150 Years of Black Activism in Sports, With Dr. Harry Edwards

August 3, 2023
By: Dave Zirin

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Colin Kaepernick at a special training event that he created to provide greater access to scouts, the media, and the public, at a high school in Riverdale, Ga., on November 16. (Elijah Nouvelage / Reuters)

On this episode of Edge of Sports, the renowned sociologist joins the show to reflect on the 1968 Olympics, Colin Kaepernick, and much more.

Edge of Sports ยท 150 years of Black activism in sports w/Dr. Harry Edwards

The central place of sports in American life lends immense influence to athletes to shift the culture of the country. For more than 150 years, Black athletes have done just that.

Few scholars are as attuned to the intricacies of this history as renowned sociologist Dr. Harry Edwards. From his role in shaping the events of the 1968 Olympics to the politics of Colin Kaepernick, Edwards is just as much a participant in this history as a student and teacher of it. Now 80 years old, Edwards joins Edge of Sports as he embarks on his “Last Lectures” –a final project to close his long career as a public intellectual.

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