Sports writer and author David Zirin will come to the Wexner Center for “Politics of Sports: A Conversation with the Nation’s David Zirin” on Monday. Credit: Lily Maslia | Lantern Reporter
The Wexner Center of the Arts is welcoming political sports writer and author David Zirin on Monday for a discussion about sports and politics.
The event, titled “Politics of Sports: A Conversation with the Nation’s Dave Zirin,” will be a discussion led by the Wexner Center’s film and video director, Dave Filipi.
“He’s regularly mentioned as the leading voice for when it comes to speaking about this nexus between sports and politics,” Filipi said. “It seems like every other day there’s something in the news about how they spill over into each other.”
Zirin is the sports editor for The Nation and the author of eight books, in addition to his most recent book, “Jim Brown: Last Man Standing.” He is frequently called on by news outlets such as ESPN, CNN, FOX and C-SPAN to be a voice for political sports discussions.
The discussion will cover topics beyond the intersection of sports and politics, such as contemporary issues like the Black Lives Matter movement and Colin Kaepernick, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback. On Monday, the former NFL player announced his partnership with Nike for their 30th anniversary ad campaign that reads, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything,” a clear reference to his protest of police brutality during the national anthem in the 2016 NFL season.
“I’m looking forward to hearing someone that is actually concerned about the fans and the players,” said Taylor Turner, a fourth-year in sports industry. “I mean, especially me being an African-American, I think it’s important that he continues to get [Kaepernick’s] message out there because for some reason people aren’t understanding what Colin’s message is.”
Turner, who works at the Wexner Center’s bookstore, is an avid Zirin fan and says that Zirin’s work has helped her in her pursuit of becoming a sports psychologist.
“I think Dave and I kind of are similar with that we both have a heart for the athlete,” Turner said. “Without Dave I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you about that.”
Filipi said he is excited about having Zirin on campus at the beginning of Ohio State’s football season.
“Ohio state and Columbus in general is pretty unusually sports crazy,” Filipi said. “Sports obviously plays a huge part in this community and campus and it’s helpful to have people like Dave Zirin providing another look at sports that doesn’t get covered in the mainstream sports media.”
The event will be held at the Wexner Center Monday at 7 p.m. Tickets are free for students with a valid BuckID, $5 for Wexner Center members and $6 for general admission. After the discussion, Zirin will sign copies of “Jim Brown: Last Man Standing.”
