When Basketball Meets Jim Crow

Malcolm Gladwell and President Barack Obama introduce us to one of the most chaotic,complicated, and fascinating times in American history, revealing why Reconstruction stilldefines our country today.Listen to Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise on Audible, or wherever you get ...  Show more

June 15, 1865. German-American statesman Carl Schurz is traveling to Washington to meet with President Andrew Johnson when he stops at a friend’s home in Philadelphia. That night, during a séance, a teenage medium claims to summon the spirit of Abraham Lincoln… and delivers Schur ...  Show more

In an historic moment in college sports, Texas Western becomes the first team to start five black players in the 1966 NCAA national championship. Their defeat over the University of Kentucky marked a victory over racial discrimination and changed college sports forever. Sportscas ...  Show more

October 17, 2005. The NBA is going through massive changes. Michael Jordan is retired (again), and the league is getting younger. Stars like Allen Iverson represent the rise of hip-hop culture, which David Stern blames for the league’s dwindling viewership. His solution? Today, S ...  Show more

April 16, 1945. Jackie Robinson is ready. He’s won a tryout with the Boston Red Sox, and if he makes the team, he will become the first player to break baseball’s long-standing racial divide. Robinson puts his supreme athletic skills on full display… but never hears back from the ...  Show more

Bill Russell’s life touched so many different areas that trying to figure out how to properly honor his legend is a task in itself. His name adorns the Finals MVP Award, he was the first Black head coach in NBA history, the 11 titles he won with the Boston Celtics are still the s ...  Show more