Sports As A Weapon Podcast

Miguel was joined on the Sports As A Weapon podcast by Dr. Gerald Horne and Anthony “Tony” Ballas to discuss the June 14, 2026 UFC “Freedom 250” event that was staged as an imperialist political spectacle by Donald Trump and Dana White. Dr. Horne, Anthony, and Miguel framed the spectacle as US imperial theater echoing “bread and circuses” and even late-stage Roman Empire decline.  Additionally, Dr...

On this episode of the Sports As A Weapon Podcast, Miguel interviews Hakim Jihad and Wells Todd of the US Hands Off Cuba Committee about a recent youth and labor delegation to Cuba. Hakim and Wells Todd discussed the meetings the delegation had with Cuban mass organizations such as CENESEX (Centro Nacional de Educación Sexual), participation in May Day marches, and visits to clinics and Havana’s C...

Miguel is joined by Alexander Aviña — associate professor of Latin American and Mexican history at Arizona State University and author of Specters of Revolution: Peasant Guerrillas in the Cold War Mexican Countryside — for a deep conversation where fútbol and imperialism collide. First, Alexander breaks down Mexico’s World Cup-hosting history, linking the 1970 tournament to the 1968 Tlatelolco mas...

Miguel is joined by Dana DuBari (national co-coordinator, Black Alliance for Peace Solidarity Network) and returning guest Robert Wilson (author of The Football Manifesto and Club Handbook) about the Anti-Fascist Football Coalition and its boycott campaign for FIFA to move World Cup 2026 matches from the U.S. Dana explains the coalition’s origins in 2025 through the North South Project’s people-ce...

Miguel is joined by returning guest Adnan Husain, professor of Medieval Studies and Chair of Religious Studies at Queens College and host of The Adnan Husain Show and co-host of Guerilla History , to discuss the U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran. Miguel and Adnan cover the strikes on oil infrastructure, Iran’s responses targeting U.S. assets in Gulf states, and broader consequences for global energy...

Miguel is joined by sports journalist Zachary Draves about WNBA activism and labor struggles. Zachary covers the WNBA for SB Nation's Swish Appeal, and you can follow Zachary on X/Twitter @DravesZachary .  Zachary discuss his article on player responses to the ICE killings of Alex Pretti and Renée Good in Minneapolis, citing public statements from players including Breanna Stewart (who held a...

Miguel is joined on the podcast by Priyansh, a University of Toronto PhD candidate and new co-host of The End of Sport Podcast . In this episode, Priyansh outlines cricket’s spread through British colonialism, elite club patronage, and later mass popularity in India via television and commercialization, noting the earlier prominence of field hockey and persistent class and regional inequalities. ...

In this episode of The Sports As A Weapon Podcast, host Miguel Garcia is joined by a new friend of the podcast, Eri Lee, a PhD grad student and researcher at the University of Minnesota. Eri shares their insights on how the US national team serves as a tool of US imperialism and neoliberalism on the global stage, the role of Asian diasporic athletes and the model minority myth, and the impact of m...

In this episode of The Sports As a Weapon Podcast, Miguel speaks with Rus Bradburd, current television color analyst on ESPN+ for New Mexico State Aggies men’s basketball. The discussion covers Bradburd's multifaceted career as a Division I college basketball coach at UTEP and New Mexico State, and a professor-turned-author. Bradburd shares insights from his novel 'Big Time,' which...

In this episode of The Sports As a Weapon Podcast, Miguel welcomes British-Chilean journalist and documentary filmmaker Pablo Navarrete. The discussion centers around the recent US attack on Venezuela on January 3, 2026, which led to the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores. Pablo shares his experiences and insights on Venezuelan politics, the influence of C...

The 2025-26 College Football Playoff (CFP) begins this week, on Friday, December 19, 2025. In this new episode, Miguel is joined by our friends from The End of Sport Podcast , Derek Silva and  Nathan Kalman-Lamb, and we discuss their award-winning book, The End of College Football: On the Human Cost of an All-American Game .   In their book, they "explore how football is both predicated on a...

Miguel is joined by a returning guest, journalist Abraham Marquez. In this episode, we discuss ICE and the 2025 World Series champion Dodgers.  Throughout the 2025 baseball season, Dodgers Chairman Mark Walter and Guggenheim Baseball Management have made headlines by first having the Dodgers team visit the Trump White House in April 2025 to honor the 2024 championship team. Additionally, the Dodge...

Robert E. Wilson joins Miguel to discuss the beautiful game of Football/Futbol and Robert's vision for the beautiful game in the United States: a grassroots and supporter-owned professional league modeled after Germany's Bundesliga professional football league.  Robert discusses his fascinating book, The Football Manifesto and Club Handbook: Bringing the Beautiful Game to the People and...

We are finally back with a new episode! In this episode, Miguel is joined by Bay Area Swim Coach and host of the swimming + politics podcast, Crossing the Lane Lines, Naji Ali. Miguel and Naji discuss Race and Swimming, Palestine, and much more! Listen to the archive of Crossing the Lane Lines on Apple Podcasts and Spotify !  Links:   Palestinian Pelé’ killed in Israeli attack in southern Gaza (Th...

In this episode of The Sports As a Weapon Podcast, host Miguel Garcia returns from a long hiatus to discuss the intersection of sports, politics, and social issues. The special guest is Dr. Jules Boykoff, a political science professor and author renowned for his critical analysis of the Olympics. Together, they explore the political dynamics of the Paris 2024 Olympics, including intense security m...

Miguel talks with freelance journalist and comrade Abraham Marquez. They discuss using pro-sports for Zionist propaganda. We also discuss our overall feelings and thoughts on Israel committing war crimes against the Palestinian people. Free Palestine!  You can follow Abraham on X/Twitter @abemarquez3 and read some of his work here.   Note: The links below include examples of Zionist propaganda in...

In this episode, Miguel interviewed Daniel Montero, a Cuban journalist, producer, and director with Belly of the Beast Cuba. Miguel spoke to Daniel about his documentary film director debut, Little League Dreams , which dropped on Belly of the Beast Cuba's YouTube page. You can watch the film here.   The documentary Little League Dreams chronicles the journey of the 11 – and 12 – year olds fr...

We are back! It’s been a while, but Miguel welcomed another friend and comrade of the podcast, Dr. Franca Fernández. Franca is the creator and host of the real francamente podcast!   I talk to Franca about Lionel Messi & his move to play for Inter Miami of Major League Soccer (MLS) and what it means for fútbol in the imperialist core, aka the US. We also discuss the racial abuse faced by Brazi...

Miguel welcomed another friend of the podcast, Dr. Adnan Husain, co-host of the Guerilla History Podcast! You can Listen to the Guerilla History Podcast here and follow them on Twitter: @guerrilla_pod . Dr. Adnan Husain is a historian and Director of the School of Religion at Queens University. Adnan is also the host of his podcast, The Majlis podcasts . In this episode, Adnan was kind enough to c...

We are back, and Miguel is happy to welcome a friend of the show, Dr. Munene Mwaniki, to the podcast.   Dr. Munene Mwaniki is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at Western Carolina University and is the author of the book, The Black Migrant Athlete: Media, Race, and the Diaspora in Sports (University of Nebraska Press, 2017). In this episode, Miguel and Munene d...

Miguel welcomed back Chuy from The Heatwave Podcast to talk about the 2022 Qatar World Cup (Recorded 11.4.22), which began earlier this morning on November 20, 2022.   The Heatwave Podcast is a podcast centered around the political environment of the State of Arizona from a revolutionary socialist perspective, made by the people, for the people! You can listen to Chuy and his comrades on Apple Pod...

After a couple of months, Miguel is back with a new episode! Miguel welcomed Chuy from The Heatwave Podcast to talk about the NBA investigation of Phoenix Suns Owner Robert Sarver, who was accused of racism and misogyny by Suns employees (Note: Episode originally recorded 9.23.22).   The Heatwave Podcast is a podcast centered around the political environment of the State of Arizona from a revoluti...

Today (July 19, 2022), the Los Angeles Dodgers will host the 2022 MLB All-Star Game for the first time since 1980, and Dodgers future Hall of Famer Pitcher and 9x All-Star, Clayton Kershaw, will take the mound and start his first ever All-Star Game in front of the hometown crowd.    The 2022 season is also the 60th anniversary of Dodger Stadium, but the Dodgers do not want you to know about the da...

Miguel talked to Hockey Scribe Ian Kennedy (@IanKennedyCK ) about Hockey Culture and some Stanley Cup talk (Note: Episode originally recorded 5.26.22). Ian Kennedy writes about Hockey for @TheHockeyNews and provides hockey analysis at Yahoo Sports-Canada and Yahoo Sports NHL. To start the podcast, Miguel talks to Ian about his new book, On Account of Darkness: Shining Light on Race and Sport, and...

Miguel talked to Sam of the Southpaw Podcast ( @SouthpawPod ) to discuss Combat sports and Marxism! Listen to the Southpaw Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts and visit their website for more information. At the start of the episode, Miguel asked Sam about starting a podcast, and Miguel had Sam give us a Marxist analysis of MMA and combat sports. Miguel and Sam also discuss how the Southpaw Podcast...