Johanna is joined by Jules and Dave to discuss the moral imperative against allowing Israel and Russia to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games based on their recent article in Jacobin that so persuasively makes this case. They discuss how the Russian and Israeli states' absolute violence in Ukraine and Gaza respectively demand our immediate attention to add to the growing protests against both leading up to the Paris Olympics. Included in the growing protests and activism were the efforts of four runners at the U.S. marathon and half-marathon Olympic Trialsin authoritarian Florida: Jesse Joseph, Aidan Reed, Julian Heninger, and Nadir Yusuf, with the assistance of Olivia Katbi and others. We talk about how the US's weighty role within the IOC appears to act as a kind of shield against criticizing Israel the way that the IOC has (imperfectly) critiqued Russia. Jules explained his analysis of the IOC's idealistic Olympic Charter compared to the organization's professed "neutrality." We ended the show by hearing about Dave's fantastic recent interview with former NBA player and basketball coach Tariq Abdul-Wahad, particularly how his French background influenced his politics and how the moral clarity of his thoughts continue to motivate us to act.
Jules Boykoff is Professor and Chair of Politics & Government at Pacific University and is one of the preeminent public scholars of the Olympics. He is also author of What are the Olympics For, as well as the books The 1936 Berlin Olympics: Race, Power, and Sportswashing, and Power Games, among countless others.
Dave Zirin is sports editor at The Nation, host of The Edge of Sports podcast, and author of an incredible number of books on the politics of sport, including 2021’s The Kaepernick Effect, 2019’s co-authored Things That Make White People Uncomfortable with Michael Bennett, and so many more. Check out Dave’s TV show on The Real News Network!
Episode 21: Hoop Dreams, High Flying Bird, and Sporting Blackness on Screen with Samantha Sheppard
Episode 20: Communist vs. Capitalist Sport with Johanna Mellis
Episode 19: Behind the UNC Scandals with Jay Smith and Ted Tatos
Episode 18: Edgy Times with Dave Zirin
Episode 17: Beyond Diversity and Inclusion in Sport with Shireen Ahmed
Episode 16: Racism, Rebellion, and the Sport Media Complex with Hemal Jhaveri
Episode 15: Racism and Resistance with Michael Bennett
Episode 14: On The Last Dance with Louis Moore
Episode 13: The Ethics of Football and the Concussion Industrial Complex
Episode 12: Blame Canada
Episode 11: Bootstraps and Baseball
Episode 10: Fans All Day with Andrew Stoeten
Episode 9: Life in the W (and Around the World) with Elizabeth Williams
Episode 8: The Lie of Amateurism
Episode 7: Fandom, Work, and Academic Precarity
Episode 6: Not Your Average Athlete Interview
Episode 5: Food Insecurity and College Athletics
Episode 4: What's Wrong with the Olympics?
Episode 3: The Truth About College Sport
Episode 2: Athletic Labor and COVID-19
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