Sports is an integral part of our political culture—the struggles for racial justice, gender equality, social and economic change are all reflected in sports culture and history. Though many treat sports as an "escape," it is almost impossible to escape politics and social issues through sports. From Jackie Robinson and the first integrated sports teams to Pat Tillman and our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the politics of sports is woven into the fabric of our nation. 

In this Nation Conversation, Sports Correspondent Dave Zirin joins Editor and Publisher Katrina vanden Heuvel to give some backstory to The Nation‘s second-ever special issue dedicated to sports, and explains how progressive politics and sports continue to overlap today.

—Anna Lekas Miller