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Socializing Sports: Reclaiming The Beautiful Game from Capital & Empire
🕑 Added 2025-09-15 21:28:54 +0000 UTCIn this episode, Breht speaks with Robert E. Wilson, author of The Football Manifesto and The Supporters Trust League Manifesto. Together they explore what it means to socialize sports; to reclaim the Beautiful Game from billionaire owners, corrupt institutions, and imperial powers, and return it to the people as a democratic, community-owned, and liberatory project.
Together, they examine the ways professional sports in the imperial core normalize colonialism, militarism, racism, and capitalism, while grassroots football worldwide has long been a site of resistance, solidarity, and struggle.
From the NFL’s “plantation economics” to the vision of supporter-owned clubs, equal pay for women’s teams, and football as a hub of political education and mutual aid, this conversation makes clear that sports are never “just games.” They are battlefields for ideology and community -- as well as an expression of our nature as social beings -- and if reclaimed, they can become engines of solidarity,healthy communities, and socialist culture. Whether you are a sports fan or not, you will get a LOT out of this fascinating and surprisingly wide-ranging conversation!
Gaia Labs HERE
Behind the Shield documentary on the NFL by Dave Zirin HERE
Black Alliance for Peace petition to ban Israel and US HERE
Comments
Daniel
I grew up in Wisconsin and have been a GB Packers fan since I was 9. Whatever issues and disappointments the team has had and we’ve been through as fans, I am IMMENSELY proud of the club’s history as a publicly owned team. This is why everyone should root for them to win the Super Bowl every year, to show the superiority of a socialist sports model 🤣
Revolutionary Left Radio
haha I think the claim is more robust and safe when its phrased thusly: "NBA athletes on the whole would have a much easier time transitioning to the NFL than NFL athletes would transitioning into the NBA". The physicality of the NFL is different for sure, but these are world class athletes. Lebron James could take a hit, and the leanness of constant cardio that NBA players tend to have wouldnt be necessary in teh NFL and they could thus build the armor of muscle needed to take hits. But their height, speed, vertical movement, hand eye coordination, etc. would definitely translate very favorably to the NFL skill positions. Thank you tho for listening and the feedback and the support! <3
Memo Tan
The claim that “practically every basketball player that plays in the NBA can play in the NFL” is crazy. The skill sets and physical demands are vastly different for the NBA and NFL. The claim discredits the talent and physical toughness that it takes to even get to the combine. Great episode tho! Lots of interesting perspectives.
