The End of Sport

In this episode of the End of Sport Podcast, Nathan Kalman-Lamb and Priyansh talk with Ahmer Naqvi to explore the complexities of cricket, particularly focusing on the T20 format, the historical and political dynamics of the India-Pakistan rivalry, and the implications of recent boycotts. They discuss the colonial roots of cricket, the impact of media and broadcasting in ongoing dispossession, and the future challenges facing the sport, especially in light of changing economic conditions and political landscapes.Cricket, T20, India, Pakistan, Rivalry, Boycott, ICC, Politics, Culture, SportsHosts: Nathan Kaman-Lamb, Priyansh, Anna Posbergh, Johanna Mellis, and Derek Silva________________________________________Support & Follow The End of SportPatreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Theendofsport⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Support the show!)Bluesky: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@endofsportpod.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@endofsportpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter/X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@EndofSportPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The End of Sport⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen, share, and support The End of Sport, a proud member of the Harbinger Media Network, a community of over sixty leftist podcasts at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠harbingermedianetwork.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode of Out of Left Field, all of us discuss a range of topics including Bad Bunny's impactful Super Bowl halftime performance, the political activism of Olympic athletes, critiques of the IOC, the pressures faced by elite athletes like Lindsey Vonn, and the implications of Israeli involvement in sports. We also ask the important question: is a hot dog a sandwich?Bad Bunny, Super Bowl, Olympic athletes, political activism, IOC, Lindsey Vonn, Israel, sports, cultural critique, hot dog sandwich debateHosts: Derek Silva, Anna Posbergh, Priyansh, Johanna Mellis & Nathan Kalman-Lamb________________________________________Support & Follow The End of SportPatreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Theendofsport⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Support the show!)Bluesky: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@endofsportpod.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@endofsportpod⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter/X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@EndofSportPod⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠The End of Sport⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen, share, and support The End of Sport, a proud member of the Harbinger Media Network, a community of over sixty leftist podcasts at ⁠⁠⁠⁠harbingermedianetwork.com⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode, Anna Posbergh and Johanna Mellis engage with experts Ryan Storr and Kristi Allain to discuss the cultural significance of the show 'Heated Rivalry.' They explore its impact on LGBTQ representation in sports, the complexities of identity, and the tensions between masculinity and inclusion in hockey culture. The conversation delves into key moments from the show that resonate with audiences, the challenges of navigating diverse identities, and the implications of nationalism in queer representation. The discussion also touches on the future of the show and its potential to influence cultural norms in sports. Heated Rivalry, LGBTQ, Hockey Culture, Masculinity, Nationalism, Inclusion, Sports, Identity, Queer Representation, Fan Culture________________________________________Support & Follow The End of SportPatreon: ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Theendofsport⁠⁠⁠ (Support the show!)Bluesky: ⁠⁠⁠@endofsportpod.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@endofsportpod⁠⁠⁠Twitter/X: ⁠⁠⁠@EndofSportPod⁠⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠The End of Sport⁠⁠⁠Listen, share, and support The End of Sport, a proud member of the Harbinger Media Network, a community of over sixty leftist podcasts at ⁠⁠⁠harbingermedianetwork.com⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode, the hosts engage with Jules Boykoff to discuss the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, exploring the political implications, the role of the IOC, and the challenges of sustainability. They delve into the concept of sportswashing, the impact of geopolitical tensions on athletes, and the growing activism against the Olympics. The conversation highlights the importance of worker safety in Olympic construction and the potential legacy of the games in fostering a more engaged activist community.Winter Olympics, political context, Kirsty Coventry, Olympic Truce, geopolitical implications, worker safety, sportswashing, activism, environmental concerns, Milan-Cortina legacy________________________________________Support & Follow The End of SportPatreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Theendofsport⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Support the show!)Bluesky: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@endofsportpod.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@endofsportpod⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter/X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@EndofSportPod⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠The End of Sport⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen, share, and support The End of Sport, a proud member of the Harbinger Media Network, a community of over sixty leftist podcasts at ⁠⁠⁠⁠harbingermedianetwork.com⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode, Anna and Nathan have the pleasure of talking to former USC basketball star McKenzie Forbes and Athletes Unlimited player about Gaza, Trumpist America, gambling, the Caitlin Clark Effect, and much more.________________________________________Support & Follow The End of SportPatreon: ⁠⁠patreon.com/Theendofsport⁠⁠ (Support the show!)Bluesky: ⁠⁠@endofsportpod.bsky.social⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠@endofsportpod⁠⁠Twitter/X: ⁠⁠@EndofSportPod⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠The End of Sport⁠⁠Listen, share, and support The End of Sport, a proud member of the Harbinger Media Network, a community of over sixty leftist podcasts at ⁠⁠harbingermedianetwork.com⁠⁠.

In the second episode of Out of Left Field, the hosts discuss the intersection of sports, labor, and politics, particularly in light of recent events in Minneapolis. The conversation also delves into international sports dynamics, focusing on the Ambani family's influence in Indian sports and the political implications of cricket exclusions. After a discussion of anti-trans policies at the IOC level. the episode concludes with a light-hearted audience engagement segment about pizza preferences.Support & Follow The End of SportPatreon: ⁠patreon.com/Theendofsport⁠ (Support the show!)Bluesky: ⁠@endofsportpod.bsky.social⁠Instagram: ⁠@endofsportpod⁠Twitter/X: ⁠@EndofSportPod⁠YouTube: ⁠The End of Sport⁠Listen, share, and support The End of Sport, a proud member of the Harbinger Media Network, a community of over sixty leftist podcasts at ⁠harbingermedianetwork.com⁠.

We are joined by former sports journalist and current U of T PhD candidate Priyansh to discuss why Trump was gifted the absurd FIFA Peace Prize and how the FIFA World Cup will unfold against the backdrop of US depravity at home and abroad. In this conversation we both interrogate the political economy of megaevents more broadly and try to parse the current geopolitical landscape. Worth your time.________________________________________Support & Follow The End of SportPatreon: ⁠patreon.com/Theendofsport⁠ (Support the show!)Bluesky: ⁠@endofsportpod.bsky.social⁠Instagram: ⁠@endofsportpod⁠Twitter/X: ⁠@EndofSportPod⁠YouTube: ⁠The End of Sport⁠Listen, share, and support The End of Sport, a proud member of the Harbinger Media Network, a community of over sixty leftist podcasts at ⁠harbingermedianetwork.com⁠.

Welcome to the very first installment of Out of Left Field. In this debut segment, we cut through the noise of the 2026 political landscape to examine the machinery of state violence and the complicity of the "protect women's sports" movement. We are also thrilled to introduce a new voice to the End of Sport team!_______________________________________________Support & Follow The End of SportPatreon: patreon.com/Theendofsport (Support the show!)Bluesky: @endofsportpod.bsky.socialInstagram: @endofsportpodTwitter/X: @EndofSportPodYouTube: The End of SportListen, share, and support The End of Sport, a proud member of the Harbinger Media Network, a community of over sixty leftist podcasts at harbingermedianetwork.com.

We are returning to regular programming as of January 2026! This week on The End of Sport, we are excited to cross-post a conversation we recently had with Miguel Garcia on his excellent podcast, Sports as a Weapon.With the 2025-26 College Football Playoff (CFP) cycle upon us, there is no better time to peel back the spectacle and examine the machinery beneath. In this episode, Derek and Nathan sit down with Miguel to discuss our award-winning book, The End of College Football (UNC Press).The dialogue navigates the grim reality of the sport, exploring how it is predicated on a foundation of coercion and suffused with racialized harm. Drawing on 25 in-depth interviews with athletic workers from Power 5 (now Power 4) programs, we outline the plantation dynamics and racial capitalism that serve as the bedrock of the industry.Together with Miguel, we dissect how college and high school football coaches frequently replicate the role of the overseer, the lasting impacts of the COVID era on player exploitation, and much more.We strongly encourage you to support our comrade Miguel Garcia. Sports as a Weapon is a vital listen.

In this episode of The End of Sport, hosts Derek Silva, Johanna Mellis, and Nathan Kalman-Lamb speak with Dr. Sheree Bekker and Dr. Anna Posbergh about the pseudoscience that continues to shape much of the anti-trans movement in sport. Drawing from sociology, feminist theory, and sport studies, they unpack how flawed scientific claims about biology and fairness have been used to justify exclusionary policies against trans athletes.The conversation addresses the ways these arguments gain legitimacy through the language of objectivity, even when they rely on outdated or manipulated data. Dr. Bekker and Dr. Posbergh explain how these ideas circulate across media, policy, and sport governance, shaping public perception and influencing laws that harm trans people. They emphasize the role of critical scholars, journalists, and educators in challenging these dominant frames that present trans inclusion as a threat to sport itself.The episode highlights why resisting pseudoscientific narratives is essential to building a more inclusive sporting culture. By questioning who defines fairness, whose bodies are regulated, and whose voices are heard, this discussion reminds listeners that defending trans athletes is not only about inclusion but also about defending the integrity of science and the principles of social justice.Listen, share, and support The End of Sport, a proud member of the Harbinger Media Network, a community of over sixty leftist podcasts at harbingermedianetwork.com.

This episode is a webinar called "Kick Israel Out of FIFA: No To Zionism in Football" recorded on September 29, 2025, moderated by sports journalist and friend of the show Leyla Hamed. Guests include our very own Nathan Kalman-Lamb, as well as Abubaker Abed, Nicola Hadwa ,Jill Thomson, Kat Vilarev, Shireen Ahmed, Ajamu Baraka, Roger Waters, Robert Wilson, and Bram Hanekom. "The Israeli settler state’s assault on Palestine in collaboration with the U.S. and its allies, is normalizing fascism on a global scale. We must fight this on all fronts, including the world's most popular stage: Football.Football is not separate from this struggle; it is a crucial battleground. Sporting events, like the 2026 FIFA World Cup, cannot be allowed to whitewash genocide. That’s why we demand FIFA ban Israel and the U.S. from World Cup participation until they comply with international law.Join the webinar to learn how we can collectively oppose fascism/zionism and israel in football." -- Just Peace Advocates

In this episode of The End of Sport, Nathan and Derek sit down with Dr. Tracie Canada, Andrew W. Mellon Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology and Director of The HEARTS Lab at Duke University, to discuss her new book Tackling the Everyday: Race and Nation in Big-Time College Football (University of California Press). A decade in the making, this Black feminist analysis confronts how college football exploits and harms the young Black men who dominate rosters across the United States. While universities and coaches lean on the “football family” myth, Dr. Canada shows how a genuine brotherhood among Black players emerges alongside the tireless care of mothers who support their sons on and off the field. This conversation explores the deep inequalities of the sport, the forms of care that resist them, and what Tackling the Everyday contributes to ongoing debates about race, exploitation, and the future of college football.You can order Tackling the Everyday directly from University of California Press with a 30% discount by visiting https://www.ucpress.edu/books/tackling-the-everyday/paper and using the code UCPSAVE30.

In this episode, Nathan sits down with Aidan Simardone, an immigration lawyer and immigration advocate, to talk about Olympic hopeful Tamarri Lindo and his family who are on the verge being deported from Canada at the risk of extreme violence. However, it's possible for us to push the Canadian government to reverse course and not deport the Lindo family -- listen and act now. Read more about this story here.

This episode features the full press conference responding to Tennis Canada’s decision to host Israel’s Davis Cup team in Halifax while barring fans from attending. The decision to host Team Israel in Halifax comes as Palestinians face mass death, displacement, and the destruction of homes, schools, hospitals, and infrastructure — with overwhelming evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity documented daily. Organizers say this match is not a neutral sporting event but a deliberate political act: a propaganda stage and public relations shield for a state actively committing genocide.Speakers call for sports boycotts as a response to ongoing war crimes. They also announce two demonstrations this weekend in Halifax:Friday, September 12, 2:30 p.m. at Garrison GroundsSaturday, September 13, 12:00 p.m. at Halifax Commons OvalConfirmed speakers include Isaac Saney (Halifax Committee Against Imperialist War and Genocide), Ben Sichel (Independent Jewish Voices), Em Bailey (Palestine Solidarity Halifax), Kate MacKeigan (Labour for Palestine, Kjipuktuk/Halifax), Tarek Gazawi (local Palestinian community member), Najlaa Najlaa Khaled, (Gazan Canadian Families), El Jones (Athletes vs Genocide), and Asaf Rashid (International Centre of Justice for Palestinians–Canada).Recorded live at the Bus Stop Theatre on September 10, 2025.For more, see Shireen Ahmed's piece in The Rover.

In this special episode, Nathan sits down with signatories of a letter demanding the reconsideration of hosting a Davis Cup match between Canada and Isreal scheduled to take place September 12-13 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, to discuss why they signed it and why this urgent call is necessary now more than ever. Featured in this episode are S. Michael Lynk, former United Nations Special Rapporteur for human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory (2016-2022) and Professor Emeritus of Law, Western University, Professor Hernan Humaña, York University and Former Canadian Olympic Coach, Beach Volleyball, Professor El Jones, Assistant Professor, Department of Politics, Economics, and Canadian Studies, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, Professor Chen Chen, Assistant Professor, University of Connecticut, and Professor Daniel Sailofsky, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology, University of Toronto and part of UofT’s Jewish Faculty Network. You can see the letter here.  You can read about the letter here.You can watch Nathan speak about the letter here.  

In this episode, Nathan sits down with former college basketball coach, professor, and novelist Rus Bradburd to discuss his new novel Big Time and a career working in and around college athletics. The conversation delves into the myriad problems in higher education and college sport today as well as meta questions about how to deliver critique.You can order Big Time from Etruscan Press here.

On this special episode, Dr. El Jones, former poet laureate of Halifax and Assistant Professor at Mount St. Vincent University, explains exactly why it is imperative that Tennis Canada/Sport Canada cancel the pending Davis Cup match with Israel slated to be played in Halifax in early September. Our piece on the Davis Cup. Olympic runner Moh Ahmed joins call to cancel Canada's Davis Cup tie with Israel.

Nathan is joined by friend and eminent hockey scholar Kristi Allain to break down how to understand the Hockey Canada trial and its implications for the sport and Canadian culture.Read: Olympic runner Moh Ahmed joins call to cancel Canada's Davis Cup tie with Israel Events: Violence, Exploitation and Harm in Capitalist Sport with Nathan Kalman-Lamb, Daniel Sailofsky, and Derek Silva, September 18th, 2025 6-7PM EST at Hart House, University of Toronto

This episode examines the destruction of athletes, athletics and athletic infrastructure in Palestine by Israeli forces. We discuss how athletes and sports spaces have been targeted, the loss of facilities and opportunities for athletes, and the broader impact on community life and youth development. The conversation addresses the concept of athleticide as part of a wider pattern of cultural and social erasure through sport.Leyla Hamed is a UK-based football journalist and sports law specialist, originally from Morocco and born in Spain.

We are finally back! After a very long hiatus, the podcast returns with a lengthy recap from Derek and Nathan of some of what has transpired since we last recorded in the United State and Canada, but with a particular emphasis on the ongoing genocidal atrocities in Gaza, with a focus on the so-called aid sites.Then, Nathan has the pleasure of welcoming Irish Sport for Palestine leader and former Ireland basketball captain Rebecca O'Keeffe on for a discussion of global athlete responsibilities in the face of the genocide. Rebecca talks us through the efforts in Ireland to boycott basketball games against Israel, while Nathan raises the possibility of similar protests in relation to Canada's upcoming Davis Cup tennis match against Israel in Halifax.