In Behind the Shield, celebrated author and Nation magazine sports editor Dave Zirin tackles the myth that the NFL was somehow free of politics before Colin Kaepernick and other Black NFL players took a knee. Digging deep into the history of the league, and navigating a stunning excavation of decades of archival footage and news media, Zirin traces how the NFL, under the guise of “sticking to sports,” has promoted wars, militarism, and nationalism; glorified reactionary ideas about manhood and gender roles; normalized systemic racism, corporate greed, and crony capitalism; and helped vilify challenges to the dominant order as “unpatriotic” and inappropriately “political.” The result is a case study not only in the power of big-time sports to disseminate stealth propaganda and reinforce an increasingly authoritarian status quo, but also the power of activist athletes to challenge this unjust status quo and model a different, more democratic vision of America.
Sign up to host a virtual or in-person screeningDuration: 94 min
ISBN: 978-1-893521-14-8
Date Produced: 2022
Subtitles: English
About Dave Zirin
Named one of UTNE Reader’s “50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Our World,” Dave Zirin is the sports editor at The Nation magazine, their first sports editor in over 150 years of existence. He has been called “the best sportswriter in the United States,” by the New York Times icon Robert Lipsyte. He has written eleven books on the politics of sports, including the acclaimed biography Jim Brown: Last Man Standing. He is also the co-author of the New York Times bestseller, Things That Make White People Uncomfortable with former NFL player Michael Bennett. Zirin has brought his blend of sports and politics to multiple networks and television programs including ESPN’s Outside the Lines, MSNBC’s Morning Joe, CNN, and Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman. He has also been on numerous national radio programs from sports radio to National Public Radio’s Tell Me More, Talk of the Nation, and All Things Considered. Zirin has also been an advisor to filmmakers ranging from Ken Burns to Ang Lee and has appeared in a number of documentaries. He also produced a segment on the forthcoming Showtime documentary about Dr. Harry Edwards. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, the New York Daily News, New York Newsday, the Baltimore Sun, the Pittsburgh Courier, and many other publications.
Credits
Produced by the Media Education Foundation
Featuring Dave Zirin
Director & Editor: Jeremy Earp
Producers: Loretta Alper & Jeremy Earp
Co-Producer: Dave Zirin
Written by: Dave Zirin & Jeremy Earp
Archival Producer: Loretta Alper
Motion Graphics: Roger Stahl, Jeremy Earp
Executive Producer: Sut Jhally
Associate Producer: Jason Young
Director of Photography: Daniel Marracino
Additional Camera: Jason Mason