Southpaw 35: PAW-LITICO

We wrote for POLITICO Magazine! About sports!

Dear Southpaw readers,

As promised, the two of us have been working on a little side project, and we’re excited to share it with you:

We wrote for POLITICO Magazine! And they were crazy enough to put us on the cover!

The story—a deep dive into the shifting political dynamics between Democrats and athlete-activists—grew out of work that we’ve been doing here at Southpaw, and it explores some of the same issues that we’ve touched on here week after week: athletes’ new focus on electoral activism, the political momentum behind the efforts to reform the NCAA, and attempts from within the political mainstream to harness (or co-opt) the energy of the athlete-led protest movement.

We had the chance to speak with some really fascinating and insightful sources—including Dr. Amy Bass, who also spoke with us for a recent edition of this newsletter—who each brought a new perspective to the discussions that we’ve been having . A special thanks to loyal Southpaw reader and POLITICO editor Peter Canellos, who helped make the story happen.

You can find the story here— we hope you enjoy! And fear not—we’ll be back to our typical shenanigans next week.

-Ian and Calder

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RODNEY’S ROUNDUP

Do you want to read about . . .

. . . popular support for the National Anthem at sporting games? “How do Americans feel about the anthem at sporting events? It depends which Americans you ask,” By Michael Lee, Scott Clement, and Emily Guskin in The Washington Post (May 21, 2021).

. . . the looming showdown over the International Olympic Committee’s Rule 50? “Adam Gemili ‘would take a knee’ in Tokyo and warns IOC over protest ban,” by Sean Ingle in The Guardian (May 20, 2021).

. . . the passing of a sporting and political icon? “Remembering Lee Evans, Athlete-Activist Legend,” by Dave Zirin in The Nation (May 21, 2021).

. . . a dilemma facing Olympian moms? “Olympians who are nursing moms might have to choose between the Games and their babies,” by Dave Sheinin in The Washington Post (May 20, 2021).

. . . simmering tensions within the National Football League Players Association? “After a Workout Push, the N.F.L. Players Union Falls Flat,” by Ken Belson in The New York Times (May 21, 2021).