This week we discuss why New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson should not be seen is anybody’s underdog. Also, we break down who is going to win the first round playoff, matchups, with an eye on the politics of the games. Zirin, “The 2024 Olympics Are Already Dealing With Multiple Political Crises” https://www.thenation.com/article/world/2024-paris-ol…

Dallas Mavericks’ backcourt of Luka Doncic and Kyrie is the most thrilling guard combo in the league and perhaps ever. Yet very few thought their coming together would work. We explore why. Zirin, “Coaching Great Dawn Staley Defends Trans Athletes” https://www.thenation.com/article/society/dawn-staley-trans-athletes/ — http://www.edgeofsportspodcas…

Arya joins the pod again to talk about the rising of the international influence of the NBA, it’s early roots, and where the game may be headed. Zirin, “Online Gambling Has Swallowed Professional Sports” https://www.thenation.com/article/society/online-gambling-sports-shohei-ohtani/ — http://www.edgeofsportspodcast.com/ | http://twitter.com/EdgeOfS…

Arya Shirazi joins the show to talk about the current state of the NBA, and we discuss what the implications of this game are moving forward and how we feel about the direction it’s heading aesthetically and as an entertainment product. Zirin, “Jonathan Glazer’s Brave Oscar Speech Represents the Best of Judaism” https://www.thenation.com/article/wo…

Rebecca O'Keeffe helped spark an international firestorm within the world of sports when she called on the Irish women’s basketball team to boycott its Feb. 8 match against Israel. While O'Keeffe's calls for a boycott ultimately went unheeded, her actions have provoked serious debate within Ireland and internationally on the responsibility of athle…

In this episode, we talk about the truly forgotten players of the NBA, particularly during the 1980s, such a unique era in the history of the NBA, and theorize on why they are not remembered as intently as others. Zirin, “What the Super Bowl Parade Shooting Has to Do With the Empire of the Gun” https://www.thenation.com/article/society/super-bowl-p…

The 1980s and 1990s were defined by basketball dynasties like the Lakers, Celtics, and Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. Yet in the midst of this unprecedented stretch of dominance, the Detroit Pistons won two and could’ve very easily won four NBA titles. How did they do it? And why do we discount this incredible accomplishment? Zirin, When Wearing a…

New York is the Mecca of basketball. So what explains the city’s inability to score an NBA championship in the last half-century. Arya Shirazi joins the show to talk about this historical oddity. Zirin, What Naomi Klein Taught Me About Aaron Rodgers https://www.thenation.com/article/society/naomi-klein-aaron-rodgers-colin-kaepernick/ — http://www.e…

Kobe Bryant and Lebron James are two of the most defining players of their generation and NBA history. While a considerable portion of their careers overlapped, the two never met in the NBA finals. Why? What would have happened? Arya and I discuss on this week’s episode. Zirin, “Will the IOC Do Anything About the Killing of Palestinian Athletes?” h…

In Part 6 of our series, Basketball Butterfly Effect, Arya Shirazi joins the show again to discuss the 2009 NBA draft and the Knicks coming close to getting Davidson sharpshooter Steph Curry, the most revolutionary player of his generation. You don’t want to miss this episode! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: h…

In Part 5 of our series, Basketball Butterfly Effect, Arya Shirazi joins the show again to discuss the 1993 NBA draft and a crucial trade that takes place that changes the course of 90s basketball. You don’t want to miss this episode! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy…

Inclusion for trans athletes in sports has become a flashpoint in the culture war that extends from schools to international competitions. Katie Barnes joins Edge of Sports to discuss their new book, Fair Play: How Sports Shape the Gender Debates, which offers one of the most comprehensive views yet on how the struggle for inclusion in the realm of…

This week on the pod, we speak to Jean Jacques Taylor author of the new book Coach Prime. With near total access to Deion Sanders program at Jackson State and explains what makes Deion Deion. Also we speak to best selling author Adam Mansbach about his incredible book The Golem of Brooklyn. We also have some ‘Choice Words’ for Florida Governor Ron …

This week on the pod, we welcome back Arya Shirazi to discuss another basketball butterfly effect: what if the NBA had handled the death of Len bias differently? How is that of affected that generation of 1980s players? Zirin, How DeSantis Is Using Sports to Hijack a Florida College https://www.thenation.com/article/society/new-college-sarasota-flo…

In the early 90s, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf had a promising career ahead of him in the NBA as an up-and-coming star. That all changed in 1996 when he refused to stand for the US National Anthem and called the US flag a symbol of oppression. The NBA retaliated by suspending him, and Abdul-Rauf spent the next two decades playing exclusively for internationa…

Officially, hazing is illegal and unwelcome just about everywhere you turn—but it continues as an open secret in far too many fraternities, sports teams, and other institutions. The latest revelations from Northwestern University's football team are a stark reminder that we have a long way to go to uproot the culture of hazing for good. Anti-gender…

Chamique Holdsclaw's legendary status was apparent from the moment she entered professional sports. After helping the US National Team win the Gold Medal in the 1998 Berlin Olympics, Holdsclaw was named Rookie of the Year in her first WNBA season. Her talent on the court and success in the WNBA projected an image of stability, but away from the cam…

This week on the Edge of Sports Podcast, part three of our discussion with basketball savant Arya Shirazi about basketball butterfly effects. This time we're talking what would have happened if Michael Jordan, on draft night in 1984, had not been drafted by the Chicago Bulls and had instead been selected by the Portland Trail Blazers. Also we have …

This week on the Edge of Sports Podcast, part two of our discussion with basketball savant Arya Shirazi about basketball butterfly effects. This time, we're talking about what would have happened if Kobe Bryant, on draft night 1996, had not been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers and had instead been kept by the Charlotte Hornets. Also, we have words…

This week we speak to basketball savant Arya Shirazi about what could have happened if the Detroit Pistons had drafted Carmelo Anthony instead of Darko Milicic in 2003. It would have been a profound basketball butterfly effect. I also speak about the USWNT getting bounced from the World Cup. Zirin, Why the Right Wanted the USWNT to Lose https://www…

As two-time defending champions, the US is the team to beat in this year's FIFA Women's World Cup. Long considered one of the best soccer teams in the world, the US Women's National Team hasn't always been given its dues. Former captain Julie Foudy joins Edge of Sports for a look back on the evolution of women's soccer. Zirin, Carli Lloyd’s Attacks…

The growth of the Black Lives Matter movement through the 2010s catalyzed a resurgence of Black activism in professional sports that had its climax in 2020 with the athletes' boycott following the shooting of Jacob Blake. Just a few years later, this energy seems to have dissipated. What happened, and how can we comprehend these recent events in th…

The central place of sports in American life lends immense influence to athletes to shift the culture of the country—and for more than 150 years, Black athletes have done just that. Few scholars are as attuned to the intricacies of this history as renowned sociologist Dr. Harry Edwards. From his role in shaping the events of the 1968 Olympics to th…

From 1979 to 1991, the Los Angeles Lakers would become a dominant force in the world of professional basketball and in American culture more broadly. Led by coach Pat Riley and star players Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the “Showtime” era of the Lakers is still, in many ways, the standard by which other sports dynasties are measur…

Body: The year 1968 was a time of rebellion across the US and the wider world. Tremendous demonstrations and rebellions shook American cities in opposition to the Vietnam War, the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., and the arrest of Huey P. Newton, co-founder of the Black Panther Party. Amidst this tumult, two athletes, John Carlos and Tommie…