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Low Block to the Cell Block; A Russian Hostage Crisis Aug 09, 2022

Show notes

Welcome back to the Bill Bradley Collective, where this week we focus on the ongoing plight of American basketball star Brittney Griner. Unjustly detained in Russia for months under suspect charges of drug possession, Griner’s “trial” has now come and gone, and the result is a conviction and sentence of nine years. Your hosts cover this troubling situation from an assortment of angles: the trial and conviction; what to make of negotiations between the State Department and Russian officials with regard to the prospect of a prisoner exchange; American right-wing reaction to Griner’s circumstances reeking of racist and anti-LGBTQ sentiment; and finally how we expect this situation to ultimately unfold: how much of this sentence does Griner serve? What is the next move of the Biden administration in procuring her return home? When do we expect this return? We all agree that Griner’s release should come as soon as possible. But first a troika of rants, perhaps this week best described as a trilogy of evisceration. Zak leads off with a hostile takedown of the recent workings of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee; Andrew fires away on LIV Golf’s glowing reception of Donald Trump and other deplorable Republican ideologues at their latest sham sportswashing exhibition; and finally Ed calls bullshit on Arizona’s (among others) prison labor system amidst claims that the state’s economy would collapse if not for what amounts to institutional slavery.

Getting their Kicks: Oligarchical Interests in Soccer Aug 02, 2022

Show notes

Welcome back to the Bill Bradley Collective, where this week your hosts unveil the second installment of our season-long concentration on sportswashing with an examination of global soccer’s role. Two organizations drive the conversation, the Premier League of England and the sport’s global governing body FIFA, or the International Federation of Association Football. Considered by European audiences as a domestic league at the competitive and interest-level of what the NBA and NFL are in the States, the Premier League is among the very hottest of sport-related brands, globally. And the level of exposure and legitimacy created by fiduciary counts of one of the league’s top clubs has in turn brought about investment from some of the world’s most unsavory entities. Join us as we break down the long-held controlling interest in arguably the world’s premier club Manchester City F.C. by United Arab Emirate-based oil tycoons and the recent purchase of Newcastle United F.C. by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. The conversation transitions to FIFA, and while an examination of that group’s corruption could span a season-long’s worth of recordings, we focus on the how, what and why of Qatar’s successful bid to host the upcoming men’s World Cup. Quite literally being built on the back of slave labor, how is it did an Arab middle-power the geographic size of Connecticut acquire the right to host the globe’s largest sporting event?

Cheatstrong: The Story of the Tour de France Jul 26, 2022

Show notes

Welcome back to the Bill Bradley Collective, where in late July we are in the proverbial dog days of both summer and sports. Unless you’re an MLB trade deadline follower, an NFL training camp devotee or fan of European club soccer friendlies abroad, there’s not much on the docket. But there is an event of great prestige; just concluded, on the global sport landscape, the Tour de France that is the focus of this week’s conversation. Cycling’s premier event dates back to the infancy of the 20th century, and the early history leads this discourse. A near century’s worth of competition precedes American interest in the event before native son Greg LeMond pockets three tour wins in the late 80s. Interest wanes post-Lemond amidst doping scandals that mar the event from it’s very beginning. Until we get to Lance Armstrong, who becomes one of American sport’s great celebrities and icons on the back of seven consecutive tour wins, victories later exposed as being done under the veil of performance enhancing drugs. The Tour is a massive European summer sport sensation, but viewed with great cynicism by American viewers in a post-Armstrong world. Where the tour stands today concludes our conversation. But FIRST, a trilogy of rants, leading off with Zak taking aim at the Susan Collins/Joe Manchin led Reform of Electoral Count Act and the future of electoral politics in our splintered world; Ed fires off on Washington whatever the fuck they call themselves owner Dan Snyder and his off-shore yacht occupancy in the wake of a Congressional subpoena into long-term cultural indiscretion; and in closing Andrew pens a eulogy for Europe’s Ryder Cup side, as pillars disqualify themselves to the LIV outfit and a (briefly) once proud captain joins their ranks.

The Road Not Taken: 3rd parties in American politics Jul 19, 2022

Show notes

Welcome back to the Bill Bradley Collective, where this week your hosts set course on a journey in search of answering a simple, yet nuanced question: do “third” (political) parties matter? Historical and contemporary electoral landscapes are littered with candidates and movements from outside the two-headed Democratic/Republican stranglehold: Whig, Reform, Libertarian, Green, Working Families and on down the line. What place at the table: yesterday, today and moving forward, do the presence of these parties and their respective candidates have? The question takes a complicated turn when considering efficacy on the national versus the local/municipal level. Where third parties nationally often sway elections to one of the two aforementioned major players, outsider candidates at the local level have found some degree of success finding their way to elected office. But as we’ve been known to do in this space, we lead with an explosive trilogy of rants: where Zak considers track and field’s place in the sports ecosystem in light of the ongoing World Athletics Championships American debut and primetime coverage on network television; Ed brings us up to speed on the most recent inequities of Texas AG Ken Paxton and his continued dogged pursuit of “state-sanctioned femicide;” and finally Andrew offers a three-quarter recap of the Open Championship and the significance of Tiger Woods’ perhaps final on-course chapter playing out on the sport’s grandest and most storied stage.

LeBron, Harden, Kyrie, Simmons, oh my: Player Empowerment in 2022 Jul 12, 2022

Show notes

Welcome back to the Bill Bradley Collective, where we are back on the grounds of the Leavy-berg Compound, returned from a one-week road trip to the tremendous Social Bar & Kitchen. We are back to get season seven off the ground and running, with a conversation show considering whether or not the NBA’s so-called era of player empowerment has made like Arthur Fonzarelli and jumped-the-shark. Where we begin with the conception of player-empowerment is up for some debate, may it be Kareem Abdul-Jabar’s move from Milwaukee to Los Angeles in the early 70’s, ascendent post-Jordan superstars Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter’s demand for respective departures from Toronto, or a LeBron James initiated play to make Miami the center of the basket-verse in teaming up with peers and fellow stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. A lot has changed since 1975; 2004; 2010. Individual player influence has grown exponentially, and as salaries have grown within some proportion to the NBA’s increasingly exorbitant televised rights’ fees, so have the influence of certain less-than-exemplary professionals: namely Ben Simmons, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. But first, the rants are back, baby, and with a vengeance. Ed sounds off at the start with a heated condemnation of an anti-abortion rights’ amendment backed by both houses of Pennsylvania’s state legislature; Andrew sets the stage for the Wimbledon gentlemen’s final with long held animus for one finalist and begrudging fascination for the other less-accomplished, more mercurial opponent; and Zak brings it home with some dour news regarding the future of American democracy: the expected/pending outcome of Moore v. Harper in the Supreme Court likely coming down in support of independent state legislature doctrine.

LIV, Laugh, Golf: Lipstick on an Oppressive Pig’s Head Jul 05, 2022

Show notes

Welcome back to the Bill Bradley Collective, where we raise the curtain on our seventh season, live from the Social Bar and Kitchen in downtown New London, with an examination of the Saudi-bankrolled LIV Golf tour in the context of our season-long theme of “sportswashing” and the presence of oppressive oligarchies across sports. LIV Golf claims to want to change the landscape of professional golf in aspiring to host the world’s best players, playing for the world’s biggest purses, with a reduced 54-hole, no cut format while also introducing a team-scoring format. But LIV’s on-course ambitions pale in comparison to their seemingly greater purpose: to legitimize the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the face of vast human rights’ abuses and enhance their standing in the global economic world order. Professional golf marketed and weaponized as a means to cover for a regime of institutionalized oppression: the early legacy of the LIV Golf Tour. Your hosts set out on a conversation that explains the concept of “sportswashing,” contextualizes the movement to rival the incumbent PGA Tour with an autonomous so-called Super League, the success or lack thereof two events and a debut American event in, and what kind of impact this sordid venture will have down the road with respect to the future of professional golf and Saudi Arabia’s global footprint. We thank The Social for hosting our maiden season 7 episode, fans and family, alike, for taking time out of their holiday weekend to join us live, and all of the listeners that have enabled us to even see a seventh season. Keep up with us, next week and beyond, on the Bill Bradley Collective.

Six Months in a Leaky Boat: The Worst of Our Politics Jun 28, 2022

Show notes

Welcome back to the Bill Bradley Collective, where we have reached season’s end and you know what that means. That’s right, it is time to look back to our January draft of the worst people in politics and grade the picks! Each of your hosts drafted *five* political figures: a minimum of one Democrat and maximum of one pundit. Each of the fifteen selections are evaluated on a 10-point scale by the two non-selecting hosts. “Worst” is rewarded here today, as the judging criteria boils down to qualifying what constitutes the very bottom class of our elected officials and news pundits. Add up the totals and at episode’s end we crown a winner. It is our typical end of season feature, our alternating worst people in sports/politics draft, but it is an atypical edition of our rants. Our season-long theme was women in sports, and on the heels of an episode centered around Title IX and female empowerment, this week the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, throwing women’s abortion rights into grave peril. In lieu of our normal rant offerings, your hosts instead assess the immediate fallout of the ruling, initial reactions and emotions, how this came together fifty years removed, and what could make for the Court’s next attack on civil liberties. A tragic conversation to have to have following one of the darker days in American political history, there is great work ahead of us to be done on behalf of women’s reproductive rights. Time to fight. One season closes, another one starts anew this Saturday, July 2 at 12:00. Join us live at New London’s own Social Bar & Kitchen as we raise the curtain on season *7* with a discussion of Saudi Arabian sports washing in the world of golf, as their LIV Golf tour makes their American debut this weekend. Come down for hot takes and a cold beverage or two this Saturday, when we hope you’ll join us in-person on the Bill Bradley Collective.

Rantapalooza iV Jun 21, 2022

Show notes

Welcome back to the Bill Bradley Collective, where we have reached the climax of yet another season, our sixth, which now ties us with iconic television series including The Sopranos, Lost, Oz and Nash Bridges, among many others. As we do to cap off our seasons we present the fourth installment of Rantapalooza. That’s right, Rantapalooza IV is live, and while Super Bowl IV featured one of the great upsets in NFL history and Rocky IV single-handedly cooled off longstanding American-Soviet hostilities, this fourth iteration is up to that lofty standard. In lieu of a concentrated main topic, this is a show where our regular appetizer features as the main course. Nine rants, three from each of your esteemed hosts, across the spectrum of sports and politics. Normally we would tip our hand in this space by detailing the contents of what’s to come, but not this week. Smash that play button and enjoy an extended play of the rants you’ve come to know and love and anticipate most every week. In addition to that, we wish to extend a cordial invitation to all of our Collective-heads for what will surely be a grand occasion. Cap your 4th of July weekend revelry by joining us that Saturday the 2nd at The Social Bar & Kitchen for a live installment of the Bill Bradley Collective. New London’s home for great beer, craft cocktails and terrific food plays host to the Collective for a second time, and we hope to see you all there. Grab a bite, raise a pint and listen in as we will be launching season number seven with a deep dive on the Saudi-backed LIV Golf ahead of their maiden event on American soil, and also our annual draft of the worst people across sports.

Revolution Title IX Jun 14, 2022

Show notes

Welcome back to the Bill Bradley Collective, where we begin to tie the bow on this season celebrating women in sports with a conversation about Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. We are mere days from the 50th anniversary of Title IX being signed into law by President Richard Nixon, and it is likely no piece of legislation has had a greater, more positive impact on women’s sports. But this act was not conceived at the time with that effect in mind. Your hosts dive into the history of this law, enacted in the moment as an amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to address sex-based discrimination in higher education. We touch on the architects of this legislation, specifically Senator Birch Bayh and Congresswoman Patsy Mink; how interpretation of the bill has evolved over the presidential administrations since; and the tremendous impact it has had on female sports, how we’ve come to consume female sports’, the handling of sexual assault cases at the collegiate level and what the future holds in the representative growth of women in sport and the enduring legacy of Title IX. But first a rant or three, as Zak censures the sentiments of disgraced Washington Commanders’ DC Jack Del Rio that likened the January 6th U.S. Capitol attack to a “dust-up” whilst trying to equate said insurrection to the George Floyd protests of 2020; Ed weighs in on the NFL’s abhorrent handling of Deshaun Watson’s countless sexual Improprieties in light of news linking him to *66* individual massage therapists over 17 months; and finally Andrew leads us into what will be a big part of both our next season focus and live opener with a look at the golfing landscape following the Saudi-funded LIV golf tour’s debut event.

The King of Her Court Jun 07, 2022

Show notes

Welcome back to the Bill Bradley Collective, where it is our regularly scheduled second drop on a back-to-back, belly-to-belly twin bill: a conversational profile about tennis legend and iconic activist/advocate Billie Jean King. Few, if any, athletes can boast the combined on- and off-court level of achievement that can King. An owner of the rare career singles’ Grand Slam and 12 singles’ Slams in total, a further 27 were won in combined women’s and mixed doubles. In a pre-Evert/Navratilova landscape, King, along with Margaret Court, were the standard-bearers of the time. Perhaps King’s most notable on-court accomplishment also created great waves off the court, as her dominant 1973 victory over veteran male Bobby Riggs in the greatly publicized “Battle of the Sexes” in the wake of Title IX brought women in sports to a level heretofore not realized. King’s activism both within and outside tennis, founding the modern Women’s Tennis Association, advocating both for tennis to appeal to a broader socioeconomic audience and for commensurate pay on the women’s side, but also fighting the broader fight for societal gender equality and championing LBGTQ activism as the first openly out prominent female athlete in history, lay the groundwork for this profile. On-court bonafides and off-court altruism tell the broad strokes, but join us also for the details of the palimony case that led to King’s coming out and perhaps the greatest spotlight shown on the Virginia Slims’ brand since Fatboy Slim’s “You’ve Come a Long Way Baby.” Billie Jean King is both a legend on the tennis court, and as a heavy puncher in the fight for gender and sexual equality. No more apropos a subject for a profile in this the season of women in sports, on the Bill Bradley Collective.

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