This week is our long-awaited 2025 NBA preview with hoops savant Arya Shirazi. Even in difficult times, the NBA playoffs remind us of what’s good. Check out our preview. Zirin, Can Steve Kerr Light an Anti-Trump Fire in the Sports World? https://www.thenation.com/article/society/steve-kerr-trump/ — http://www.edgeofsportspodcast.com/ | http://twitt…

This week, we talk to Dr. Maurice Jackson, author of the new book Rhythms of Resistance and Resilience: How Black Washingtonians Used Music and Sports in the Fight for Equality. We also talk to Ari Drennen from Media Matters about their recent study about the politics of the people behind the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Rhythms of Resistance & …

This week, we talk to Michael Messner, author of the fascinating new book, about what we can learn by looking at sports and yearbooks over the course of a century. It’s called “The High School: Sports, Spirit, and Citizens, 1903-2024.” Also, I’m talking to the savant, Arya Shirazi, about the days when March was truly mad. The High School https://ww…

This week, we speak to Rabbi Brant Rosen of the Tzedek Chicago Synagogue, a synagogue that claims anti-Zionism as a core tenet of their beliefs. We talk about this perilous moment when an antisemitic administration is weaponizing antisemitism to jail Israel’s critics. We also talk some sports! Brant Rosen https://rabbibrant.com/ Zirin, Jackie Robin…

This week, we speak to Outsports journalist and Connecticut Ambush football player Karleigh Webb about her journey and insights on trans issues in sports. Also, we speak to hoops savant Arya Shirazi about the long-lost days of the court general, who was the point guard. We also remember the late great John Feinstein. Karleigh Webb https://www.outsp…

This week, we speak to US-born, Rio de Janeiro-based visionary Robert Wilson, whose short volume A Football Manifesto is a brilliant excavation of the systemic, structural problems in US men’s soccer and a radical fan-centric approach to radical change. It’s not just a diagnosis. It’s a wholly original cure. Robert Wilson https://bookshop.org/p/boo…

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.thenati…

This week, we speak to former NFL player Chris Kluwe. Kluwe made news this week for his protest of MAGA at a Huntingdon Beach city council meeting, garnering headlines worldwide. We discuss what led to that moment, why he did what he did, and the sports world’s reaction to this administration and what explains it. Zirin, Why Democrats Won’t Throw a…

This week we speak to executive producer Arif Khatib and director Steven C. Bernier about their new documentary, Because They Believed: Minority Athletic Trailblazers Who Broke through The Racial Divide. The film is available on all streaming platforms and it's the documentary sports and politics lovers have been waiting for. Also, we talk to hoops…

It's being called the most shocking trade in basketball or even sports history: All-NBA guard Luka Doncic was sent from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. Everyone is searching for reasons why the Mavericks would throw away Doncic, a generationally great player who is only 25 years old. On Edge of Sports, we break the…

This week, we speak to the legendary New York Times journalist and acclaimed Young Adult writer Robert Lipsyte. We talk about his new book, Rhino’s Run, the relationship between high school athletes and masculinity, and the galvanizing potential of American football. Al this and more on this week’s pod! https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/7809…

We have two guests, Harrison Browne, and Arya Shirazi, talking about trans athletes and the golden era of NBA centers. This week, we speak to Harrison Browne, the first transgender pro hockey player, about a new book he wrote with his journalist sister Rachel Browne, Let Us Play: Winning the Battle for Gender Diverse Athletes, about how their stori…

Body: This week, we come from the famed Politics & Prose bookstore in Washington, DC, where I interview Derek Silva on the new book he co-authored, The End of College Football. His co-author, Nathan Kalman-Lamb, was denied entry to the U.S. from Canada, which we discussed. Thank you, Politics & Prose for permission to use the audio! Zirin, Why Did …

Hoosiers? Slap Shot? Boxcar Bertha? Today, film savant Arya Shirazi joins the show to talk about the baseball movies that could have been. Zirin, In 2024, the Sports Leagues Watched the World Burn https://www.thenation.com/article/society/sports-2024-year-review/ — http://www.edgeofsportspodcast.com/ | http://twitter.com/EdgeOfSportsPod | http://fb…

This week, we speak about the joy and politics of baseball movies. First, we speak to Noah Gittell, author of the terrific romp of a book Baseball: The Movie. Then we speak to movie savant Arya Shirazi about the five most essential baseball movies of all time and whether they will hold up in 2024. Zirin, Trump Invites a Killer to His Luxury Box htt…

This week, we join longtime, award-winning Hollywood Makeup artist Spring Super to discuss teen film villains in the 1980s and how they affect our politics! Zirin, What the Bosa/Kaepernick Double Standard Tells Us About the 2024 Elections https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/nick-bosa-maga-colin-kaepernick/ — http://www.edgeofsportspodcast.co…

This week on the Edge of Sports podcast, savant Arya Shirazi joins Dave to discuss what they have learned ten games into the season and what predictions they would do over if they had to do it again. Zirin, What the Bosa/Kaepernick Double Standard Tells Us About the 2024 Elections https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/nick-bosa-maga-colin-kaep…

This week, we are joined by Bill Fletcher. We talk about the story, the 2024 presidential election, and what to make of it. We discuss the appeal of Trump’s revanchism, why the election turned out the way it did, and what we can do. You don’t want to miss this episode. Zirin, Your NBA Eastern Conference Preview https://www.thenation.com/podcast/arc…

This week, we are joined by savant Arya Shirazi. We talk about the upcoming NBA season, specifically the Western Conference. Are the Thunder going to level up? Has the Denver Nuggets’ title window passed? What are we to make of this year’s Lakers? You won’t want to miss this one. Zirin, Your NBA Eastern Conference Preview https://www.thenation.com/…

This week, we are joined by savant Arya Shirazi. We talk about the upcoming NBA season, specifically the Eastern Conference. How much of the needle moved with the Karl Anthony Towns addition in New York? Are the Boston Celtics the prohibitive favorites in the East? Is this the year that the Philadelphia 76ers finally break through? You won’t want t…

This week, we talk to New York Times bestselling author Andrew Maraniss. His latest is a nonfiction chapter book series about athletes who have stepped up beyond sports to make a difference in the world: the first three books in this series, all written by Andrew, are about Pat Tillman, Maya Moore, and LeBron James. Zirin, In a Glaring Double Stand…

This week we speak to Dr. Louis Moore about his groundbreaking new book: The Great Black Hope: Doug Williams, Vince Evans, and the Making of the Black Quarterback. You don’t want to miss this episode. Zirin, Tyreek Hill and Player Policing, NBA Off-Season Intrigues https://www.thenation.com/podcast/archive/eos-091324-tyreekhill/ — http://www.edgeof…

This week I have choice words about the police treatment of Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill and the NFL franchise owners who endorse it. We also talk to basketball savant Arya Shirazi about an intriguing off-season time in the NBA. Zirin, Police Violence, Tyreek Hill, and the NFL Owners Who Bankroll Brutality https://www.thenation.com/article/s…

This week, we have a particular installment of hoops talk with my friend Arya Shirazi, where we talk about Olympic basketball, Team USA, their incredible final against France, and the future of international basketball. We talk about Steph Curry, Lebron James, and Victor Wembanyama and we theorize about where it could all be going. Zirin, What Was …

This week we speak to Michael Waters, author of the book The Other Olympians: Fascism, Queerness, and the Making of Modern Sports. An incredible eye-opening discussion about a part of Olympic history we are simply not taught Zirin, Palestinian Olympians Are Competing as Their World Burns https://www.thenation.com/article/world/palestinian-olympians…