How Sports Affects Politics and Vice-Versa

Thom Fountain |

To this point I think the bridge between sports and politics existed somewhere in Minnesota when Jesse Ventura became governor. But sportswriter Dave Zirin will be bringing the next chapter in a talk at UW-Eau Claire’s Forum Series titled “Not Just a Game: The Political Education of Sports.” Zirin, who has won numerous awards for his sportswriting for The Nation, will discuss how politics affects sport and vice versa. His most recent book is on the African-American athletes who raised their fists at the awards ceremony of the 1968 Olympics and is called The John Carlos Story: The Sports Movement That Changed the World. As with any forum, there will be a question and answer session afterwards, but I really don’t think he’ll be able to tell you Hank Aaron’s batting average when he played in Eau Claire.