Dave Zirin on Media Narratives and the Politics of Sports (Dec 2024)

Dave Zirin on Media Narratives and the Politics of Sports (Dec 2024)

This week on Sportly, Kavitha Davidson sits down with acclaimed political sports writer Dave Zirin for a no-holds-barred conversation about the intersection of sports, politics, and society. They discuss the idea of “dual realities” in media and how race, gender, and representation are often portrayed in sports narratives. The episode takes a closer look at the controversial trend of “sportswashing,” from Saudi Arabia’s massive investments to the NBA’s growing presence in the UAE. Zirin doesn’t hold back as he unpacks the complexities and contradictions of global sports institutions, shedding light on how these issues impact fans and athletes alike. If you’ve ever wondered what’s really going on behind the scenes of major sports events, this is the episode for you! Host: Kavitha A. Davison | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan | Producer: Paroma Chakravarty I Sound Designer & Editor: Paroma Chakravarty I Immigrantly Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art Graphic Designer: Sarah DiMichele Join us as we create new intellectual engagement for our audience. You can get more information at ⁠http://immigrantlypod.com⁠. Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ & ⁠Spotify⁠ to help more people find us!  Remember to subscribe to our Apple podcast⁠ channel ⁠for insightful podcasts.  Follow us on ⁠social media⁠ for updates and behind-the-scenes content. You can reach the host, Kavitha, at ⁠kavitha@immigrantlypod.com⁠ Follow us on TikTok ⁠@immigrantlypodcast⁠ IG ⁠@immigrantlymedia⁠ Sportly is an Immigrantly Media Production For advertising inquiries, you can contact us at info@immigrantlypod.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

The World Cup Hack: How Diaspora Players Are Rewriting Soccer’s Rules (June 2025)

What happens when national pride meets global identity? Morocco’s epic World Cup run in 2022 wasn’t just a Cinderella story; it was a masterclass in building a team from abroad. In this episode of Sportly, host Kavitha Davidson unpacks how foreign-born players are transforming international soccer. From FIFA’s game-changing rule tweaks to Qatar and the UAE’s controversial recruiting strategies, we are asking, where’s the line between heritage and hired guns? With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, get ready for the politics, pride, and power plays shaping the future of the sport. (This episode is a rerun from June 2025) Host: Kavitha A. Davison | Producer: Saadia Khan I Content Writers: Nicholas Black & Kavitha Davidson I Fact Checking and Research: Shahmeer Nawaz I Sound Designer & Editor: Paroma Chakravarty I Immigrantly Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art Graphic Designer: Sarah DiMichele Please share the love and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify to help more people find us!  You can reach the host, Kavitha, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠kavitha@immigrantlypod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find Sportly on Instagram @sportlypod Follow us on TikTok @immigrantly  Sportly is an Immigrantly Media Production For advertising inquiries, you can contact us at info@immigrantlypod.com Want to go deeper into your own identity? Download Belong on Your Own Terms, the app helping first-gen, second-gen, and third-culture kids reclaim belonging on their own terms.  link below ⁠http://studio.com/saadia⁠ Join us in creating new intellectual engagement for our audience. You can get more information at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://immigrantlypod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Remember to subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠Apple podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠channel⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for insightful podcasts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Jason Belmonte Was Born to Bowl But Is He the Greatest of All Time?

Jason Belmonte or "Belmo" is widely considered one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the sport. However, if you ask him, he's not done yet. With 15 major championships and records that may never be broken, he is methodically chasing a legacy that would put the debate to rest once and for all. In this conversation, Kavitha talks to Belmo about the invisible playing field that makes professional bowling so brutally unforgiving, what it felt like to chase history in real time, life on a grinding tour that doesn't get nearly enough respect, and what he still has left to prove. Host: Kavitha A. Davison | Producer: Paroma Chakravarty I Executive Producer: Saadia Khan | Fact Checking and Research: Paroma Chakravarty I Sound Designer & Editor: Paroma Chakravarty I Sportly Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art Graphic Designer: Sarah DiMichele Please share the love and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify to help more people find us!  You can reach the host, Kavitha, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠kavitha@immigrantlypod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find Sportly on Instagram @sportlypod Follow us on TikTok @immigrantly  Sportly is an Immigrantly Media Production For advertising inquiries, you can contact us at info@immigrantlypod.com Want to go deeper into your own identity? Download Belong on Your Own Terms, the app helping first-gen, second-gen, and third-culture kids reclaim belonging on their own terms.  link below ⁠http://studio.com/saadia⁠ Join us in creating new intellectual engagement for our audience. You can get more information at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://immigrantlypod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Remember to subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠Apple podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠channel⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for insightful podcasts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Feed Drop: Muhammad Ali - Boxing, Fame and The Trap | From Big Lives

What happens when a Black icon refuses to make white audiences comfortable? Today, we’re sharing a preview of a new podcast, Big Lives, and a special episode about Muhammad Ali. Every week, hosts Kai Wright and Emmanuel Dzotsi dig into the BBC archive to explore the story behind the icons who shape our culture—trailblazers like David Bowie, Amy Winehouse, and Tina Turner—and better understand how each legend set the stage for our contemporary cultural landscape. This episode traces Muhammad Ali’s BBC interviews—full of swagger and wit, fury and fallout—to reveal how he reshaped media, protest and public speech. If you like what you hear, find more episodes of Big Lives wherever you get your podcasts. Show link: https://lnk.to/BBCSportly Host: Kavitha A. Davison | Producer: Paroma Chakravarty I Executive Producer: Saadia Khan | Fact Checking and Research: Paroma Chakravarty I Sound Designer & Editor: Paroma Chakravarty I Sportly Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art Graphic Designer: Sarah DiMichele Please share the love and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify to help more people find us!  You can reach the host, Kavitha, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠kavitha@immigrantlypod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find Sportly on Instagram @sportlypod Follow us on TikTok @immigrantly  Sportly is an Immigrantly Media Production For advertising inquiries, you can contact us at info@immigrantlypod.com Want to go deeper into your own identity? Download Belong on Your Own Terms, the app helping first-gen, second-gen, and third-culture kids reclaim belonging on their own terms.  link below ⁠http://studio.com/saadia⁠ Join us in creating new intellectual engagement for our audience. You can get more information at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://immigrantlypod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Remember to subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠Apple podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠channel⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for insightful podcasts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

How Art But Make It Sports Matches Viral Sports Moments to Fine Art

The creator of "Art But Make It Sports", LJ Rader, is a lifelong sports professional who has worked for NBC Sports, won an Emmy, and spent nearly a decade at Sportradar, all while quietly teaching himself art history through museum visits, auction houses, and gallery trips. What started as a personal joke on his Instagram - pairing sports photos with fine art - became Art But Make It Sports, an account that now reaches hundreds of thousands of followers and has earned him the admiration of educators who use his posts to teach kids about art history. Oh, and a lot of accusations that he's using AI. He's not. In this episode, Kavitha sits down with LJ to talk about how he actually builds each post, from sourcing the right image to going frame by frame through game footage to find the perfect shot, how he navigates being a self-taught outsider in the notoriously siloed art world, why sports photography deserves to be treated as an art form in its own right, and what's next for him as he leaves his day job to go all in on FanFlare, a new sports data app built around women's volleyball. Host: Kavitha A. Davison | Producer: Paroma Chakravarty I Executive Producer: Saadia Khan | Fact Checking and Research: Paroma Chakravarty I Sound Designer & Editor: Paroma Chakravarty I Sportly Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art Graphic Designer: Sarah DiMichele Please share the love and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify to help more people find us!  You can reach the host, Kavitha, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠kavitha@immigrantlypod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find Sportly on Instagram @sportlypod Follow us on TikTok @immigrantly  Sportly is an Immigrantly Media Production For advertising inquiries, you can contact us at info@immigrantlypod.com Want to go deeper into your own identity? Download Belong on Your Own Terms, the app helping first-gen, second-gen, and third-culture kids reclaim belonging on their own terms.  link below ⁠http://studio.com/saadia⁠ Join us in creating new intellectual engagement for our audience. You can get more information at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://immigrantlypod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Remember to subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠Apple podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠channel⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for insightful podcasts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]