Dave Zirin on anti-racism and nonviolence in contemporary sports and culture.

Dave Zirin is the sports editor for The Nation and has written many path-breaking books on the politics of sports and the legacy of radical, outspoken athletes who have used, and risked, their stature in order to resist racial oppression. Here Zirin talks about how prominent athletes are “breaking out from the corporate shackles” to help mobilize for justice in the wake of the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, among the many other victims of police brutality. He suggests that this is a pivotal moment of collective outrage and reinforces the need for “vigilance” and “consistency” in opposing oppressive forces, for fear that we will see those in positions of power undertake a reactionary consolidation of that power. We also talk about the dangerous and disingenuous celebration of domination in Netflix and ESPN’s documentary series The Last Dance, and the urgent need for real diversity in both the coverage and performance of sports.