
Today we’re joined by sportswriter, journalist, and podcaster Dave Zirin to discuss his new book The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee, Changing the World. We talk about the impact of Colin Kaepernick’s NFL protest in 2016, the psyche of young activists, and the best sports protest moments of all time.
The Stacks Book Club selection for September is Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy by Heather Ann Thompson. We will discuss the book with Derecka Purnell on Wednesday September 29th.
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Everything we talk about on today’s episode can be found below in the show notes. You can also find everything we talked about on Amazon.
- The Kaepernick Effect by Dave Zirin
- Welcome to the Terrordome by Dave Zirin
- Colin Kaepernick
- Public Enemy
- Chuck D
- “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos” (Public Enemy, 1988)
- George Floyd
- Serve Your City DC
- “Nike Nearly Dropped Colin Kaepernick Before Embracing Him” (Julie Creswell, Kevin Draper and Sapna Maheshwari, The New York Times)
- The Washington Post Sports

- “How the Tokyo Olympics Changed the Conversation About Athletes’ Mental Health” (Alice Park, Time)
- Simone Biles
- Naomi Osaka
- Serena Williams
- Tommie Smith
- John Carlos
- Megan Rapinoe
- “Megan Rapinoe Kneels During National Anthem Before Multiple Games for Team USA” (Joseph Zucker, Bleacher Report)
- Edge of Sports (Dave Zirin/The Nation)
- Adam Silver
- Roger Goodell
- “Roger Goodell: ‘Wish we had listened earlier’ to what Colin Kaepernick was protesting” (ESPN)
- Rob Manfred
- “MLB’s Talks with Barstool Show the Cowardice of Both Rob Manfred and MLB Players” (Sheryl Ring, Esq., Beyond the Boxscore)
- Michael Bennett
- Things That Make White People Uncomfortable by Michael Bennett and Dave Zirin
- George Steinbrenner
- David Stern
- Donald Sterling
- Untold: Malice at the Palace (Netflix)
- “WNBA players refuse to talk basketball in protest of fines for black warmup shirts” (Des Bieler, The Washington Post)
- “This Day in Sports History: Muhammad Ali Refuses Induction into Army, Stripped of Title” (Elizabeth Swinton, Sports Illustrated)
- “Billie Jean King triumphs in ‘Battle of the Sexes'” (History.com)
- “Oct. 16, 1968: Olympics Black Power Salute” (Zinn Education Project)
- “W.N.B.A. Players Escalate Protest of Anti-B.L.M. Team Owner” (Sopan Deb, The New York Times)
- “The day NBA players decided to strike for social justice” (Ricky O’Donnell, SB Nation)
- “Fab Five scandal doesn’t tell full story of Ed Martin: ‘He helped everybody'” (Carl Martin, The Detroit Free Press)
- “Mizzou’s 2015 boycott led to change, backlash and a lasting legacy” (Peter Baugh, The Athletic)
- “Still no anthem, still no regrets for Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf” (Jesse Washington, The Undefeated)
- “Craig Hodges Says He Tried to Convince Michael Jordan to Boycott Finals Game” (Adam Wells, Bleacher Report)
- Blowout Comb by Digabble Planets
- Velvet Underground Live 1969 by Velvet Underground
- The Baltimore Ravens
- Redemption Song by Mike Marqusee
- Forty Million Dollar Slaves by William C. Rhoden
- Nike is a Goddess by Lissa Smith
- Kate Hudson
- Sanaa Lathan
- Regina King
- Geena Davis
- The Long Kiss Goodnight (Renny Harlin, 1996)
- A League of their Own (Penny Marshall, 1992)
- Samuel L. Jackson
- Jamie Foxx
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