The HARD SCREEN

The HARD SCREEN

By Tamryn SpruillSociety & Culture
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The HARD SCREEN episodes

  • S1 Extra: 'Literally, by her sheer size'

    Layshia Clarendon discussed the ways the Pulse nightclub massacre was a galvanizing moment for LGBTQ+ acceptance and the reasons Brittney Griner's entry into the WNBA -- 'literally, by her sheer size' -- made a resounding and undeniable statement of authenticity.   

    Get the latest "screen" and sign up for the HARD SCREEN Newsletter at: https://thehardscreen.net/.

    11 min
  • S1E5: Why Black Girls Are Cheering for WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson

    When the Las Vegas Aces tip off in Game 1 of the 2020 WNBA Finals, A’ja Wilson--this year’s WNBA Most Valuable Player, a two-time All-Star and the 2018 Rookie of the Year--will be playing for Black girls everywhere, especially those with apostrophes in their names. Rich or poor, tall or short, athlete or non-athlete, Black women and girls have needed something to cheer about this year and Wilson’s success provides. But fans should not underestimate the pressures and demands she faces as an elite basketball player trying to win a championship during pandemic and protest. 

    In late September, the league announced its decision to award the 2020 WNBA Community Assist Award to all players for their work on social justice. Wilson and Sydney Colson of the Chicago Sky, both members of the league's newly-created Social Justice Council, spoke to select media via Zoom conference about the council's work and the impact of racial injustice on their lives. 

    Bethany Donaphin, head of WNBA basketball operations, and Dr. Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw, co-founder of the African-American Policy Forum and creator of the Say Her Name campaign, also spoke.  

    Get the latest "screen" and sign up for the HARD SCREEN Newsletter at: https://thehardscreen.net/.

    25 min
  • S1E4: #SayHerName (Part 2): 'Amplify the names'

    TRIGGER WARNING: THIS EPISODE CONTAINS VIVID DESCRIPTIONS OF POLICE VIOLENCE AND MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL LISTENERS.

    In this two-part #SayHerName special edition of The Hard Screen, mothers of daughters murdered by police speak on their shattered lives, their partnership with WNBA and demands for change. 

    Joining the conversation are: Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw, co-founder and executive director of the African-American Policy Forum (AAPF) and the #SayHerName campaign and Janelle Monaé, musician, artist and activist.

    Featured guest: Rhanda Dormeus, mother of Korryn Gaines, who was murdered by Baltimore police in 2016.

    Audio from Colson, Crenshaw and Best were recorded at an AAPF virtual event attended by Tamryn Spruill and provided courtesy of AAPF.

    Get the latest "screen" and sign up for the HARD SCREEN Newsletter at: https://thehardscreen.net/.

    37 min
  • S1 Extra: Sabrina Ionescu's Quite Literal Hoop Dreams

    One day after No. 1 overall 2020 WNBA Draft pick Sabrina Ionescu dropped 33 points in 34 minutes in her second professional game, Tamryn Spruill spoke with the New York Liberty guard about hoops, opportunities to grow the game and more. In this "extra" from The Hard Screen, a portion of that interview. 

    Get the latest "screen" and sign up for the HARD SCREEN Newsletter at: https://thehardscreen.net/.

    6 min
  • S1E3: #SayHerName (Part 1): 'We're living every day with amputated hearts'

    TRIGGER WARNING: THIS EPISODE CONTAINS VIVID DESCRIPTIONS OF POLICE VIOLENCE AND MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL LISTENERS.

    In this two-part #SayHerName special edition of The Hard Screen, mothers of daughters murdered by police speak on their shattered lives, their partnership with WNBA and demands for change.


    Joining the conversation are: Sydney Colson, Chicago Sky guard and WNBA Social Justice Council member; Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw, co-founder and executive director of the African-American Policy Forum (AAPF) and the #SayHerName campaign; and Bethany Donaphin, head of WNBA basketball operations.

    Featured guest: Gina Best, mother of India Kager, who was murdered by Virginia Beach police in 2015.

    Audio from Colson, Crenshaw and Best were recorded at an AAPF virtual event attended by Tamryn Spruill and provided courtesy of AAPF. 

    Get the latest "screen" and sign up for the HARD SCREEN Newsletter at: https://thehardscreen.net/.

    30 min
  • S1E2: Because Dr. King's 'I Have a Dream' Speech Tells Me So

    Atlanta Dream co-owner and U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler opposes the WNBA's and the Atlanta Dream's support for Black Lives Matter. Players and the WNBPA have called for her to sell her ownership stake in the team. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has stated that she will not force Loeffler out as owner, yet maintains support for the players' desire and decision to use the 2020 season as a platform for social justice advocacy. The Hard Screen digs into the founding principles of the Atlanta Dream and how Loeffler's politics jibe with neither the team's nor Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s DREAM. 

    Featuring: Angel McCoughtry, WNBA star and former face of the Atlanta Dream franchise, who weighs in on the rich Civil Rights history the team’s name represents. She also discusses her happiness to be back on the court after missing much of the 2019 season due to injury and the importance of using the 2020 season to advocate for racial justice.

    Get the latest "screen" and sign up for the HARD SCREEN Newsletter at: https://thehardscreen.net/.

    26 min
  • S1E1: Why America Doesn't Deserve Sports Right Now

    Many fans, pundits, media organization, leagues, teams and so forth have pushed the idea that sports (entertainment, fun, pastime) should be separate from society (the system in which we collectively live). By doing so, they also are falsely implying that sports and society have been separate entities historically and that athletes have never used their platforms to spur civic change.


    In this episode of  The Hard Screen podcast, we examine the reasons African-American athletes have used the biggest stages in sport as an opportunity to cry for freedom before the world after their cries for an end to racial injustice, police brutality, inequality and discrimination were ignored by White America when they were screamed repeatedly on on domestic soil.

    We illustrate America does not deserve sports right now. 

    Get the latest "screen" and sign up for the HARD SCREEN Newsletter at: https://thehardscreen.net/.

    28 min
  • Welcome to The Hard Screen!

    Welcome to The Hard Screen: a podcast about women’s hoops -- a brick wall between the sport you love and the misogynistic nonsense that surrounds it.



    With a storytelling bent, The Hard Screen marries current events with historical context, emotion with fact, and drills down deep into issues of race, gender and sexuality that impact the place of women’s hoops -- therefore, women’s sports more broadly and, alas, women -- in society.


    At 20 to 30 minutes per episode, we won’t waste your time, but there’s nothing stopping you from listening to an episode a second or third time if you wish.


    Get the latest "screen" and sign up for the HARD SCREEN Newsletter at: https://thehardscreen.net/.

    2 min

About The HARD SCREEN

From the publisher's feed

Delivering context and clarity, purpose and perspective, on pressing issues of the day -- from author and award-winning independent journalist Tamryn Spruill.