Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff

Episode: Sports and Capitalism

Date: July 9, 2020

Guest: Dave Zirin, Sports Editor at The Nation

Episode Overview

In this episode, Richard D. Wolff delves into the interconnectedness between capitalism and sports, exploring how economic systems shape everything from public health responses to the structure of youth and professional athletics. Featuring sportswriter Dave Zirin, the conversation examines the capitalist transformation of sports, the commodification of college and youth athletics, and the powerful symbolism of protest within the sports world. The episode pairs Wolff’s incisive economic critique with Zirin’s deep engagement with the politics of sport.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Public Health, Economy, and the "False Tradeoff"

• Wolff addresses the common narrative that the U.S. must choose between a healthy economy and public health during the pandemic.
  • Comparison: U.S. vs Europe
    • Europe prioritized health and saw better outcomes both in health and economic stability (e.g., lower unemployment in Germany compared to the U.S.)
    • "They have a much less economic trouble and a much less threat to their health. No tradeoff. They did better on both of them." (A, 03:12)
  • Critique: Wolff dismisses the idea of a necessary tradeoff as "fake news" (A, 04:38)

2. Capitalism's Normal vs. Extraordinary Injustices

• Normal injustices:
  • Wealthy influence politics, gentrification displaces working class residents.
  • Example: "The rich go the spoils. That's how politics is played." (A, 04:53)
• Extraordinary injustices since the pandemic:
  • Mass unemployment leading to missed rent and mortgage payments, which cascade up the financial system.
  • "All of these players ... are reverting to abnormal strategies. Biggest one, stiff everybody else...get your lawyers lined up..." (A, 06:47)
  • "It's that peculiar brand of homelessness that capitalism produces...people without a home sitting across the street from large numbers of homes that have got nobody in them." (A, 07:42)

3. Racism and Systemic Scapegoating

• Linking capitalism to racism:
  • Economic instability and societal divisions are exacerbated by blaming marginalized groups instead of systemic flaws.
  • Historical scapegoating: From immigrants to Russians, Muslims, Europeans, and China.
  • "Those who have the most money can afford the lawyers with the best connections to get the outcomes in the courts that they want." (A, 07:35)
  • "We have to scapegoat something. Somebody foreign. That's always much easier." (A, 12:44)

4. Education and the Pandemic

• Failure to innovate during Covid-19:
  • Critique of online learning and the underutilization of unemployed people who could assist with in-person, socially-distanced teaching.
  • "We have millions of unemployed people who could teach a lot...Why in the world are we not doing that?" (A, 13:49)
  • Labels the situation a "catastrophe made worse by a capitalist system that can't think outside the box." (A, 14:17)

5. The Capitalist Transformation of Sports (with Dave Zirin)

a. Sports as a Business Mirror of Capitalism

• Zirin on the evolution of sports:
  • "Sports reflects whatever economic system it exists under...sports is big business...a trillion dollar entity that reaches into every corner of the earth." (B, 16:05)
• Selling the game:
  • The emphasis is not just playing, but marketing and commodifying sports for mass audiences.

b. Capitalism's Distortion of Youth & College Sports

• Youth sports as profit center:

  • "One of the ways it distorts youth sports is that it creates a value system that says only people who can play should play...the best you can be is a watcher, is a spectator." (B, 18:45)
  • Stat: Estimated 60-70% of young kids quit sports by age 13 due to competitive, exclusionary culture. (B, 19:47)

• College sports as economic engine:

  • Massive public resources funneled into sport infrastructure, often at the expense of academics and social needs.
  • Dramatic salary growth in coaching: "$50,000 in 1981...now a $10 million a year job." (B, 21:14)
  • Example: Investments in stadiums sometimes backfire, causing budget shortfalls for universities. (B, 22:43)
  • The "reverse ripple effect" when college sport investments don't pay off: "It ended up having a reverse ripple effect on the whole school...everything had to get cut because the football team wasn't up to snuff." (B, 23:12)
  • "All that matters is that there's money to be made there." (B, 24:54)

• Racial and ethical hazards during Covid-19:

  • Athletes—often predominantly African American—asked to risk health for sports seasons while universities move to online learning for most students.
  • "It's putting these athletes who are absolutely, you know, just overwhelmingly African American, in a position to have these kinds of health defects while making sure that the overwhelmingly white students who pay full tuition are safely at home." (B, 25:47)

c. Sports and Political Protest

• On the significance of athletes taking a knee:
  • "Colin Kaepernick putting his knee on the ground in 2016 was an absolute game changer." (B, 26:32)
  • The act fulfilled the purpose of protest: "to make the people that you're protesting uncomfortable." (B, 26:48)
  • Despite efforts to distort its meaning, "that central key message got through...this is about police violence." (B, 27:17)
  • The symbolism of taking a knee has now become ubiquitous worldwide during protests against racial injustice.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Richard D. Wolff:

  • "The first priority of a human being is to be alive...the economic needs we have are genuine, but they're a second priority. You really don't have to worry about your economic well being if you are dead." (A, 00:46)
  • "Pleading trade off is a cop out. It's fake. It's the most fake news I have heard since President Trump overused the term." (A, 04:36)
  • "It keeps the homes empty and the homeless without a home." (A, 07:50)
  • "We should certainly have a national debate about why we're not rehiring people [like in the 1930s]." (A, 10:12)

• Dave Zirin:

  • "Sports is capitalism and capitalism is sports." (B, 17:29)
  • "It's hard to think of something more warped...sports and kids...should be a site of fun and fair play...to see it become something that just mirrors professional sports." (B, 18:48)
  • "All that matters is that there's money to be made there." (B, 24:54)
  • "Colin Kaepernick putting his knee on the ground in 2016 was an absolute game changer." (B, 26:32)
  • "He actually afflicted the comfortable by making the point that there is a gap between the ideals of the United States and the actual lived reality of African Americans in this country." (B, 26:54)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Public Health vs. Economy Myth — 00:10–04:38
• Normal vs. Extraordinary Injustices — 04:38–08:10
• Racism and Scapegoating in Economics — 08:10–12:44
• Education and COVID-19 — 13:20–14:17
• Introduction of Dave Zirin — 15:00
• Sports as Reflection and Product of Capitalism — 15:44–17:32
• Capitalism’s Impact on Youth & College Sports — 17:32–24:54
• COVID-19 and Racial/Ethical Dynamics in College Sports — 24:54–25:55
• Taking a Knee: Protest in Sports — 26:32–28:10

Conclusion

This episode of Economic Update critically examines the intricate relationship between capitalism and the world of sports, with a lens on how economic priorities shape not only athletic institutions and practices but also societal health, educational priorities, and movements for racial justice. With rich examples, striking statistics, and passionate advocacy, both Wolff and Zirin challenge the listener to see sports not as an escape from political and economic realities, but as a keen window into them.