Not just a game : power, politics & American sports
(eVideo)

eVideo

English

Directed by Jeremy Earp, Written by Dave Zirin, Jeremy Earp & Chris Boulton, Produced by Chris Boulton, Jeremy Earp, Scott Morris & Jason Young, Editor: Jason Young, Story Editor: Scott Morris, Executive Producer: Sut Jhally, Media Research: Scott Morris & Jason Young, Director of Photography: Tom Robertson, Additional Camera: Chris Boulton, Associate Producers: Loretta Alper, Andrew Killoy & Diane Williams, Sound: Stuart "Bud" Benson, Sound Mix: Rikk Desgres, Motion Graphics: Andrew Killoy & Jason Young.

Originally produced by Media Education Foundation in 2010.

Weve been told again and again that sports and politics dont mix, that games are just games and athletes should just "shut up and play." But according to Nation magazine sports editor Dave Zirin, this notion is just flat-out wrong. Not Just a Game, the powerful new documentary based on Zirins bestselling book The Peoples History of Sports, argues that far from providing merely escapist entertainment, American sports have long been at the center of some of the major cultural struggles of our time. In a fascinating tour of the good, the bad, and the ugly of American sports culture, Zirin first traces how American sports have glamorized racism, sexism, homophobia, and militarism, then excavates a largely forgotten history of rebel athletes who stood up to power and fought for social justice beyond the field of play. The result is as deeply moving as it is exhilarating: nothing less than an alternative history of political struggle in the United States as seen through the games its people have played.

Grade 9+

Higher education.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.