time NBA Injury What-Ifs”
byDave Zirin / The Nation

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/

http://www.edgeofsportspodcast.com/ | http://twitter.com/EdgeOfSportsPod | http://fb.com/edgeofsportspod | email us: [email protected] | Edge of Sports hotline: 401-426-3343 (EDGE)

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Clipper Shaun Livingston is taken off the court after getting injured at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Monday, February 26, 2007.
(Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

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.

Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: thenation.com/podcastsubscribe.

Edge of Sports
Edge of Sports

Where sports and politics collide, hosted by Nation magazine Sports Editor Dave Zirin

Moses Malone Gets Biblical
byDave Zirin / The Nation

This week, we speak to Paul Knepper about his new book, Moses Malone: The Life Of A Basketball Prophet. Also, we talked to the hoops savant Arya Shirazi about what we’ve learned so far this NBA season and which preseason prediction we wish we could do over. 

Zirin, Sports Media Has Forgotten About CTE Even After Player Deaths

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/nfl-concussion-cte-sports-media/

http://www.edgeofsportspodcast.com/ | http://twitter.com/EdgeOfSportsPod | http://fb.com/edgeofsportspod | email us: [email protected] | Edge of Sports hotline: 401-426-3343 (EDGE)

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Subscribe to The Nation to Support all of our podcasts

Dave Zirin

Dave Zirin is the sports editor at The Nation. He is the author of 11 books on the politics of sports. He is also the coproducer and writer of the new documentary Behind the Shield: The Power and Politics of the NFL.

More from The Nation

Coleaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) Alice Weidel (L) and Tino Chrupalla (R) in Berlin on December 5, 2025.

The Rise of the Far Right in Europe The Rise of the Far Right in Europe

On this episode of The Time of Monsters: David Broder on centrist failures feeding extremist politics.

Jeet Heer

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani looks on as New York Governor Kathy Hochul speaks during the grand opening of the Urban League Empowerment Center in Harlem, New York City, on November 12, 2025.

Mamdani's Socialism—and Us; Plus, Football and Concussions Mamdani's Socialism—and Us; Plus, Football and Concussions

On this episode of Start Making Sense, Bhaskar Sunkara analyzes the constraints New York’s new mayor will face, and Dave Zirin comments on brain injuries among football players.

Jon Wiener

US investor and philanthropist Alexander Soros, son of Hungarian-US investor and philanthropist George Soros, speaks during a ceremony to accept on behalf of his father the 2025 Civil Rights Prize of the Sinti and Roma, on October 23, 2025, in Berlin, Germany.

Liberal Philanthropy and the Fight for Democracy, With David Callahan  Liberal Philanthropy and the Fight for Democracy, With David Callahan 

On the latest Nation Podcast.

D.D. Guttenplan and David Callahan

Reframing Resistance, Live From NYC Climate Week

Reframing Resistance, Live From NYC Climate Week Reframing Resistance, Live From NYC Climate Week

It’s the season finale of A People’s Climate.

Shilpi Chhotray

Cooling vent fans are seen on the roof of a Digital Realty data center in Ashburn, Virginia. on November 12, 2025.

Data Centers Are a Climate Enemy Data Centers Are a Climate Enemy

On this episode of Tech Won't Save Us: Ketan Joshi on how data centers are a climate justice issue.

Paris Marx

Trump Condemns Marjorie Taylor Greene, Praises Mamdani—Plus, Alice Waters on “a School Lunch Revolution”

Trump Condemns Marjorie Taylor Greene, Praises Mamdani—Plus, Alice Waters on “a School Lunch Revolution” Trump Condemns Marjorie Taylor Greene, Praises Mamdani—Plus, Alice Waters on “a School Lunch Revolution”

On this episode of Start Making Sense, Harold Meyerson comments on Washington politics, and the founder of Chez Panisse describes her project for kids.

Jon Wiener

x