In Panel 3 of our third annual Sports & Activism online symposium, Kevin Blackistone of the University of Maryland leads a discussion on the state of sportswashing with three experts on the topic: Jules Boykoff (Pacific University), Minky Worden (Human Rights Watch), and Sarath Ganji (Autocracy and Global Sports Project). The symposium is a collaboration between the Vanderbilt Sports & Society Initiative and the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements at the Vanderbilt Divinity School.

In Panel 2 of our third annual Sports & Activism online symposium, Carl Suddler of Emory University leads a discussion with Lou Moore (Michigan State), Ajah Hawley-Alexander (Iona), and Tracie Canada (Duke), on the economics of college sports in the age of NIL, particularly as it relates to race and gender. The symposium is a collaboration between the Vanderbilt Sports & Society Initiative and the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements at the Vanderbilt Divinity School.

In Panel 1 of our third annual Sports & Activism online symposium, Michael Fletcher of ESPN interviews legendary sports sociologist Dr. Harry Edwards about founding the field of study, the 1968 Olympic protest, and the state of sports activism. Olympian John Carlos also makes an impromptu appearance during the recording. The symposium is a collaboration between the Vanderbilt Sports & Society Initiative and the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements at the Vanderbilt Divinity School.

Michael Butterworth, Director of the Center for Sports Communication & Media at The University of Texas, discusses the Center’s fifth annual Politics in Sports Media report featuring survey results and case studies. As the report states, “in these interesting times, understanding the relationship between politics and sports remains as complicated and vital as ever.” View report at politicsinsportsmedia.org

Braden Brown, director of mental health at BYU Athletics, joins the show to discuss the immense value of mindfulness for athletes. "Based on the Lochbaum et al., 2022 systematic review of 30 meta-analyses across 40 years of sport psychology research. Mindfulness wasn’t just effective—it was THE most effective variable in the entire dataset. In a world obsessed with confidence, self-talk, and motivation. The data shows mindfulness is the foundation. If you want clutch performance, emotional stability, faster recovery from mistakes, better training efficiency, and improved well-being."

Vanderbilt women’s lacrosse coach Beth Hewitt joins the show to discuss the state of the sport and of her program as it celebrates its 30th anniversary on campus.

Bestselling authors and sports scholars Randy Roberts (Purdue University) and Johnny Smith (Georgia Tech) discuss their acclaimed new book, “The Fight of His Life: Joe Louis’s Battle for Freedom During World War II.”

Bestselling author Scott Ellsworth stopped by our Kirkland Hall studio while on campus to discuss his new book, “Midnight On the Potomac: The Last Year of the Civil War, the Lincoln Assassination, and the Rebirth of America.” Ellsworth is also the author of the PEN/ESPN award-winning book, “The Secret Game: A Wartime Story of Courage, Change, and Basketball's Lost Triumph."