What role should athletes play in our political dialogue?

On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation with former Olympic sprinter John Carlos and sportswriter Dave Zirin about their book, The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World. Carlos is famous for his politically-charged Black Power salute with Tommie Smith at the 1968 Olympics. How much power does a professional athlete have to speak out to the world beyond sports? And why do we listen? Join us at 10 or email us at feedback@yourcallradio.org. It's Your Call, with Matt Martin, and You.

Guests:
John Carlos, former Olympic athlete and co-author of The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World

Dave Zirin, sports editor for The Nation and co-author of The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World

Click to Listen: What role should athletes play in our political dialogue?

Are parents ruining youth sports?

Have you been to a youth sports tournament lately? Did you play sports as a kid? Have you ever seen parents screaming from the sidelines? On the next Your Call, we look at the social cost of youth sports. As the business of youth sports has grown, so have the stakes of the game. Are we letting our kids just play? Or have we become so invested that we micromanage play time and care too much about whether our 6, 7 and 8-year-olds are winning? Is it time to re-think our attitude toward children and their sporting events? It's Your Call with me, Holly Kernan, and you.

Guests:
Regan McMahon, author of Revolution in the Bleachers: How Parents Can Take Back Family Life in a World Gone Crazy Over Youth Sports. She's also a frequent contributor to the SF Chronicle and the mother of two kids. She lives in Oakland.

Eric Sippel, President of East Bay United Soccer Club

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Are team owners ruining professional sports?

On the next Your Call, we'll continue our Agenda for a New Economy series by speaking with The Nation's sports editor Dave Zirin about his new book, Bad Sports: How Owners Are Ruining the Games We Love. He argues that sports franchise owners are squeezing every last penny out of their fans. Have the rich guys and gals who own sports teams sold out the fans? Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. It's Your Call, with me, Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
A conversation with The Nation's sports editor Dave Zirin about his new book Bad Sports: How Owners Are Ruining the Games We Love.

Click to Listen: Are team owners ruining professional sports?

Why aren't Pro Sports Treated like Every Other Business?

On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about the subsidies and sweetheart deals government gives to sports teams. Why has our society decided pro sports teams get special treatment? Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. Why do cities and states cut generous deals for teams that they wouldn't with other businesses? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. Why do cities and states cut generous deals for teams that they wouldn't with other businesses? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Andrew Zimbalist is the Robert A. Woods professor of economics at Smith College.

Dave Zirin, Sports correspondent for The Nation

Click to Listen: Why aren't Pro Sports Treated like Every Other Business?

Your Call 070909 Are bicyclists revolutionizing American cities?

Are bicyclists revolutionizing American cities? On the next Your Call we'll speak with political reporter Jeff Mapes about his new book Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists Are Changing American Cities and SF Weekly political writer Matt Smith. San Francisco is about to implement their long delayed bicycle master plan building 34 miles of new bike lanes on city streets and removing hundreds of parking spaces. Send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org or join us live at 11 am. What would it take to get you out of your car and onto a bike? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Matt Smith in San Francisco
Columnist and political reporter for the San Francisco Weekly, and an avid bicyclist.

Jeff Mapes in San Francisco
Senior political reporter for The Oregonian. He has covered Congress, state government, and numerous local, state, and national campaigns. He is also author of the blog, Mapes on Politics and the new book Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists Are Changing American Cities.

Click to Listen: Are bicyclists revolutionizing American cities?

Your Call 041009 Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call it's our Friday Media Roundtable. This week the head of the Associated Press threatened to start charging Google, Yahoo and the Huffington Post for using AP stories. President Obama went to Turkey and Iraq, Iowa and Vermont legalized gay marriage, the 2009 baseball season began and the 2008 college basketball season drew to a close. We'll be joined by Robert Parry of Consortium News, Rekha Basu of the Des Moines Register, foreign policy analyst Gareth Porter and Dave Zirin, the first sports reporter for The Nation magazine. Where did you see the best reporting this week and where did it fall short? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Rekha Basu in Des Moines
Columnist for the Des Moines Register

Dave Zirin in New York
First sports correspondent for The Nation Magazine and author of The People's History of Sports.

Robert Parry in Washington, DC
Founder and editor of Consortium News

Gareth Porter
Investigative journalist for nearly 40 years. He is author of Perils of Dominance.

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

Your Call 092408 A People's History of Sports

How do sports and politics intersect? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation with Dave Zirin, author of A People's History of Sports in the United States: 250 Years of Politics, Protest, People, and Play. Sportswriter Zirin examines sports as a reflection of the political conflicts that shape American history. He profiles sports stars who have stoked the fires of war, corporate control, racism, sexism, and homophobia. What are the main differences between mainstream sports history and yours? It's Your Call with Sandip Roy.

Guest: Dave Zirin is the author of three books and a regular contributor to The Nation, SLAM, and the Los Angeles Times.

Click to Listen: A People's History of Sports

Your Call 082208 Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call it's our Friday Media Roundtable, the day we applaud good reporting. One of the deadliest suicide bombings in Pakistan claimed 60 lives this week. Presidential hopefuls Obama and McCain sought salvation at the Saddleback mega-church and the Beijing Games are coming to an end. We will speak to Pakistani journalist Zahid Husain, Nation columnist Dave Zirin, and The News Hour with Jim Lehrer's Ray Suarez. Did you see any good reporting this week? It's Your Call, with guest host Ben Temchine and you.

Guests:
Ray Suarez, senior correspondent at PBS's "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer"

Zahid Hussain, the Pakistan correspondent for the Times of London, the Wall Street Journal, and Newsweek. He is also the political correspondent for the Karachi-based monthly Newsline.

Dave Zirin, the first sports correspondent for the Nation Magazine.

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

Your Call 040708 Freeing Tibet

Will the actions around the Olympic torch have any impact on the issue of Tibet? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about the recent protests taking place in Tibet and around the world. The Olympic torch's odyssey has been met by large actions against China's recent crack down in Tibet and its wider human rights records. The torch will reach San Francisco on Wednesday, April 9. Where do you stand on this issue? What does it mean to free Tibet? It's Your Call, with Sandip Roy and you.

Guests:

John Ackerley, director of the International Campaign for Tibet.

Josh Kurlantzick, the author of Charm Offensive.

Pico Iyer, a longtime essayist and author of The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama.

Click to Listen: Freeing Tibet