Episode 56: Deflated: Are Big-Time Sports Losing Gen Z?

02/13/22 • 27 min

Major-league sports and premier events like the Olympics have long been an American obsession, but so far, Gen Z seems to be sitting out—unless, say, our hometown Cincinnati Bengals happen to make it to the Super Bowl, but even then we’ll probably be scrolling something else on the side, because football takes forever.

Other than turning their entire product into a video game—one youth-outreach strategy described in a recent New York Times article—what can the NFL, the NBA, and other legacy leagues do to win us over? For starters: try being less racist*, less sexist, less exploitative, and more diverse, inclusive, and sustainable.

More than a better game, we want a better world, and we think sports can help us get there. But the industry needs a new game plan.

The podcasters:

Alberto C. Jones (host)
Nico Luginbill, Walnut Hills H.S.
Joyeuse Muhorakeye, Aiken New Tech H.S.
Pawan Rai, Aiken New Tech H.S.

Conversation recorded on Zoom Feb. 13, 2022 (Super Bowl Sunday)

Recommended listening: Here’s an NPR interview with former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, who’s filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL, alleging racial discrimination in hiring.

More than a better game, we want a better world, and we think sports can help us get there. But the industry needs a new game plan.

The podcasters:

Alberto C. Jones (host)
Nico Luginbill, Walnut Hills H.S.
Joyeuse Muhorakeye, Aiken New Tech H.S.
Pawan Rai, Aiken New Tech H.S.

Conversation recorded on Zoom Feb. 13, 2022 (Super Bowl Sunday)

Recommended listening: Here’s an NPR interview with former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, who’s filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL, alleging racial discrimination in hiring.

Previous Episode

Episode 55: Ask a Black Historian

It’s February, and you know what that means—bring on the Dr. King coloring sheets! But how did Black History Month even become a thing? Is there a right way or a wrong way to celebrate it? Who are some local African-American historical figures we should all know more about, and if Dr. David Childs could host a dinner party with some of his own heroes from the past, who’d be on the guest list? Our resident #BlackHistory expert answers these and other questions from listeners, and even lifts our spirits with song, in this special episode.

You’ll find many more #BlackHistoryMonth resources on our blog—go to www.democracyandme.org/category/blackhistorymonth—and be sure to check out D&Z Episode 54 on our YouTube channel, as our student podcasters and some WVXU staff take you inside the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and Museum in downtown Cincinnati.

“African-American history is American history... It is our history.”

Dr. David Childs

The podcasters:

Briocca Green (host), Northern Kentucky University
Dr. David Childs, professor of social studies education at NKU and adviser to the Democracy & Me program

Next Episode

Episode 57: Is This the Start of World War 3?

The news started coming in overnight Wednesday: after weeks of military buildup on the Ukrainian border, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war on the former Soviet Republic, now an independent democracy and home to more than 40 million people. On Thursday, those citizens of Ukraine—and most of the rest of the world—were in shock and terror, many fleeing for safety and all wondering how far this unprovoked attack might go.

Regina Appatova is an ESL educator at Aiken New Tech High School in Cincinnati, who grew up in Ukraine and lived in Russia. We asked her to help us understand the conflict, the enduring bonds between the two countries, and what it’s been like this week for Americans like her with roots and loved ones in Eastern Europe. “It’s a nightmare,” she says—and no one knows how much worse the situation might get, before Putin gets what he wants.