Playing Through Fire: Athletes in an Age of Reaction

Playing Through Fire: Athletes in an Age of Reaction

On this week’s episode of the Edge of Sports podcast, a talk about the role of the athlete during times of political upheaval.

Dave Zirin
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Social movements tend to arise within the world of sports during periods of upsurge and upheaval. But what about times of authoritarianism, dictatorship, or even fascism? What is the social role of the athlete during periods of reaction?

I recently had the pleasure of giving a talk at the 2022 Socialism conference in Chicago, where I addressed all of these questions. This week’s episode of the Edge of Sports podcast is a recording of that talk.

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Dave ZirinDave 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.


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