In 2003, a Manhattanville College basketball player named Toni Smith caused a media frenzy when she turned her back on the National Anthem during President Bush’s wars in the Middle East. It was not received well. Now, two decades later, Toni Smith-Thompson was the commencement speaker at the Manhattanville graduation and received an honorary doctorate. We speak to Toni Smith-Thompson about that journey.
In this episode, we have Choice Words about the silence from male athletes when it comes to Brittney Griner’s unjust detainment in Russia. We also have a Just Stand Up award for the US women’s soccer team for being victorious in their landmark suit for equal pay. And we have a Just Sit Down award for sports bloviator Doug Gottlieb, who seems unable to recognize what real racism looks like, let alone a history book. All this and more on this week’s show!
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Dave ZirinTwitterDave Zirin is the sports editor at The Nation. He is the author of 11 books on the politics of sports. He is also the coproducer and writer of the new documentary Behind the Shield: The Power and Politics of the NFL.