In this episode of The Sports As a Weapon Podcast, host Miguel Garcia returns from a long hiatus to discuss the intersection of sports, politics, and social issues. The special guest is Dr. Jules Boykoff, a political science professor and author renowned for his critical analysis of the Olympics. Together, they explore the political dynamics of the Paris 2024 Olympics, including intense security measures, the impact on marginalized communities, and pro-Palestinian protests. They also touch on the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and the preparations already impacting the city. Dr. Boykoff shares insights on Israel's participation amidst ongoing conflicts and the remarkable stories of Palestinian athletes. Tune in for an in-depth discussion on how sports, activism, and politics intertwine on the global stage.

Dr. Jules Boykoff is the Author of What Are the Olympics For? (@BrisUniPress) Power Games (@VersoBooks) & NOlympians (@Fernpub). His writing on the Olympics has appeared in places such as the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Nation, and Time Magazine. Previously, Jules was a professional soccer player representing the U.S. Olympic Soccer Team in international competitions. He teaches political science at Pacific University in Oregon.

Links:

Meet Fadi Deeb: Gaza’s Paralympian Is Showing the World That Palestine Still Lives

We Must Defend Imane Khelif

The Man Using Sports to Fight Israeli War Crimes

EXCLUSIVE: Israel shouldn't be allowed at the Olympics w/Jibril Rajoub | Edge of Sports

Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!

Also, listen/subscribe to the Sports As A Weapon Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Deezer, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Miguel talks with freelance journalist and comrade Abraham Marquez. They discuss using pro-sports for Zionist propaganda. We also discuss our overall feelings and thoughts on Israel committing war crimes against the Palestinian people. Free Palestine! 

You can follow Abraham on X/Twitter @abemarquez3 and read some of his work here. 

Note: The links below include examples of Zionist propaganda in pro-sports and examples of athletes/sportswriters/fans supporting Palestine.   
 
Links:
 
NFL’s condemnation of Hamas terrorism is important in fight against hate (Yahoo Sports) 

The NFL Prays for Israel and Ignores Palestine (The Nation/Dave Zirin)

Israel-Palestine war: US sports stars ignore Palestinians in pro-Israel posts, face fan backlash (Middle East Eye/ Zainab Iqbal)

Arsenal Supporters Pro-Palestine Official Statement (Twitter/X)

Gaza Fights for Freedom (Film by Abby Martin)

Ian Kinsler threw out the first pitch tonight in a Team Israel jersey (@MLBONFOX)

Jewish Major Leaguers come together against antisemitism and to show their support of Israel (@ILBaseball) 

Angel City FC supporters’ group responds after club restricts non-game-related flags amid Israel-Hamas war (The Athletic/Elias Burke)

Champion Abdel Rahman Sameh refuses to celebrate the gold medal at the World Cup in Swimming and reveals that he has been subjected to threats because of his support (Video/@RassdNewsN)

Liverpool FC’s Mo Salah speaks in support for Palestine (Video/@MoSalah) 

Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!

Also, listen/subscribe to the Sports As A Weapon Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Deezer, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow us on:

Twitter/X: @sportsasaweapon
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In this episode, Miguel interviewed Daniel Montero, a Cuban journalist, producer, and director with Belly of the Beast Cuba. Miguel spoke to Daniel about his documentary film director debut, Little League Dreams, which dropped on Belly of the Beast Cuba's YouTube page. You can watch the film here. 

The documentary Little League Dreams chronicles the journey of the 11 – and 12 – year olds from the Bayamo (Granma) Little League team that represented Cuba at the 2023 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, Panama eliminated Baymo Little League, 3-2, on Sunday, August 20, 2023. However, these kids should be proud of representing Cuba and winning against Australia 11-1 on Saturday, August 19, 2023.

Miguel also asked Daniel about the impact of the 61-year U.S. Embargo policy on the Bayamo Little League team and Cuban society in general. I hope you all enjoy this episode!

Daniel Montero was co-winner of a One World Media Award and a Telly Award for his work on the Belly of the Beast acclaimed documentary series, The War on Cuba. Daniel has been interviewed on Democracy Now! and published in The Guardian. He graduated from the University of Havana School of Communications in 2020 with a degree in journalism. Daniel was a reporter and presenter for Radio Havana's Cuba's English broadcast for two and a half years, where Daniel ran two shows. In 2018, he was a co-winner of a Caribbean Broadcasting Union Award for his work on Cito del Arte (The website of the arts).

You can follow Belly of the Beast Cuba on:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BellyofTheBeastCuba
Twitter: @bellybeastcuba
Instagram: bellyofthebeastcuba
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bellyofthebeastcuba/

Links:

Cuba's first Little League World Series team has family ties to MLB's Gurriel brothers (USA Today)

The War on Cuba Series (Belly of the Beast Cuba)

The U.S. blockade, and the "1 cent 4 Cuba" campaign to challenge it (Dr. Helen Yaffe)

Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!

Also, listen/subscribe to the Sports As A Weapon Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Deezer, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow us on:

Twitter/X: @sportsasaweapon
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Visit our website: www.sportsasaweapon....

We are back! It’s been a while, but Miguel welcomed another friend and comrade of the podcast, Dr. Franca Fernández. Franca is the creator and host of the real francamente podcast!
 
I talk to Franca about Lionel Messi & his move to play for Inter Miami of Major League Soccer (MLS) and what it means for fútbol in the imperialist core, aka the US. We also discuss the racial abuse faced by Brazilian superstar Vinicius Jr in Spain’s La Liga and more!
 
Dr. Franca Fernández is a fútbol fanatic and scholar who believes in the intersection of fútbol and politics, history, and social justice.
 
You can Listen to the real francamente podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. You can follow them on Twitter: @realfrancamente.

Links:

realfrancamente.com: this weekend’s epic, historic final (Copa America Final 2021: Brasil v. Argentina)

To tackle racism in football Spain needs to face its history (Gabriel Leão/AlJazeera)

Lionel Messi to join MLS side Inter Miami after PSG departure (ESPN)

Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!

Also, listen/subscribe to the Sports As A Weapon Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Deezer, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow us on:

Twitter/X: @sportsasaweapon
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Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sportsasaweaponpodcast (If you want)
Visit our website: www.sportsasaweapon....

Miguel welcomed another friend of the podcast, Dr. Adnan Husain, co-host of the Guerilla History Podcast! You can Listen to the Guerilla History Podcast here and follow them on Twitter: @guerrilla_pod.

Dr. Adnan Husain is a historian and Director of the School of Religion at Queens University. Adnan is also the host of his podcast, The Majlis podcasts.

In this episode, Adnan was kind enough to come on the podcast to report on his experience attending the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. For example, Miguel asked Adnan about Palestine's support at the World Cup and asked him what team/nation was the most well-represented while he was in Qatar. Additionally, Miguel asked Adnan about the historic run by Morocco and if France vs. Argentina was the most incredible World Cup Final of all time.

Lastly, Miguel rooted for Argentina in the final because he could not root for France due to its history as an imperialist power and colonizer. However, some were rooting for France because their roster was full of African Diaspora players, and Argentina's roster was very white. Miguel and Adnan gave their thoughts on that and more.

Links:

Listen to the latest Guerilla History Podcast episode: Sanctions Against China & Their Political Economy w/ Zhun Xu

Guerilla History Podcast: The World Cup: Sport, Politics, History, and Propaganda w/ Alexander Aviña

Qatar World Cup 2022: Palestine 1, Israel 0 by Feras Abu Helal (Middle East Eye)

The (African) Arab Cup By Hisham Aïdi (Africa is a Country)

Arab football fans at the Qatar World Cup turn down interviews with Israeli television (Video by MintPress News)

Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!

Also, listen/subscribe to the Sports As A Weapon Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Deezer, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow us on:

Twitter/X: @sportsasaweapon
Facebook: fb.com/sportsasaweaponpodcast
Instagram: @sportsasaweaponpodcast
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BlueSky: @sportsasaweapon.bsky.social
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sportsasaweaponpodcast (If you want)
Visit our website: www.sportsasaweapon....

We are back, and Miguel is happy to welcome a friend of the show, Dr. Munene Mwaniki, to the podcast.
 
Dr. Munene Mwaniki is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at Western Carolina University and is the author of the book, The Black Migrant Athlete: Media, Race, and the Diaspora in Sports (University of Nebraska Press, 2017).

In this episode, Miguel and Munene discuss the history of Black Migrant Athlete Labor in Europe and the US, including the concepts of the model minority and othering of Black Migrant Athletes such as Christian Okoye (NFL), Mario Balotelli (Footballer), Dikembe Mutombo and Hakeem Olajuwon (NBA), and others in the Western sports media. Additionally, Miguel asked Munene about the narratives created around these Black Migrant Athletes and how they help continue the capitalist neoliberal order in the West.

Lastly, Miguel and Munene think about what a Sociology of Sport through a Marxist-Leninist lens looks like and discuss how Western liberalism keeps an ML analysis of sport from the masses.

Links:

The Ogwumike Sisters Offer a Way to Think Differently About the Black Athlete by Dr. Munene Mwaniki and Manuel Zenquis (Engaging Sports) 

Munene F Mwaniki, The Black Migrant Athlete (YouTube Video)

The burden of playing while Black and Irish by Oluwashina Okeleji (NewFrame.com)

Mario Balotelli suffers racist abuse, threatens walk-off after booting ball into crowd in Brescia defeat at Verona (ESPN) 

Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!

Also, listen/subscribe to the Sports As A Weapon Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Deezer, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow us on:

Twitter/X: @sportsasaweapon
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Instagram: @sportsasaweaponpodcast
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Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sportsasaweaponpodcast (If you want)
Visit our website: www.sportsasaweapon....

Miguel welcomed back Chuy from The Heatwave Podcast to talk about the 2022 Qatar World Cup (Recorded 11.4.22), which began earlier this morning on November 20, 2022.
 
The Heatwave Podcast is a podcast centered around the political environment of the State of Arizona from a revolutionary socialist perspective, made by the people, for the people! You can listen to Chuy and his comrades on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast! 
 
To start the podcast, Miguel and Chuy get into what they are looking forward to the most during the World Cup and what team they are most looking forward to watching (hint: El Tri). Additionally, Miguel and Chuy discuss the issues with Qatar as the host of the World Cup, such as the abuse Migrant Labors faced in building the stadiums for the World Cup. 
 
Miguel and Chuy also discuss the entanglement between the FIFA World Cup (Mega Events), Capitalism-Imperialism and Neo-Colonialism, the collaboration of the West with Qatar hosting the World Cup, and the overt Orientalism in Western sports media coverage. 

To end the podcast, they make some World Cup predictions, Which Group they think is the "Group of Death," and if anything unusual will happen.

Sports As A Weapon Music Feature: Too Close For Comfort - Burn Bright (feat. Joey Fleming) (Official Music Video)

Links:

Follow The Heatwave Podcast on Instagram @thwpod and follow MECHA de ASU on Twitter @mechadeasu

World Cup 2022: What's behind the sustained condemnation of Qatar? (Middle East Eye)

World Cup 2022: Migrant worker abuse shames whole world, not just Qatar (Middle East Eye)

‘Racism’: Qataris decry French cartoon of national football team (Aljazeera)

Qatar: what the media isn’t reporting (Morning Star)

 Qatar hosting the World Cup highlights Western double standards (MSNBC)

World Cup deaths: How and why do inaccurate figures spread? (DW News) 

Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!

Also, listen/subscribe to the Sports As A Weapon Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Deezer, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow us on:

Twitter/X: @sportsasaweapon
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Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sportsasaweaponpodcast (If you want)
Visit our website: www.sportsasaweapon....

After a couple of months, Miguel is back with a new episode! Miguel welcomed Chuy from The Heatwave Podcast to talk about the NBA investigation of Phoenix Suns Owner Robert Sarver, who was accused of racism and misogyny by Suns employees (Note: Episode originally recorded 9.23.22).
 
The Heatwave Podcast is a podcast centered around the political environment of the State of Arizona from a revolutionary socialist perspective, made by the people, for the people! You can listen to Chuy and his comrades on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast!

To start the podcast, Miguel and Chuy discuss the Investigation Report findings and the NBA fining Robert Sarver $10 million and suspending him for just one year. Like LeBron James, Chris Paul, and others, Miguel and Chuy were outraged that Sarver received a slap on the wrist. However, two days before they recorded this episode, Robert Sarver announced he would begin the process of selling the team. You can read the investigation report here.

Miguel and Chuy also discuss how the Robert Sarver investigation is another example of White Supremacy, Patriarchy, and Toxic Masculinity in sports. Miguel also mentions the rumors of Jeff Bezos buying the Suns and the issue of capitalism and Billionaire owners. To end the podcast, they talk about former Phoenix Suns head Coach Earl Watson, who is Back and Mexican, and the racism he had to endure under Robert Sarver.

Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram,  Facebook, and Tik Tok!

Also, listen/subscribe to the Sports As A Weapon Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Deezer, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow us on:

Twitter: @sports

Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!

Also, listen/subscribe to the Sports As A Weapon Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Deezer, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow us on:

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Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sportsasaweaponpodcast (If you want)
Visit our website: www.sportsasaweapon....

Today (July 19, 2022), the Los Angeles Dodgers will host the 2022 MLB All-Star Game for the first time since 1980, and Dodgers future Hall of Famer Pitcher and 9x All-Star, Clayton Kershaw, will take the mound and start his first ever All-Star Game in front of the hometown crowd. 
 
The 2022 season is also the 60th anniversary of Dodger Stadium, but the Dodgers do not want you to know about the dark history of Dodger Stadium. So as the biggest stars in Major League Baseball take the field tonight under the bright lights of Hollywood, the Dodgers and Major League Baseball can not hide the dark history buried under the blue (literally). 

On May 9, 1959, The LA County Sheriff's forcefully removed Aurora Vargas and her parents, The Arechigas. Thus, the last family of the three Mexican/Indigenous communities, Palo Verde, Bishop, and La Loma, were displaced. Of course, the Dodgers do not want you to know about this dark history, but we do!
 
Miguel spoke to two descendants of the displaced families who had their land stolen to build Dodger Stadium: Melissa Arechiga and Vincent Montalvo of the organization Buried under the blue. The families of the three communities created the organization Buried Under the Blue to teach people what happened to the three Mexican/Indigenous communities and seek justice and support for communities facing displacement today. 
 
To end the podcast, instead of our usual Molotov MVP and Xicano/a sports History segments, we included more history on the displacement of the three communities.

Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is now part of the @Anticonquista Media collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow on YouTube and Instagram! Be sure to listen/subscribe to the Sports As A Weapon Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Deezer, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow us on:

Twitter: @sportsasaweapon
Facebook: fb.com/sportsasaweaponpodcast

Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!

Also, listen/subscribe to the Sports As A Weapon Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Deezer, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow us on:

Twitter/X: @sportsasaweapon
Facebook: fb.com/sportsasaweaponpodcast
Instagram: @sportsasaweaponpodcast
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Visit our website: www.sportsasaweapon....

Miguel talked to Hockey Scribe Ian Kennedy (@IanKennedyCK) about Hockey Culture and some Stanley Cup talk (Note: Episode originally recorded 5.26.22).

Ian Kennedy writes about Hockey for @TheHockeyNews and provides hockey analysis at Yahoo Sports-Canada and Yahoo Sports NHL.

To start the podcast, Miguel talks to Ian about his new book, On Account of Darkness: Shining Light on Race and Sport, and Miguel asked Ian to choose three stories he enjoyed learning and writing about the most in his new book. You can purchase the book here.

Additionally, Miguel and Ian get into the recent racism Black, Muslim, and Indigenous NHL Players have faced, such as the Islamophobia that the Colorado Avalanche’s Nazem Kadri had to deal with during the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs from racist St. Louis Blues fans. Also, Miguel asked Ian if the NHL has done enough to combat the anti-blackness and anti-indigenous racism? 

At the end of their discussion, Miguel asked Ian about a new combat sport that combines hockey fights with MMA called Ice Wars, and who Ian thinks has the best shot at winning the Cup, plus more!

To end the podcast, Miguel’s Molotov MVP and Xicano/a sports History segments make their triumphant return!

Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is now part of the @Anticonquista Media collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow on YouTube and Instagram! Be sure to listen/subscribe to the Sports As A Weapon Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Deezer, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow us on:

Twitter: @sportsasaweapon
Facebook: fb.com/sportsasaweaponpodcast
Instagram: @sportsasaweaponpodcast
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com

Miguel Garcia produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!

Also, listen/subscribe to the Sports As A Weapon Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Deezer, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow us on:

Twitter/X: @sportsasaweapon
Facebook: fb.com/sportsasaweaponpodcast
Instagram: @sportsasaweaponpodcast
TikTok: @SportsAsAWeapon
YouTube: @SportsAsAWeapon
BlueSky: @sportsasaweapon.bsky.social
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sportsasaweaponpodcast (If you want)
Visit our website: www.sportsasaweapon....