Sports As A Weapon Podcast

The 2025-26 College Football Playoff (CFP) begins this week, on Friday, December 19, 2025. In this new episode, Miguel is joined by our friends from The End of Sport Podcast, Derek Silva and  Nathan Kalman-Lamb, and we discuss their award-winning book, The End of College Football: On the Human Cost of an All-American Game.  

In their book, they "explore how football is both predicated on a foundation of coercion and suffused with racialized harm and exploitation (UNC Press)." Using 25 in-depth interviews with college football athletic workers from college football's Power 5 (now 4) programs, Derek and Nathan outline the plantation dynamics and racial capitalism built into college football.  

Miguel, Derek, and Nathan also discuss how college and high school football coaches replicate the overseer role in the Plantation dynamics of college and high school football, the impact of COVID, and more! 

Nathan Kalman-Lamb is assistant professor of sociology at the University of New Brunswick and author of Game Misconduct: Injury, Fandom, and the Business of Sport. Derek Silva is associate professor of sociology at the University of King’s College and coauthor of Power Played: A Critical Criminology of Sport.

Links:

Listen to The End of Sport Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. 

Abolish College Football by Nathan Kalman-Lamb and Derek Silva/The Nation

Fired Penn State football doctor back in court accusing ‘fraud’ in coverup of his James Franklin complaints by John Luciew/Penn Live

Why Did the US Block a Canadian Professor From His Own Book Event? By Dave Zirin/The Nation

Most athletes have chosen to ‘shut up and dribble’ over Gaza by Nathan Kalman-Lamb and Derek Silva/The Guardian

Ex-NFL CB Shareece Wright alleges sexual assault by trainer, John Barr/ESPN

Miguel Garcia and Comrade E 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, and Facebook.

All the video episodes are on the ANTICONQUISTA YouTube, and 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
UpScrolled: @SportsAsAWeapon
YouTube: @SportsAsAWeapon
BlueSky: @sportsasaweapon.bsky.social
Visit our website: www.sportsasaweapon.com

Miguel is joined by a returning guest, journalist Abraham Marquez. In this episode, we discuss ICE and the 2025 World Series champion Dodgers. 

Throughout the 2025 baseball season, Dodgers Chairman Mark Walter and Guggenheim Baseball Management have made headlines by first having the Dodgers team visit the Trump White House in April 2025 to honor the 2024 championship team. Additionally, the Dodgers were accused in June 2025 of allowing ICE to stage operations inside their parking lots, and most recently, in November 2025, ICE once again staged at a parking lot near Dodger Stadium the day after the 2025 Dodgers championship parade. 

Lastly, Guggenheim has investments in GEO Group and Palantir Technologies. We do our best to talk about it all, including the contradictions of Dodger fandom and the fallacy of ethical consumption under capitalism. 

Abraham Marquez is a freelance writer from Inglewood, California, and a National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) member. He is a 2021 USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism fellow. He's reported from Tijuana, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Honduras, and writes about social movements, immigration, politics, and sports.He currently has a Substack at https://abemarquez.substack.com/ and is a contributor for LA Taco, The Southland and others. 

Links:

Miguel Garcia and Comrade E 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, and Facebook.

All the video episodes are on the ANTICONQUISTA YouTube, and 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
UpScrolled: @SportsAsAWeapon
YouTube: @SportsAsAWeapon
BlueSky: @sportsasaweapon.bsky.social
Visit our website: www.sportsasaweapon.com

Robert E. Wilson joins Miguel to discuss the beautiful game of Football/Futbol and Robert's vision for the beautiful game in the United States: a grassroots and supporter-owned professional league modeled after Germany's Bundesliga professional football league. 

Robert discusses his fascinating book, The Football Manifesto and Club Handbook: Bringing the Beautiful Game to the People and Making the USA #1 in the World.

Links

Visit UrbanRefugee.com 

Visit GAIA Labs 

The Supporters Trust League (STL) Manifesto 

Sports, Political Education, and Football in the U.S. -The Black Agenda Report 

Note: The episode was originally recorded in October 2025

Miguel Garcia and Comrade E 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, and Facebook.

All the video episodes are on the ANTICONQUISTA YouTube, and 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
UpScrolled: @SportsAsAWeapon
YouTube: @SportsAsAWeapon
BlueSky: @sportsasaweapon.bsky.social
Visit our website: www.sportsasaweapon.com

We are finally back with a new episode! In this episode, Miguel is joined by Bay Area Swim Coach and host of the swimming + politics podcast, Crossing the Lane Lines, Naji Ali.

Miguel and Naji discuss Race and Swimming, Palestine, and much more!

Listen to the archive of Crossing the Lane Lines on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! 

Links:  

Palestinian Pelé’ killed in Israeli attack in southern Gaza (The Guardian/August 2025)

Inspiring Journey of Naji Ali: Black Open Water Swimmer (Black Kids Swim/January 2021)

Note: The episode was originally recorded in September 2025

Miguel Garcia and Comrade E 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, and Facebook.

All the video episodes are on the ANTICONQUISTA YouTube, and 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
UpScrolled: @SportsAsAWeapon
YouTube: @SportsAsAWeapon
BlueSky: @sportsasaweapon.bsky.social
Visit our website: www.sportsasaweapon.com

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 and Comrade E 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, and Facebook.

All the video episodes are on the ANTICONQUISTA YouTube, and 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
UpScrolled: @SportsAsAWeapon
YouTube: @SportsAsAWeapon
BlueSky: @sportsasaweapon.bsky.social
Visit our website: www.sportsasaweapon.com

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 and Comrade E 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, and Facebook.

All the video episodes are on the ANTICONQUISTA YouTube, and 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
UpScrolled: @SportsAsAWeapon
YouTube: @SportsAsAWeapon
BlueSky: @sportsasaweapon.bsky.social
Visit our website: www.sportsasaweapon.com

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)

Let Cuba Live Petition

Miguel Garcia and Comrade E 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, and Facebook.

All the video episodes are on the ANTICONQUISTA YouTube, and 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
UpScrolled: @SportsAsAWeapon
YouTube: @SportsAsAWeapon
BlueSky: @sportsasaweapon.bsky.social
Visit our website: www.sportsasaweapon.com

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 and Comrade E 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, and Facebook.

All the video episodes are on the ANTICONQUISTA YouTube, and 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
UpScrolled: @SportsAsAWeapon
YouTube: @SportsAsAWeapon
BlueSky: @sportsasaweapon.bsky.social
Visit our website: www.sportsasaweapon.com

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 and Comrade E 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, and Facebook.

All the video episodes are on the ANTICONQUISTA YouTube, and 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
UpScrolled: @SportsAsAWeapon
YouTube: @SportsAsAWeapon
BlueSky: @sportsasaweapon.bsky.social
Visit our website: www.sportsasaweapon.com

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 and Comrade E 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, and Facebook.

All the video episodes are on the ANTICONQUISTA YouTube, and 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
UpScrolled: @SportsAsAWeapon
YouTube: @SportsAsAWeapon
BlueSky: @sportsasaweapon.bsky.social
Visit our website: www.sportsasaweapon.com