Archive for the ‘Pops Spot’ Category

POPSspot Sports Radio: Etan Thomas, Ex-NBA Player on Michael Brown, Ferguson Police

Tuesday, August 26th, 2014

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Etan Thomas is More Than An Athlete. He’s been called a "gentle giant". A "rebounder with a cause". "The Poet". Thomas defies the stereotype of the apolitical athlete, and plants his roots in his budding literary career with the conviction of a Bill Russell, and poetic finesse of Muhammad Ali. Born in Harlem and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Thomas' childhood was surrounded by books on the civil rights movement, politics, and the 1960′s. He was greatly influenced by his mother and school teacher, Deborah Thomas.

In 2005 he released a collection of poems called More Than An Athlete; In January 2013 he released Voices Of The Future, a collection of poems and essays from young writers on topics such as Racism, Trayvon Martin, President Obama, Gun Violence, AIDS, etc. On May of 2012 he released Fatherhood (Rising To The Ultimate Challenge) and his writings have appeared in CNN, ESPN, The Washington Post, Huff Post, Hoopshype.com, and Slamonline, and he co-hosts the radio program "The Collision: Sports and Politics with Etan Thomas & Dave Zirin.

Website: etanthomas.com
Twitter: @etanthomas36

POPSspot Sports Radio: Dr. Harry Edwards on Michael Brown

Thursday, August 21st, 2014

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Dr. Harry Edwards, the great sports icon, sociologist, and East St. Louis native will share his thoughts on the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

POPSspot Sports Radio: Sports & Violence Against Women, Guest – Jessica Luther

Wednesday, August 13th, 2014

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The Vanderbilt Rape Trial is about to begin, The Oscar Pistorius murder trial is concluding, and Ray Rice's assault was met with an NFL wrist-slap and cheers from last Thursday's Baltimore Ravens crowd. To help us sort through sports, rape culture, and more, POPSspot Sports Radio welcomes guest Jessica Luther. JESSICA LUTHER is a freelance writer based in Austin, Texas. She is a PhD candidate in the History dept at University of Texas, and writes about the instersection of sports and culture at Power Forward. Her writing has also appeared Sports on Earth (Serena & Indian Wells), The Atlantic (How NCAA Endangers Women), Think Progress (Women's Sports & LGBT issues), The Guardian (Brittney Griner backlash), Salon (Olympics Gender Politics), The Texas Observer (Vince Young & Ricky Williams),and more.

POPSspot Sports Radio: World Cup & World of Lebron with War Room Sports

Tuesday, July 15th, 2014

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POPSspot Sports Radio discusses Germany's World Cup win over Argentina, Lebron's Homecoming, and the new NBA landscape with radio hosts from ”War Room Sports”. War Room Sports is a much anticipated, roundtable format, internet sports talk radio show, dedicated to an unbiased, objective, though highly opinionated examination of the people, places, and things in our wild and wacky world of sports and beyond. Be sure to check them out every Thursday night at 6 – 8pm EST at War Room Sports.com.

POPSspot Sports Radio: The Decision Remix – Guest, Wanda Johnson, Mother of Oscar Grant

Tuesday, July 8th, 2014

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As Lebron James contemplates his free-agent future, POPSspot Sports Radio takes a look back at the 4-year anniversary of "The Decision" - July 8, 2010. Lebron's famous declaration to "take his talents to South Beach" overshadowed the other famous decision that day -- the slap-on-wrist sentencing of Johannes Mehserle, the white Oakland police officer caught on videotape killing Oscar Grant. Ultimately, Mehserle would only serve only 11 months, and his release from jail which would also occur on the same day as the last game of the 2011 NBA Finals. Each time, the incredibly negative attention given to Lebron overshadowed mass protests that surrounded both Mehserle's sentencing and release. During this period, few outside of Oakland would even recognize the name of Johannes Mehsele at all.

Local outcries begging the nation to be concerned about Oscar Grant and the vulnerable lives of youth of color would be replaced by protests, hatred, and publicly burnt jerseys of one Black man.This week's special guest is the Ms. Wanda Johnson, the mother of Oscar grant who has been a tireless voice for justice in policing since her son's death. In "The Decision Remix" we will reprioritize our national humanity and have the discussion we always should have had, Ms. Johnson will discuss her son's case, little-known facts around "The Decision", the 4-year aftermath, the critically acclaimed motion picture Fruitvale Station, and how everyday citizens can help save lives.

POPSspot Sports Radio: “Teaching Sports 2”: Hip Hop Edition, Guest Jasiri X

Wednesday, June 4th, 2014

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POPSspot Sports Radio welcomes emcee and community activist Jasiri X who has utilized both hip-hop and popular culture, including sports, to reach young people. His ground breaking internet news series, This Week with Jasiri X, has garnered critical acclaim, thousands of subscribers, and millions of internet views. From the controversial viral video What if the Tea Party was Black?, to the hard hitting hilarity of Republican Woman…stay away from me, Jasiri X cleverly uses Hip-Hop to provide social commentary on a variety of issues. His videos have been featured on websites as diverse as Allhiphop.com and The Huffington Post and Jasiri has been a guest on BET Rap City, The Michael Baisden Show, Free Speech TV, Left of Black, and Russia Today.

Jasiri X first burst on the National and International Hip-Hop scene with the powerful hit song Free The Jena 6 which was played on more than 100 radio stations and was named Hip-hop Political Song of the Year. His debut album, American History X, was named Album of the Year at the Pittsburgh Hip-Hop Awards. A six time Pittsburgh Hip-Hop Award winner, Jasiri recently became the first Hip-Hop artist to received the coveted August Wilson Center for African American Culture Fellowship. A founding member of the anti-violence group One Hood, Jasiri started the 1Hood Media Academy to teach young African-American boys how to analyze and create media for themselves.

POPSspot Sports Radio: “Teaching Sterling” – HS Edition, Guests David Watts & James Haberl

Tuesday, May 20th, 2014

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"Teaching Donald Sterling" is the first of many POPSspot Sports Radio shows where local educators explain how they use sports as a teachable moment with the young people they serve.

David Watts is a student-athlete educational consultant, motivational speaker, administrator, teacher, coach, and student advocate. With over 25 years of practical experience as a student-athlete, researcher, coach and mentor, Mr. Watts speaks and conducts workshops and symposiums for student-athletes in the areas of academic achievement, college decision-making process, Diversity & Multiculturalism, and Student-Athlete Advocacy. If you are a HS student-athlete who lives in LA, be sure to make the Los Angeles Student-Athlete Symposium, Saturday, May 24th at Loyola, Marymount University/University Hall.

James Haberl is a High School English Teacher from Skokie, Illinois whose courses include Literature of Sports and American Culture. Haberl will share feedback from from his students to the Donald Sterling tapes and how those reactions can be integrated into greater socio-cultural exploration.

POPSspot Sports Radio: Michael Sam, More Sterling, and Media: Guest – Jeffrey Montez de Oca

Tuesday, May 13th, 2014

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Michael Sam has been officially drafted, Donald Sterling has "apologized", and Johnny Manziel's jerseys are already flying off the shelves. POPSspot Sports Radio welcomes Jeffrey Montez de Oca is an Assistant Professor in the Sociology department at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. His research has focused on college football, media, inequality,and popular culture during the early cold war. He is the author of Discipline and Indulgence: College Football Media, and the American Way of Life During the Cold War (2013), Rutgers University Press

POPSspot Sports Radio: The Sterling & Chris Russo Tapes, Dr. Thabiti Lewis & War Room Sports Crew

Tuesday, May 6th, 2014

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A 5-year old can spot Donald Sterling's racism, but sports radio host's Chris Russo's assertion that he just can't find any good radio hosts of color is no less discriminatory. Dr. Thabiti Lewis is currently an Associate Professor of English at Washington State University Vancouver. He has published widely in the areas of American literature, masculinity, African American Studies, and popular culture (music and sports). In December of 2010 he published a pioneering book about sports, race, and American culture, Ballers of the New School: Race and Sports in America.

We will also get reaction to Russo and Sterling from radio hosts from "War Room Sports", a much anticipated, roundtable format, internet sports talk radio show, dedicated to an unbiased, objective, though highly opinionated examination of the people, places, and things in our wild and wacky world of sports and beyond.

POPSspot Sports Radio: Donald Sterling, The NBA, & The Assault on Blackness, Guest Dr. David J. Leonard

Tuesday, April 29th, 2014

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Dr. David J. Leonard is associate professor in the Dept. of Critical Culture, Gender, and Race Studies at Washington State University, Pullman. With a B.A. in Black studies from UC, Santa Barbara, and a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley, he has dedicated his career to interdisciplinary scholarship, transformative teaching, and research that underscores the continued significance of race within popular culture, politics, and society.

He is author of After Artest: The NBA and the Assault on Blackness, co-editor of Criminalized and Commodified: New Racism and African Americans in Contemporary Sports & contributor to NewBlackMan, layupline, Feminist Wire & Urban Cusp. He blogs at drdavidjleonard.com Twitter @drdavidjleonard.