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08 Feb 2022
32| Brian Flores Fights the NFL's White Supremacy Power Structure with Dr. Lou Moore
00:43:37
On the first day of Black History Month, former Miami Dolphins Head Coach Brian Flores decided to fight back against the NFL's white supremacy power structure and anti-black head coach hiring practices. On February 1, 2022, Flores filed a class-action lawsuit against three teams and the league. This critical and courageous move by Brian Flores to stand up for himself and other Black and non-white Coaches will hopefully have a lasting impact for years to come.
To discuss this, Miguel is joined on the podcast by Dr. Louis Moore (@loumoore12), Professor of History at Grand Valley State University. He teaches African American History, Civil Rights, Sports History, and US History. He is also the co-host of The Black Athlete Podcast with Derrick White. Follow the podcast on Twitter: @blackathletepod.
First, Miguel asked Dr. Moore about the history of racism towards Black Head Coaches in the NFL; and Dr. Moore highlights former NFL WR Lionel Taylor, who he dubs the original Eric Bieniemy and Byron Leftwich.
Next, Miguel and Dr. Moore give their thoughts on the impact of Brian Flores's lawsuit and if the Rooney Rule is just a sham to check a box for the White NFL owners. Additionally, in his lawsuit (and we believe him), Brian Flores alleges that Miami Dolphins owner Stephan Ross offered to pay Flores $100,000 if he "tanked" games. To close the segment, Miguel asked Dr. Moore if the NFL would force Stephen Ross to sell the Dolphins and ban Ross from the NFL?
Episode 32's Molotov MVP is Chinese American Freestyle Skiing superstar Eileen Gu (Gu Ailing). In addition, Miguel highlights Cincinnati Bengals Hall of Fame Left Tackle Anthony Munoz for Chicano Sports History.
On February 7, 2022, Gu won the first Olympic Gold Medal in Women Freestyle Skiing history. However, Gu is competing for China instead of the US. As a result, she has been harassed and called a traitor by racists and the US corporate media. As Eileen Gu said, racists can "Go cry ab it."
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
33 | Russophobia in Sports with Beyond the Red Zone co-host Mike McGuinness
01:17:49
Miguel welcomed Mike McGuinness (@beardedcynic473), co-host of the Beyond the Red Zone Podcast (Recorded on March 7, 2022, but it is still relevant). Miguel and Mike get into the increasing Russophobia that has infected sports because of the Russian-Ukraine war.
First, we discuss CCM Hockey ending their partnership with Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin. Miguel also discusses New York Ranger star Artemi Panarin's support for anti-Muslim Alexey Navalny. We also get into how the Great One Wayne Gretzky calls for banning the Russian Junior Hockey Team at the August 2022 Junior Hockey World Championships held in Edmonton.
Additionally, Miguel and Mike discuss UEFA moving the Champions League final from St. Petersburg, Russia, to Paris, France. The Champions League final just happened this past weekend between Liverpool FC and Real Madrid. Unfortunately for Miguel, his Reds lost 1-0. Miguel and Mike also discuss the role of NATO and US imperialism in the Russian-Ukraine war, the hypocrisy of US sports media, and the influence of the Azov Battalion in the Ukraine Military. Mike also discusses his own experience of being in a war zone during his time in the military and why he opposes all war.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
Miguel talked to Sam of the Southpaw Podcast (@SouthpawPod) to discuss Combat sports and Marxism! Listen to the Southpaw Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts and visit their website for more information.
At the start of the episode, Miguel asked Sam about starting a podcast, and Miguel had Sam give us a Marxist analysis of MMA and combat sports. Miguel and Sam also discuss how the Southpaw Podcast grew into a podcast network, including podcasts not specifically about MMA or combat sports, such as Southpaws’ Deep Space Nine podcast.
Additionally, Miguel and Sam discuss the connection between right-wing ideology and MMA and the relationship between US Imperialism, Korea, and Taekwondo. Furthermore, Miguel had Sam discuss his article and brilliant analysis of the Netflix series Squid Game and American Imperialism titled “Squid Game and the Long Shadow of the American Empire” that he wrote for the Real News Network.
Instead of the usual Molotov MVP and Xicano/a sports History segments to end the show, Miguel includes his June 10, 2022 Redspin Sports Report appearance on Radio Sputniks By Any Means Necessary with Sean and Jacquie! Miguel talks to Sean and Jacquie about a new lawsuit filed against the FBI by Simone Biles and other gymnasts abused by Larry Nassar over its failure to act on its knowledge of accusations of abuse against Nassar in 2015 and more!
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
35 | Hockey Culture with Ian Kennedy of The Hockey News
00:59:52
Miguel talked to Hockey Scribe Ian Kennedy (@IanKennedyCK) about Hockey Culture and some Stanley Cup talk (Note: Episode originally recorded 5.26.22).
Ian Kennedy writes about Hockey for @TheHockeyNews and provides hockey analysis at Yahoo Sports-Canada and Yahoo Sports NHL.
To start the podcast, Miguel talks to Ian about his new book, On Account of Darkness: Shining Light on Race and Sport, and Miguel asked Ian to choose three stories he enjoyed learning and writing about the most in his new book. You can purchase the book here.
Additionally, Miguel and Ian get into the recent racism Black, Muslim, and Indigenous NHL Players have faced, such as the Islamophobia that the Colorado Avalanche’s Nazem Kadri had to deal with during the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs from racist St. Louis Blues fans. Also, Miguel asked Ian if the NHL has done enough to combat the anti-blackness and anti-indigenous racism?
At the end of their discussion, Miguel asked Ian about a new combat sport that combines hockey fights with MMA called Ice Wars, and who Ian thinks has the best shot at winning the Cup, plus more!
To end the podcast, Miguel’s Molotov MVP and Xicano/a sports History segments make their triumphant return!
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
36 | Buried Under the Blue and the True History of Dodger Stadium
00:45:22
Today (July 19, 2022), the Los Angeles Dodgers will host the 2022 MLB All-Star Game for the first time since 1980, and Dodgers future Hall of Famer Pitcher and 9x All-Star, Clayton Kershaw, will take the mound and start his first ever All-Star Game in front of the hometown crowd.
The 2022 season is also the 60th anniversary of Dodger Stadium, but the Dodgers do not want you to know about the dark history of Dodger Stadium. So as the biggest stars in Major League Baseball take the field tonight under the bright lights of Hollywood, the Dodgers and Major League Baseball can not hide the dark history buried under the blue (literally).
On May 9, 1959, The LA County Sheriff's forcefully removed Aurora Vargas and her parents, The Arechigas. Thus, the last family of the three Mexican/Indigenous communities, Palo Verde, Bishop, and La Loma, were displaced. Of course, the Dodgers do not want you to know about this dark history, but we do!
Miguel spoke to two descendants of the displaced families who had their land stolen to build Dodger Stadium: Melissa Arechiga and Vincent Montalvo of the organization Buried under the blue. The families of the three communities created the organization Buried Under the Blue to teach people what happened to the three Mexican/Indigenous communities and seek justice and support for communities facing displacement today.
To end the podcast, instead of our usual Molotov MVP and Xicano/a sports History segments, we included more history on the displacement of the three communities.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
37 | Phoenix Suns Owner Robert Sarver Investigation Findings
00:42:26
After a couple of months, Miguel is back with a new episode! Miguel welcomed Chuy from The Heatwave Podcast to talk about the NBA investigation of Phoenix Suns Owner Robert Sarver, who was accused of racism and misogyny by Suns employees (Note: Episode originally recorded 9.23.22).
The Heatwave Podcast is a podcast centered around the political environment of the State of Arizona from a revolutionary socialist perspective, made by the people, for the people! You can listen to Chuy and his comrades on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast!
To start the podcast, Miguel and Chuy discuss the Investigation Report findings and the NBA fining Robert Sarver $10 million and suspending him for just one year. Like LeBron James, Chris Paul, and others, Miguel and Chuy were outraged that Sarver received a slap on the wrist. However, two days before they recorded this episode, Robert Sarver announced he would begin the process of selling the team. You can read the investigation report here.
Miguel and Chuy also discuss how the Robert Sarver investigation is another example of White Supremacy, Patriarchy, and Toxic Masculinity in sports. Miguel also mentions the rumors of Jeff Bezos buying the Suns and the issue of capitalism and Billionaire owners. To end the podcast, they talk about former Phoenix Suns head Coach Earl Watson, who is Back and Mexican, and the racism he had to endure under Robert Sarver.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
Miguel welcomed back Chuy from The Heatwave Podcast to talk about the 2022 Qatar World Cup (Recorded 11.4.22), which began earlier this morning on November 20, 2022.
The Heatwave Podcast is a podcast centered around the political environment of the State of Arizona from a revolutionary socialist perspective, made by the people, for the people! You can listen to Chuy and his comrades on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast!
To start the podcast, Miguel and Chuy get into what they are looking forward to the most during the World Cup and what team they are most looking forward to watching (hint: El Tri). Additionally, Miguel and Chuy discuss the issues with Qatar as the host of the World Cup, such as the abuse Migrant Labors faced in building the stadiums for the World Cup.
Miguel and Chuy also discuss the entanglement between the FIFA World Cup (Mega Events), Capitalism-Imperialism and Neo-Colonialism, the collaboration of the West with Qatar hosting the World Cup, and the overt Orientalism in Western sports media coverage.
To end the podcast, they make some World Cup predictions, Which Group they think is the "Group of Death," and if anything unusual will happen.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
In this episode, Miguel and Munene discuss the history of Black Migrant Athlete Labor in Europe and the US, including the concepts of the model minority and othering of Black Migrant Athletes such as Christian Okoye (NFL), Mario Balotelli (Footballer), Dikembe Mutombo and Hakeem Olajuwon (NBA), and others in the Western sports media. Additionally, Miguel asked Munene about the narratives created around these Black Migrant Athletes and how they help continue the capitalist neoliberal order in the West.
Lastly, Miguel and Munene think about what a Sociology of Sport through a Marxist-Leninist lens looks like and discuss how Western liberalism keeps an ML analysis of sport from the masses.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
Miguel welcomed another friend of the podcast, Dr. Adnan Husain, co-host of the Guerilla History Podcast! You can Listen to the Guerilla History Podcast here and follow them on Twitter: @guerrilla_pod.
Dr. Adnan Husain is a historian and Director of the School of Religion at Queens University. Adnan is also the host of his podcast, The Majlis podcasts.
In this episode, Adnan was kind enough to come on the podcast to report on his experience attending the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. For example, Miguel asked Adnan about Palestine's support at the World Cup and asked him what team/nation was the most well-represented while he was in Qatar. Additionally, Miguel asked Adnan about the historic run by Morocco and if France vs. Argentina was the most incredible World Cup Final of all time.
Lastly, Miguel rooted for Argentina in the final because he could not root for France due to its history as an imperialist power and colonizer. However, some were rooting for France because their roster was full of African Diaspora players, and Argentina's roster was very white. Miguel and Adnan gave their thoughts on that and more.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
41 | Bias your fútbol Content with real francamente
01:10:13
We are back! It’s been a while, but Miguel welcomed another friend and comrade of the podcast, Dr. Franca Fernández. Franca is the creator and host of the real francamente podcast!
I talk to Franca about Lionel Messi & his move to play for Inter Miami of Major League Soccer (MLS) and what it means for fútbol in the imperialist core, aka the US. We also discuss the racial abuse faced by Brazilian superstar Vinicius Jr in Spain’s La Liga and more!
Dr. Franca Fernández is a fútbol fanatic and scholar who believes in the intersection of fútbol and politics, history, and social justice.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
42 | Little League Dreams with Belly of the Beast Cuba's Daniel Montero
00:41:17
In this episode, Miguel interviewed Daniel Montero, a Cuban journalist, producer, and director with Belly of the Beast Cuba. Miguel spoke to Daniel about his documentary film director debut, Little League Dreams, which dropped on Belly of the Beast Cuba's YouTube page. You can watch the film here.
The documentary Little League Dreams chronicles the journey of the 11 – and 12 – year olds from the Bayamo (Granma) Little League team that represented Cuba at the 2023 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, Panama eliminated Baymo Little League, 3-2, on Sunday, August 20, 2023. However, these kids should be proud of representing Cuba and winning against Australia 11-1 on Saturday, August 19, 2023.
Miguel also asked Daniel about the impact of the 61-year U.S. Embargo policy on the Bayamo Little League team and Cuban society in general. I hope you all enjoy this episode!
Daniel Montero was co-winner of a One World Media Award and a Telly Award for his work on the Belly of the Beast acclaimed documentary series, The War on Cuba. Daniel has been interviewed on Democracy Now! and published in The Guardian. He graduated from the University of Havana School of Communications in 2020 with a degree in journalism. Daniel was a reporter and presenter for Radio Havana's Cuba's English broadcast for two and a half years, where Daniel ran two shows. In 2018, he was a co-winner of a Caribbean Broadcasting Union Award for his work on Cito del Arte (The website of the arts).
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
Miguel talks with freelance journalist and comrade Abraham Marquez. They discuss using pro-sports for Zionist propaganda. We also discuss our overall feelings and thoughts on Israel committing war crimes against the Palestinian people. Free Palestine!
You can follow Abraham on X/Twitter @abemarquez3 and read some of his work here.
Note: The links below include examples of Zionist propaganda in pro-sports and examples of athletes/sportswriters/fans supporting Palestine.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
In this episode of The Sports As a Weapon Podcast, host Miguel Garcia returns from a long hiatus to discuss the intersection of sports, politics, and social issues. The special guest is Dr. Jules Boykoff, a political science professor and author renowned for his critical analysis of the Olympics. Together, they explore the political dynamics of the Paris 2024 Olympics, including intense security measures, the impact on marginalized communities, and pro-Palestinian protests. They also touch on the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and the preparations already impacting the city. Dr. Boykoff shares insights on Israel's participation amidst ongoing conflicts and the remarkable stories of Palestinian athletes. Tune in for an in-depth discussion on how sports, activism, and politics intertwine on the global stage.
Dr. Jules Boykoff is the Author of What Are the Olympics For? (@BrisUniPress) Power Games (@VersoBooks) & NOlympians (@Fernpub). His writing on the Olympics has appeared in places such as the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Nation, and Time Magazine. Previously, Jules was a professional soccer player representing the U.S. Olympic Soccer Team in international competitions. He teaches political science at Pacific University in Oregon.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
Episode 1: MLB Covid-19 Outbreak, NBA Bubble, and NCAA Football Season in Doubt (PAC-12 & Big 10 cancel season)
00:40:47
Hey everyone! My name is Miguel Garcia and welcome to the very first episode of the Sports As A Weapon Podcast…A working-class sports podcast on the entanglement of pro sports, radical politics, & working-class sports fan culture. We talk just sports too!
On the very first episode Today, I will be discussing Covid-19 and Sports; particularly with Major League Baseball outbreaks, the NBA Bubble and College Football’s Power 5 Conferences on the brink of postponing the 2020 season until potentially Spring.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
Episode 2: Dummy Donnie from Queens calls NBA players “Nasty," pushes College Football to Play and Claims COVID-19 is just the "Sniffles."
00:35:43
In this episode, I discuss President Donald Trump’s radio interview this past week with Fox Sports Right-Wing radio host Clay Travis on his show OUTKick.
The POTUS ignored scientific facts when discussing Covid-19 and College Football and did his usual racist dog-whistling by criticizing NBA and NFL Players for Kneeling during the National Anthem. I also discuss the NBA allowing guests into the bubble in Orlando (NO IG Models!) and College Athletes from the PAC-12 and Big-Ten Conferences labor unionizing efforts with their newly formed Player coalitions #WeAreUnited and #BigTenUnited
Again, thank you for listening to the Sports As A Weapon Podcast. Subscribe, Follow and Like the Podcast on Facebook and Instagram: @sportsasaweaponpodcast, and Twitter @sportsasaweapon
Podcast Available on Spotify and Apple Podcast. Please download and share!
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
Hey everyone! My name is Miguel Garcia and I’m the host of the Sports As A Weapon Podcast…A working-class sports podcast on the entanglement of pro sports, radical politics, & working-class sports fan culture. We talk just sports too!
You can subscribe, listen, and share on Spotify and Apple Podcast.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
Episode 3: LeBron James and "More Than a Vote" Fighting Against Black Voter Suppression...Plus NBA Playoffs 1st Round Predictions
00:49:27
Hey everyone! My name is Miguel Garcia and I’m the host of the Sports As A Weapon Podcast…A working-class sports podcast on the entanglement of pro sports, radical politics, & working-class sports fan culture. We talk just sports too!
In today’s episode, I will be discussing the current movement of Pro-Athletes in fighting the racist political tactic of voter suppression against the Black Community and other oppressed communities, including the incarcerated population. For more information on the fight against voter suppression, please visit: https://www.morethanavote.org/
You can subscribe, listen, and share on Spotify and Apple Podcast.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
EP 4: "Our Enemies in Blue" Episode-Police Shoot Jacob Blake and NBA, LeBron, and George Hill Respond, Malcolm X and Toronto Raptors Boycotting ECSF Game 1?
00:50:32
Hey everyone! My name is Miguel Garcia and I’m the host of the Sports As A Weapon Podcast…A working-class sports podcast on the entanglement of pro sports, radical politics, & working-class sports fan culture…. And we just talk about sports too!
In today’s episode, I will be discussing Police Violence and the continued police killings of Black People. Specifically, I will focus today’s show on the shooting of Jacob Blake by Police in Wisconsin this past Sunday and the outrage from the black community and NBA players like George Hill and LeBron James. Blake was shot in the back 7 times at point-blank range by white police officers in broad daylight and in front of his children.
To end today’s show, I also discussed last week’s newly released video from June 2019 of Alameda County Sherriff Deputy Alan Strickland pushing Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri moments after the Toronto Raptors had defeated the Golden State Warriors in game 6 of the NBA Finals to capture their first-ever NBA championship and discuss previous police brutality incidents involving two NBA players, Sterling Brown and Thabo Sefolosha. Finally, I will end the show with my thoughts on LeBron James reading “The Autobiography of Malcolm-X" and Breaking News came in as I was recording that the Toronto Raptors could boycott game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals versus the Boston Celtics on Thursday...
You can subscribe, listen, and share on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
Episode 5: The "Sports Strike Heard Around the World"
00:38:49
Hey everyone! My name is Miguel Garcia and I’m the host of the Sports As A Weapon Podcast…A working-class sports podcast on the entanglement of pro sports, radical politics, & working-class sports fan culture…. And we just talk about sports too!
In today's episode, I discuss Wednesday's historic day in sports entangled with social justice and worker solidarity. The Milwaukee Bucks decided to strike and not play in Game 5 against the Orlando Magic, which led to a wave across all sports with MLB, NFL, WNBA, and even Tennis Superstar Naomi Osaka striking in solidarity. Oh, and eventually the NHL joined the strike in solidarity too, due to the efforts of the Hockey Diversity Alliance (HDA).
Ultimately, the NBA is returning to play this weekend, but their 48-hour "Strike Heard Around the World" will have a lasting impact on sports and labor and sports and society for years to come!
You can subscribe, listen, and share on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts. Follow us on:
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
Hey everyone! My name is Miguel Garcia and I’m the host of the Sports As A Weapon Podcast…A working-class sports podcast on the entanglement of pro sports, radical politics, & working-class sports fan culture…. And we just talk about sports too!
You can listen, download, and subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Deezer, and soon on Stitcher, Pandora, and iHeart Radio.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
Episode 6: Naomi Osaka and the Revolt of the Black Athlete
00:32:26
Hey everyone! My name is Miguel Garcia and I’m the host of the Sports As A Weapon Podcast…A working-class sports podcast on the entanglement of pro sports, radical politics, & working-class sports fan culture…. And we just talk about sports too!
In today’s episode, I want to discuss Tennis Superstar Naomi Osaka using her platform at the U.S Open to highlight racial injustice and the continued killing of black people by the Police and White Supremacist Vigilantes in the United States.
I also discuss Week 1 of the NFL season, which included protests by Players and Teams...but was overshadowed by the boo's from racist Kansas City Chiefs fans and racist San Francisco 49ers fans on Twitter. Lastly, I end the podcast discussing the recent Covid-19 study involving recovered college athletes diagnosed with heart inflammation because of Covid-19 and blast (pun intended) the dirty Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva trying to blame LeBron James for two of his cops getting shot and ambushed.
You can subscribe, listen, and share the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Deezer! Follow us on:
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
Episode 7: CFL Player Salary Cuts, Sports & Nationalism, and Raptors Fandom w/ Abdul Malik of The Off Court Podcast
01:30:42
Happy Friday! It's good to be back after a few months. On today's episode, I welcomed my very first guest on the podcast, Screenwriter Abdul Malik, co-host of the @offcourtpod Based out of Edmonton, Canada, and a fan of the Canadian Football League, Abdul provided insightful analysis on the current labor situation in the CFL. We discussed his recent article on the topic in Jacobin Magazine, CFL and Canadian Nationalism, and the differences between American Football (NFL) and Canadian Football. We also talked basketball, Raptors fandom, Bill Russell, and the origins of the NBPA; Racial capitalism and Offensive Native Mascots (Edmonton Football Team); and briefly discussed Super Bowl 55 among a few other topics.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
Episode 8: Let Them Play CA Movement & the Return of Youth/High School Sports in California
01:01:02
In today’s episode, I discuss a rapidly growing movement in the state of California regarding the re-opening of youth and high school sports. On Friday, February 19, 2021, CA Governor Gavin Newsom announced updated guidelines allowing the return of youth sports in counties with Covid-19 case rates at or below 14 people per 100k. In the first segment, I detail how the Let Them Play CA movement played a pivotal role in Newsom allowing youth sports to resume, but they may have played a role in growing Anti-Newsom efforts in California as well.
In the second segment, I welcome my good Friend Mike O to the podcast; co-host of the Sci and Tell Show Podcast! Mike is also a JV baseball coach and Math teacher in Southern California. I will be asking Mike about the process of starting their baseball season and how he’s been managing on and off the field during the pandemic with his students.
Lastly, I detail how the movement gained even more momentum when on February 11th, 2021, Let Them Play CA co-founder Brad Hensley, coaches, student-athletes, and parents from all over CA, held a protest rally outside the California State Capitol in Sacramento. They wanted their voices heard and called for the return of youth sports in CA. However, they were not alone in protesting at the Capitol that Thursday.
The #RecallNewsom and #ReopnSchoolsNow movement also held their own protest rally at the State Capitol. Among the chants of "Let Them Play" by student-athletes, parents, and coaches, were chants of "Recall Newsom! #Recall Gavin! and Reopen Schools! The Let Them Play CA movement was now entangled with the Pro-Recall Governor Newsom and Reopen Schools movement, and likely boosted the Recall Newsom and Reopen school movement’s momentum. This, in spite of the group’s leaders’ efforts to stay clear from those two movements.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
ep 9: "Eyes of Texas" & Jerry Jones hits the "Jackpot" while Texans Freeze w/ WFAA Mavs Reporter Irvin Castellanos (Part 1)
00:57:19
In today's episode, I'm joined by Irvin Castellanos (@TwittIrv), who covers the Dallas Mavericks for Dallas ABC-affiliate WFAA 8. He is also the co-host of the Eat My Shorts: A Simpsons Podcast (@eatmyshortspod). First, we get into crazy Texas Governor Greg Abbott ending the statewide mask mandate that goes into effect on March 10, 2021.
Then, Irvin and I breakdown The Texas Tribune's investigative report from last week (3/1/2021). The bombshell report revealed racist, angry emails from wealthy University of Texas boosters; who threatened to pull back their financial support of the university because the football team didn't sing the "Eyes of Texas" after a game last season.
Next, we discuss Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones hitting the "Jackpot" while Texans froze to death, and talked some NBA, Dallas Mavericks and the NBA All-Star weekend (which will be over when you hear this episode lol). To end the podcast, I introduce a new recurring podcast segment I call the "Molotov MVP."
This is Part 1 of 2 with Irvin. Part 2 should be dropping later this week.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
This is our Part 2 interview with WFAA ABC 8 Mavericks reporter Irvin Castellanos (@TwittIrv). This episode is a little late but we talk about Mark Cuban not playing the national anthem and then playing it once the NBA found out about it. We also talked some baseball since he grew up a Texas Rangers fan and I grew up an LA Dodgers fan; which leads to a discussion on the MLB Word Series bubble that was held in Texas because of COVID-19.
Also, since Irvin co-hosts his own Simpsons podcast (Eat My Shorts: A Simpsons Podcast), he tells me what his favorite Simpsons episode is (spoiler: it involves sports!) Lastly, I finish the podcast with the second-ever Molotov MVP segment, where I decide to pick co-Molotov MVPs: Oregon women's college basketball star Sedona Prince (@sedonaprince_) and former NBA player and University of Wisconsin men's college basketball player Nigel Hayes (@NIGEL_HAYES).
This past week, both players (March 17 and March 19) called out the NCAA's hypocrisy and corruption. Prince exposed the NCAA's gender bias when she tweeted a video of a very empty and basic weight room set up at the NCAA women's basketball tournament. Prince then gave her followers a glimpse of the men's tournament weight room which was fully stocked and looked like an actual weight room.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
11| Singled Out: The True Story of Glenn Burke. Interview w/ NY Times best-selling author Andrew Maraniss
01:13:35
I talk to New York Times best-selling author, Andrew Marannis (@TruBlu24). His new book, Singled Out: The True Story of Glenn Burke, is out now! Glenn Burke was the first openly gay MLB player and was the inventor of the high five. Burke deserves to be rightfully revered as an important social justice sports icon like Jackie Robinson and Muhammad Ali before him, and Colin Kaepernick after him.
Andrew talks to me about Glenn Burke coming of age in the 1950s and 60s Bay Area during the Civil Rights movement and the rise of the Black Panther Party; How Glenn Burke did not come out publicly during his brief three-year career, but many of his teammates, family, and friends were aware of his sexuality; and how Burke was driven from the game due to homophobia but left an impact and legacy on and off the baseball diamond with the LGBTQ+ community for decades to come.
Also, Andrew tells me the story of Glenn Burke inventing the high five with teammate and current Astros Manager Dusty Baker; how Glenn was also the first MLB player to rock some Nike's during an MLB game; and Glenn dealing with racism in the minor leagues, homophobia in the big leagues and society, and the AIDS epidemic. I hope you enjoy the interview! Don't forget to share and leave some comments on Apple Podcasts/iTunes.
About Andrew Marannis: "Andrew is a Visiting Author at Vanderbilt University Athletics and a contributor to ESPN’s TheUndefeated.com. He has appeared on several national media programs, including NPR’s All Things Considered and Only A Game, NBC’s Meet The Press, MSNBC’s Morning Joe, ESPN’s Keith Olbermann Show, ESPN Radio’s The Sporting Life, and the SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum Show (http://andrewmaraniss.com/)
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
12| MLB 2021 Season Preview w/ Mike O of the Sci and Tell Show Podcast
01:09:09
I'm joined by my friend Mke O of the Sci and Tell Show Podcast again and we do a 2021 MLB Season Preview. This was recorded on March 29, 2021, so it's a week later...but better late than never, right? We preview each division and pick our division winners alongside each team's 2021 Fan Graph projections (and Mike had some PECOTA projections as well). Since we are both diehard Dodger fans, we tried not to show our bias but it's hard lol.
As usual, we throw in a splash of politics but it is a heavy baseball preview episode. I also pick this episode's Molotov MVP, Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts. As the only manager who is Black and of Japanese descent, Roberts spoke out against Anti-Asian hate and racism; and also supported the MLB's decision to move the game from Atlanta, Georgia because of the New Jim Crow voter suppression law.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
13| #NotNCAAProperty & the Exploitation of College Athletic Workers w/ The End of Sport Pod's Dr. Derek Silva
00:54:56
I am joined this week on the podcast by Dr. Derek Silva, Sociologist from Kings University College in Canada. Derek is also the co-host of the @EndofSportPod with Dr. Johanna Mellis and Nathan Kalman-Lamb. Please check out their podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!
Lastly, Derek gives his take on the impact of COVID-19 on College Athletic Workers and why those in power do not really care about college athletes, pro-athletes, or fans during the pandemic as stadiums/arenas are opening to fans. I close the podcast with this episode's Molotov MVP, Spurs legendary Head Coach Greg Popovich, who sounds off on the Police murder of 20-year-old Daunte Wright by Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potters on Sunday, April 11, 2021, near Minneapolis. All this while the world watches the trial of the Minneapolis cop who murdered George Floyd last May.
When will it end? When will the Enemies in Blue stop murdering Black People and People of Color?
As always, you can listen, subscribe, and download the podcast on
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
Frank provides a well-researched and historical analysis of how Texas revolutionized sports in the U.S. during the civil rights era. For example, the University of Houston and Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas embraced the end of Jim Crow by integrating their football and basketball teams; while powerhouse football programs such as the University of Texas and Texas A&M were slow to integrate their programs. Frank also explained the importance of the Houston Astrodome in not only Texas but in the US during the 1960s and 70s; The "Eighth Wonder of the World" hosted legendary sporting events that revolutionized the culture of American athletics, such as the "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match between Billy Jean King and Bobby Riggs, at the height of the second-wave feminist movement.
Frank also talks to me about the connection between the San Antonio Spurs and the working-class Tejano/Mexican community of South Texas, plus much more. I also award this episode's Molotov MVP to former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and Xicana Tina Jimenez. In the summer of 1978, Jimenez and other ex-Cowboys cheerleaders started their own professional cheerleader organization known as the Dallas Cowgirls, Inc., to seek better opportunities and pay for their labor. To end the podcast, I introduce a new segment, "Xicano Sports History."
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
15| Cinco De Mayo Special: “Mexican Style” Boxing w/ Matt Sedillo & Rudy Mondragon
01:25:24
Feliz Cinco De Mayo! I am joined on the podcast this week by Xicano poet and author, Matt Sedillo, of Tele-Jaguar; and by Rudy Mondragon, co-host of The Split Draw Podcast.
The episode is all about "Mexican-Style" boxing, and Matt and Rudy discuss their ongoing project on “Mexican-Style” boxing. They both get into the actual boxing style, the narratives, stereotypes, and contradictions associated with "Mexican-Style" boxing. Matt and Rudy also push back against the racist stereotypes that "Mexican-Style" boxing is unskilled, savage, and un-scientific; narratives pushed by the white boxing establishment. However, Mexican and Xicana/o boxers, and even European boxers such as Gennady Golovkin, aka "Triple G," embrace the style and narratives of Mexican-Style boxing.
We also discussed and previewed the Andy Ruiz Jr. vs. Chris Arreola fight on May 1, 2021 (we now know Ruiz Jr. won with a unanimous decision) and the Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez vs. Billy Joe Saunders annual Cinco De Mayo fight this upcoming Saturday, May 8, 2021. I also asked Matt and Rudy who their favorite Mexican/Xicano fighters of all time are.
I end the podcast with my Molotov MVP, Muhammad Ali, and my second Xicana/o Sports History segment on legendary Chicano movement activist and Crusade For Justice founder, Rodolfo 'Corky' Gonzales. Corky was not only one of the most important figures of the Chicano movement, but he was also a former professional boxer, who retired in 1955 with a 63-11-1 record. Que Viva Corky!
You can purchase Matt’s latest book, “Mowing Leaves of Grass” here, and check out Rudy and The Split Draw Podcast on Spotify. Visit their websites at mattsedillo.com and rudymondragon.com
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
16| STEALING HOME: LA, the Dodgers, and the Lives Caught in Between w/ Eric Nusbaum
00:58:18
On May 9, 1959, Los Angeles Sheriff Deputies forcefully removed and arrested Aurora Vargas, daughter of Abrana and Manuel Aréchiga. The City of Los Angeles displaced the Aréchiga’s and the communities of Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop to build a new stadium for the Dodgers. The Dodgers had just arrived in LA from Brooklyn in 1958. The 62nd anniversary of this event was this past Sunday, May 9, 2021.
So, for today’s episode, I am honored to be joined on the podcast by writer and former VICE editor Eric Nusbaum (@ericnus). In his book, STEALING HOME: Los Angeles, the Dodgers, and the Lives Caught in Between, Eric did a fantastic job recounting the displacement of Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop to build Dodger Stadium. Eric rightfully centered the story on the Aréchiga’s but connected several other stories as well.
For example, Eric tells me about the LA Housing Authority official, Frank Wilkinson. Mr. Wilkinson hand-picked Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop as the new site (without asking the residents) for the city’s ambitious public housing project. Eric also explained how red scare politics derailed the project and Wilkinson’s life and career. Eric also detailed how Walter O’Malley’s Dodgers ended up in Los Angeles and gives us a little history of the LA baseball scene before the team’s arrival. As a Xicano who grew up a Dodger fan, we should never forget what happened to the three communities.
“Dodger Stadium should not exist!” -Frank Wilkinson
"Stealing Home has a driving plot, a humane heart, and a proud conscience. Read it and enjoy the story, or read it and get mad, or read it and change your mind. Most importantly, read it.” —Chuck D, Founding member of Public Enemy
For more information, please visit www.buriedundertheblue.com. Buried Under the Blue (BUB) is “an indigenous platform bridging the past and present communities through historical context, education, environment, community services, and technology. To empower and educate people to create healthier communities for a united future.”
Special thanks to Melissa Aréchiga for allowing me to use the video audio from a BUB IG video.
Go check out Eric Nusbaum’s latest project, Sports Stories. Eric and illustrator Adam Vill
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
17| 2021 NBA Playoffs & Justice for Palestine w/ Mavs Writer Irvin Castellanos
01:29:57
This week, I am joined on the podcast by Irvin Castellanos (@TwittIrv), who covers the Dallas Mavericks for WFAA ABC 8-Dallas. He is also the co-host of the Eat My Shorts: A Simpsons Podcast (@eatmyshortspod). So, this episode was mostly fun, and we both break down the 2021 NBA playoffs that start tonight, Tuesday, May 18, 2021. Unfortunately, bigger things are also going on around the world, so it was not all fun.
First, we get to the fun part of the podcast and we give our thoughts on the 2021 NBA Playoffs. We recorded this episode on Saturday, May 15, 2021, so some of the matchups were undecided at the time of this recording. However, we both discussed each conference. Also, we both picked our 2021 NBA MVP and made our other season hardware picks.
To end the podcast, we discussed the NBA’s 2020 Hall of Fame class, made our NBA Finals picks, and felt it was important to talk about Palestine. Lastly, this week’s Molotov MVP and Xicano History will be slightly different. I decided to combine both segments and honor Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving with this week's Molotov MVP. Before I honored Kyrie for lighting that cocktail and tossing it back at enemy lines, I play some news clips from this past week on Israel’s latest attack on the people of Palestine. Que Viva Palestina! Long Live Palestine! Justice for Palestine!
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
18 | Interview w/ Dave Zirin, Sports Editor at the Nation Magazine & Tribute to Lee Evans
01:08:43
This week, Miguel is honored to speak to Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports), Sports Editor at the Nation Magazine, and host of the Edge of Sports podcast. Miguel spoke to Dave about various politically entangled sports topics such as pro athletes and Palestine, LeBron James and the LAPD, the Tokyo Olympics, Tim Tebow, and much more!
Miguel also gives you his Molotov MVPs for the week and highlights the first-ever Mexican baseball player to win an MLB batting title for this week's Xicano sports history segment.
To end the podcast, Miguel pays tribute to two-time Olympic gold medalist, world recorder holder, and human rights activist Lee Evans, who passed away last week. Evans was 74 years old and left a great legacy. Miguel speaks on Evan's legacy as a civil rights activist, Olympian, and member of San Jose State's illustrious Track and Field program, dubbed "Speed City." Miguel ends the podcast with some archival audio of Lee Evans throughout the decades.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode.
Be sure to listen/subscribe to the Sports As A Weapon Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Deezer, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, and Pandora!
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
19 | Pinata Theory, Poetry, and Bay Area fandom with Chicano Poet Alan Chazaro
01:22:07
This week, Miguel speaks to Bay area Chicano Poet and writer Alan Chazaro (@alan_chazaro). Miguel spoke to Alan about becoming a poet and writer, Bay Area sports fandom, his love for Golden State Warriors basketball, and more!
Miguel also gives you his Molotov MVPs for the week, Naomi Osaka and Kyrie Irving. Miguel ends the podcast with this episode's Xicano sports history segment. Miguel highlights a Xicana baseball/softball player and a team from his hometown, Colton, CA.
Buy Alan's latest book, Pinata Theory, and visit his website. Also, follow Alan’s hedonistic basketball hoops blog, with original art on Twitter: @HeadFakeHoops
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
20 | Deportes: The Making of a Sporting Mexican Diaspora with Dr. Jose Alamillo
01:27:19
This week, Miguel speaks to Dr. Jose Alamillo (http://josealamillo.cikeys.com/), professor of Chicana/o Studies at California State University, Channel Islands. Dr. Alamillo is a cultural historian who teaches and writes about immigration, labor, race, gender, leisure, and sport. Dr. Alamillo is also the author of Deportes: The Making of a Sporting Mexican Diaspora.
Miguel spoke to Dr. Jose Alamillo about his book Deportes and the development of the Sporting Mexican Diaspora in the 20th century between Mexicans on both sides of the border. They discuss the importance of boxing, baseball, and other sports in developing a transnational sports network between Mexico and what became known as Mexico de Aufera, which was Southern California & beyond. The development of this network through sports created what Dr. Alamillo calls the Sporting Mexican Diaspora.
Additionally, Dr. Alamillo described how the U.S. government's imperialist project in Latin America deliberately shaped the Sporting Mexican Diaspora through the Good Neighbor Policy and the Office of Iner-American Affairs (OIAA). Dr. Alamillo also explained the importance of Mexican sports journalists in developing the Mexican sporting diaspora, plus more!
Episode 20s Molotov MVP is the legendary Mexican/Chicano Tennis superstar Richard "Pancho" Gonzalez. He faced racism as a Mexican in a sport dominated by the white establishment. Nevertheless, El Maestro de la Raqueta was ranked #1 in the world of tennis for eight consecutive years, from 1952-1960, and was in the top 10 for 21 straight years, from 1948-1969. After the segment, Miguel included archival audio from a 1950s sports program called Jimmy Powers Press Box Favorites featuring Pancho Gonzalez.
Lastly, Miguel highlights the legendary Chicana labor organizer and teacher, Emma Tenayuca, for episode 20s Xicano/a sports history. The San Antonio-born Indigenous Mexicana was a communist labor organizer and an all-city San Antonio high school basketball player!
Be sure to listen/subscribe to the Sports As A Weapon Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts,
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
21 | Cancel The Olympics Part 1: NOlympics Los Angeles and the 2028 LA Olympics
01:11:56
After a week off, Miguel shares Part 1 of his Cancel the Olympics series this week. In Part 1 of the series, Miguel spoke to Eric and Taylor, 2 members of NOlympics Los Angeles, "launched by the Housing & Homelessness Committee of the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America in 2017. The coalition has since expanded to include over two dozen partner organizations based in Los Angeles and California, as well as a growing transnational movement with dozens of groups around the world (https://nolympicsla.com/about/)." Follow them on Twitter: @NOlympicsLA.
First, Eric and Taylor explained how Los Angeles won the 2028 Olympics instead of the 2024 Olympics and broke down who the prominent stakeholders were that made sure Los Angeles hosted the 2028 games. Also, Miguel, Eric, and Taylor discuss the legacy of the 1984 Olympics and its impact on Black and Brown people, the working-class, and the poor.
In particular, Eric and Taylor explain how LAPD Chief Daryl Gates conducted gang sweeps via Operation Hammer before the 1984 games. They also speak about next month's Summer Olympics Games in Tokyo and the work the comrades in Japan have done to fight the capitalist Olympic machine, plus more!
Lastly, Miguel gives you his Molotov MVP for episode 21, Las Vegas Raiders Defensive End Carl Nassib, who last week was the first active NFL player to come out as openly gay. He ends the podcast with a different approach to his Chicana/o Sports History segment. On Saturday, June 19, 2021, a video went viral on social media of an ugly, racist ending to a CIF San Diego Section championship High School Boys basketball game between Coronado High School and Orange Glen High school. It is important to note that Coronado High School is predominately white and from an affluent area of San Diego, and Orange Gen High school is predominantly Mexican and from a working-class San Diego area city, Escondido.
After Coronado's buzzer-beating three-pointer in overtime to beat Orange Glen 60-57, players and fans associated with Coronado started hurling corn tortillas towards Orange Glen players and coaches. Orange Glen players, coaches, and fans were outraged and called the incident racist. As a result, a Press conference was held on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, by players, parents, coaches, and Orange Glen High School
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
22 | Cancel the Olympics Part 2: Dr. Jules Boykoff, Tokyo 2020, and the Capitalist Spectacle of the Olympics
01:05:19
This week, in Part Two of the Cancel the Olympics series, Miguel spoke to Political Scientist Dr. Jules Boykoff (@JulesBoykoff) about the Tokyo Olympics being held later this month despite concerns with COVID-19, the spectacle of the Olympics sacrificing lives in the name of capitalism, the potential of athletes protesting the games, and much more!
Dr. Jules Boykoff is the author of four books on the Olympic Games. His newest books, NOlympians: Inside the Fight Against Capitalist Mega-Sports in Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Beyond (Fernwood, 2020) and Power Games: A Political History of the Olympics (Verso, 2016). His writing on the Olympics has appeared in places such as the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Nation, and Asahi Shimbun. Previously, Jules was a professional soccer player who represented the U.S. Olympic Soccer Team in international competitions. He teaches political science at Pacific University in Oregon.
Next, Miguel gives you his Molotov MVP for episode 22, Olympic Hammer Thrower, Gwen Berry (@MzBerryThrows). On Saturday, June 26, 2021, Gwen Berry placed third in the hammer throw competition at the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials, which qualified Berry for the Tokyo Olympics, beginning on July 23, 2021. However, when she stood up at the podium to recognize her third-place finish, she was shocked to hear the Star-Spangled Banner begin to play.
At that moment, Gwen Berry made history and showed courage in speaking truth to power! Berry responded to the playing of the national anthem by turning her back away from the American Flag and draping a t-shirt over her head that read, "Activist Athlete."
Miguel ends the podcast with another Chicana/o Sports History segment. He highlights a legendary Mexican/Chicano Basketball player from the 1930s and 40s, Jose "Joe" Placencia. "The sharp-shooting King of the Mexican all-stars" led the Men's Mexican National Basketball team to the Bronze Medal at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany (The Nazi/Hitler Olympics).
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
23 | Burn it All Down with Sports Activist, Podcaster, and TSN columnist Shireen Ahmed
01:07:29
This week, Miguel spoke to Toronto-based sports journalist and TSN.ca columnist Shireen Ahmed (@_shireenahmed_). Shireen is a mother and is an award-winning sports activist focusing on Muslim women in sports and the intersections of misogyny and racism in sports. Shireen is also co-creator and co-host of the feminist sports podcast, the Burn it All Down Pod(@BurnItDownPod).
First, Miguel asked Shireen how she became a sports journalist and podcaster, Shireen's love for the people's game, futbol (soccer), and her favorite Burn it All Down podcast episodes. Additionally, Miguel and Shireen discuss the contradictions of sports fandom, Shireen's recent articles on TSN.ca, the controversial hiring of Chauncey Billups and Jason Kidd as NBA head coaches, while Becky Hammon once again was passed up for an NBA Head Coaching job, and more!
Next, Miguel gives you his Molotov MVP for episode 23, Track and Field superstar Sprinter, Sha'Carri Richardson (@itskerrii). On June 19, 2021, at the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, the 21-year-old Richardson won the 100-meter race in a blazing 10.86 seconds, which qualified Richardson for the Tokyo Olympics in late July. Unfortunately, a week later, Sha'Carri Richardson was suspended for 30 days by the U.S. Doping Agency for testing positive for Cannabis after the Olympic trials. Richardson accepted the suspension and took responsibility for the positive test.
Miguel ends the podcast with another Chicana/o Sports History segment. This week, he highlights Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Center Auston Matthews (@AM34). Auston Matthews was born in San Rafael, CA, but raised in Scottsdale, Arizona. His mother Ema is a Mexicana from Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico! Auston Matthews was not the first National Hockey League player of Mexican-decent to play in the league, but he was the first to be chosen with the #1 pick in the NHL draft when the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Auston with the #1 pick in 2016.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
24 | The Cold War, the Olympics, and the Hungarian Revolution, with the End of Sport Podcast's Dr. Johanna Mellis
01:24:01
This week, Miguel spoke to Dr. Johanna Mellis, Professor of World History at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania and one of the End of Sport Podcast co-hosts (@EndofSportPod). Dr. Mellis's research focuses on the interactions between Hungarian athletes, socialist sport leaders, and the International Olympic Committee as a microcosm of relations between society, the socialist state, and international organizations during the Cold War. Her work focuses specifically on the influence of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, which saw a mass defection of hundreds of Hungarian athletes to the West on Hungarian socialist sport policy and the IOC (Urisnus.edu). Dr. Mellis was also a Division I swimmer at the College of Charleston from 2004-2008 and coached swimming for seven years.
First, Miguel asked Johanna how she became the third co-host of the End of Sport podcast and how her experience as a Division 1 Athlete shaped her career in Academia. Additionally, Miguel and Johanna discuss her article, From Defectors to Cooperator: The Impact of 1956 on Athletes, Sport Leaders, and Sport Policy in Socialist Hungary. Finally, Miguel and Johanna discuss Trevor Bauer, anti-blackness, and white supremacy in Swimming, the Pandemic Tokyo Olympics, Rachel Nichols, and more!
Next, Miguel gives you his Molotov MVPs for episode 24, three WNBA players, Los Angeles Sparks stars and sisters, Nneka Ogwumike and Chiney Ogwumike, and Atlanta Dream veteran Center Elizabeth Williams. Finally, Miguel ends the podcast with another Chicana/o Sports History segment. This week, he highlights five Chicana softball players who helped the Mexican National Softball Team make their first-ever trip to the Olympics.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
25 | Fighting Visibility: UFC Female Fighters and the Millennial Sports Media Brand with Dr. Jennifer McClearen
01:12:16
This week, Miguel spoke to Dr. Jennifer McClearen (@jmcclearen), a feminist media scholar whose research examines sports, difference, and consumer culture. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Sports, Media, and Culture in the Department of Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. McClearen published her first book, Fighting Visibility: Sports Media and Female Athletes in the UFC, with the Studies in Sports Media Series with the University of Illinois Press in March 2021.
First, Miguel asked Dr. McClearen about the Millennial Sports Media Brand and how the UFC leveraged the early days of blogs and social media to market their product. Additionally, Miguel and Dr. McClearen broke down how the UFC uses the myth of the American dream and protestant work ethic to get their fighters to buy into the UFC neoliberal business model. Dr. McClearen explains how it harms female fighters, and in particular, non-white female UFC fighters. Miguel also asked Dr. McClearen about the relationship between the UFC and the gig economy, the push by former UFC fighter Leslie Smith to unionize UFC fighters, plus more. Note: Originally recorded on July 22, 2021, before the cancellation of Nunes vs. Pena at UFC 265.
Next, Miguel gives you his Molotov MVP for episode 25, current Bellator MMA fighter Leslie Smith. Finally, Miguel ends the podcast with another Chicana/o Sports History segment. This week, he does something slightly different and highlights Unite Here Local 2 and the San Francisco Giants/Oracle Park concession workers, who voted to authorize a strike on September 4, 2021.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. Sports As A Weapon is now part of the @Anticonquista Collective Network. Check out Anticonquista on YouTube and on Instagram!
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
26 | Unionized San Francisco Giants Food Service Workers win! (Bonus mini-episode)
00:22:03
Happy International Podcast Day! We have a Breaking News bonus mini-episode! Miguel spoke with Unite Here Local 2 Organizer Ted Waechter about the San Francisco Giants/Oracle Park food service workers' labor victory announced on September 29, 2021. The workers are voting and ratifying their new bargaining contract with their employer, Bon Appetit, today, September 30, 2021.
However, as workers vote to ratify their new contract and we celebrate this significant victory for organized labor and all service workers, Unite Here Local 2 and the San Francisco Giants food service workers still have one crucial demand:
They call on the @SFGiants and @sfgov to follow Los Angeles County's lead and require fans to present proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test to enter Oracle Park.
Also, look out for another new episode this weekend!
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. Sports As A Weapon is now part of the @Anticonquista Collective Network. Check out Anticonquista on YouTube and on Instagram!
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
27 | The NFL’s Racist Race-Norming and Brotherhood and Anti-Blackness in College Football with Dr. Tracie Canada
01:07:32
Miguel spoke to Dr. Tracie Canada(@tracie_canada) this week, a socio-cultural anthropologist and assistant professor at Notre Dame (Department of Anthropology and Africana Studies). Dr. Canada’s ethnographic research uses sport to theorize race, kinship and care, gender, and the performing body. Her work focuses on the lived experiences of Black football players. Dr. Canada is currently working on her first book, “Tackling the Everyday: Race, Family, and Nation in Big-Time College Football.”
First, Miguel asked Dr. Canada about her two recent articles, “The NFL’s Racist ‘Race Norming’ Is an Afterlife of Slavery” and “Brotherhood and Anti-Blackness in College Football.” Next, Dr. Canada explained the practice of race-norming and how the NFL used it against former players impacted by brain trauma during their playing career. Additionally, Miguel and Dr. Tracy Canada discuss the lawsuit by former NFL players Kevin Henry and Najeh Davenport against the NFL, who accused the NFL of “explicitly and deliberately” discriminating against them and black players filing dementia-related claims.
Dr. Canada also explained how race-norming is an afterlife of slavery, and Miguel and Dr. Canada discussed how injuries and concussions are structurally crucial to the NFL as a business. Lastly, as one cultural anthropologist to another, Miguel asked Dr. Canada why Miami Dolphins rookie WR Jaylen Waddle’s draft-day press conference caught her attention and the difference between football teammates and football brothers. Note: Originally recorded on September 2, 2021.
Next, Miguel gives you his Molotov MVPs for episode 27, former NFL running back Najeh Davenport and former NFL linebacker Kevin Henry. Finally, Miguel ends the podcast with another Chicana/o Sports History segment. This week, he highlights the 2021 NFL Hall of Fame Inductee and the first Mexican/Chicano and Latino Head Coach to win a Super Bowl, Raiders legendary Head Coach Tom Flores!
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. Sports As A Weapon is now part of the @Anticonquista Collective Network. Check out Anticonquista on YouTube and Instagram!
Be sure to listen/subscribe to the Sports As A Weapon Podcast on Spotify,
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
28 | Unionizing Minor League Baseball and MLB Postseason with Tipping Pitches
01:23:15
It's October, which means postseason baseball! This week, Miguel had three guests on the podcast to talk playoff baseball and the topic of unionizing minor league baseball players. Miguel was excited to welcome Alex Bazeley and Bobby Wagner, who hosts one of our favorite podcasts, the Tipping Pitches Podcast (@tipping_pitches). Miguel was also joined on the podcast by comrade Justin Williams of the Redspin Sports Podcast.
First, Miguel asked Bobby and Alex about their podcast and what inspired them to start it. Miguel also asked Bobby and Alex about their "unionize the minor leagues" t-shirts and the National Question of Baseball: What would it look like to nationalize the national pastime?
Additionally, Miguel, Justin, Alex, and Bobby drive deep (into left field) and discuss unionizing minor league baseball players, the #FairBall protest, the upcoming labor negotiations between the MLB owners and MLPA, and predict if the players and MLBPA will strike for the first time since 1994-95. Lastly, they discuss the MLB postseason and weigh in on who they think will be awarded the MVP and Cy Young for the NL and AL. Note: Originally recorded on October 1, 2021. Unfortunately, you already know the Blue Jays and Mariners didn't make it to October, and the Cardinals and Yankees lost the wild card. But it was still a great episode, and I suggest you listen, trust me.
Miguel gives you his Molotov MVPs for episode 28, minor league right-handed Pitcher Kieran Lovegrove, and the Jersey Shore BlueClaws and Brooklyn Cyclones, minor league players. Finally, Miguel ends the podcast with another Chicana/o Sports History segment. This week, he highlights current Mexican and Chicano Major League Baseball Players playing this October in the Postseason.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. Sports As A Weapon is now part of the @Anticonquista Collective Network. Check out Anticonquista on YouTube and Instagram!
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
29 | Enes Kanter, Sinophobia, and Anti-China Narratives in Sports with Danny Haiphong
01:19:50
We are back! Miguel welcomed Independent Journalist Danny Haiphong (@SpiritofHo) to discuss Enes Kanter, Sinophobia, and Anti-China Narratives in sports.
First, Danny and Miguel discuss Enes Kanter's anti-China crusade, and Danny chronicles how Kanter is a member of the Gulen movement. The Gulen movement is a conservative Islamist Fraternal organization founded by Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen, who fled to the US in 1998. Gulen currently resides on 25 acres of land in rural Pennsylvania, and the Turkish government considers Gulen a CIA asset.
Danny and Miguel also discuss the US Diplomatic Boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, fueled by the continued US claims of China committing Human Rights violations. However, the allegations originate from erroneous, right-wing sources connected to the US state department. Miguel also asked Danny about the importance of covering China from an anti-imperialist perspective and more!
Additionally, Miguel gives you his Molotov MVP for episode 29, LeBron James. The King responded to Enes Kanter’s criticism, and I enjoyed this segment. Lastly, Miguel gives you this episode's Chicano/Chicana sports history segment. Miguel highlights Ma Jin, a Chinese Diving Coach who has been the Head Coach of Mexico’s Olympic diving team since 2003.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is now part of the @Anticonquista Collective Media Network. Check out Anticonquista on YouTube and Instagram!
Be sure to listen/subscribe to the Sports As A Weapon Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts,
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
30 | Baseball as a Mediated Latinidad and Latino Threat Narratives in MLB with Dr. Jennifer L. Rudolph
01:06:31
Miguel welcomed Dr. Jennifer L. Rudolph to the podcast to discuss Baseball as Mediated Latinidad, including racist Latino Threat Narratives in baseball that are a microcosm of US white supremacy society.
Dr. Rudolph is an Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies at Connecticut College and author of Baseball as Mediated Latinidad: Race, Masculinity, Nationalism, and performance of Identity. Dr. Rudolph's research interests include U.S. Latino expressive cultures, Latino identity formation, transnationalism, urban studies, and teaching Spanish to heritage/native speakers.
First, Miguel asked Dr. Rudolph why it was essential for her to analyze new forms of media, such as social media, for her book, Baseball as Mediated Latinidad? Second, Miguel also asked Jennifer about her opening chapter, "La crema de Sammy Sosa," and her analysis of legendary Dominican and former Chicago Cubs star Sammy Sosa. Specifically, Miguel asked Jennifer to explain how specific events tied to Sosa's career and post-career intersected with race, class, and gender issues.
Next, Miguel and Dr. Rudolph discussed the controversy regarding Marc Anthony singing the national anthem at the 2013 all-star game and how it was another example of Anthropologist Leo Chavez's Latino Threat Narrative. Miguel and Dr. Rudolph also discuss how the World Baseball Classic and the 2017 Puerto Rico National team connect to nationalism, race, assimilation, and masculinity. For example, Dr. Rudolph discussed how her analysis of the Puerto Rican national team showed the contradictions between Latinos perceived as threats by white fans instead of representing nationalistic pride to Puerto Rican fans.
Furthermore, Miguel asked Jennifer about the connections between baseball, language, and racialized capitalism. Lastly, Miguel asked Jennifer about her chapter on Major League Baseball's development, labor structure, and practices at their academias in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. Dr. Rudolph summarized the system and explained how they resemble the history of US imperialism and colonialism in Latin America.
To end the podcast, Miguel gives you his Molotov MVP for episode 30, the legendary Pittsburgh Pirate and Hall of Famer, Roberto Clemente. Tragically, Roberto Clemente passed away in a plane crash 49 years ago today, on New Years' Eve 1972,
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
If you missed it, on December 6, 2021, the Biden Administration announced a Diplomatic Boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, which will begin in 10 days, on February 4, 2022. The Boycott is one of many current smear campaigns against China from Washington.
Now, we will make one thing clear: We believe in abolishing the Olympics and have been critical of the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) corruption in the past, but we are anti-imperialists first, and we will defend China against the Cold War rhetoric and lies pushed by the US government, its allies, and the US corporate media, which acts as the PR arm of the US government.
To end the podcast, Miguel has a little fun at the expense of White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki talking about margaritas because the Democrats are incompetent and don't care about working-class people.
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is now part of the @Anticonquista Media collective. Subscribe to the Antincoquista Patreon and follow on YouTube and Instagram!
Be sure to listen/subscribe to the Sports As A Weapon Podcast on Spoti
Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!
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