#14 - Pullin’ a Kaepernick: Football Strikes for Racial Justice on ‘All American’ and ‘Friday Night Lights’

We’re talking about SPORTS—and specifically, the long history of protest through sport as it’s depicted on two teen dramas. Maria and guest Dondré Taylor-Stewart dive into early 2000s football teen drama FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (2006-2011) and its 2010s-20s counterpart ALL AMERICAN (2018-present) as both shows tackle football strikes for racial justice. We analyze the differences between a Black football player strike, led by Smash Williams, that takes place before Kaepernick ever took a knee, and the escalating collective action Spencer James and his Black teammates engage in, which is very much influenced by Kaepernick. There are also lots of parallels, including similar talks Smash Williams and Spencer James each have with their mothers about the weight of responsibility for your community vs. for your own personal growth. 

For this episode, we recommend you first watch or have familiarity with FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS 1x15 “Blinders” and 1x16 “Black Eyes and Broken Hearts,” streaming on Netflix and Hulu, and ALL AMERICAN 3x11 “The Bigger Picture” and 3x12 “Fight the Power,” streaming on Netflix.

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ABOUT US:

MARIA DIPASQUALE (she/her; host/editor) is a Brooklyn-based union communicator and writer who watches too much TV. Follow Maria on Twitter @Maria_DiP26, IG @mdzip, and tiktok @marialovesunions. In addition to Leftist Teen Drama, Maria hosts Bodysuits For Bughead: A Riverdale Podcast | tumblr: @bodysuitsforbughead twitter: @B4B_Podcast instagram: @bodysuits4bughead

DONDRÉ TAYLOR-STEWART (he/him, recurring guest) is a Jersey-born, Jamaican-raised TV writer whose work often employs satire to examine the cultural crossroads of his identity. He splits his time in Los Angeles with a day job in environmental public policy, freelance writing gigs, and crafting original pilots. Ultimately, Dondré dreams of sustaining a highly collaborative career telling Black stories to help expand imaginations. IG: oxtail.papi TWITTER: dondrenesta

CHARLES O’LEARY (they/them; art) is, of course, a Brooklyn-based designer, artist, and dilettante. A survivor of the 2012-2016 Tumblr wars, media criticism is all they know. You can find their work at charles-oleary.com, and their silly little life on Instagram at @c.s.0.l.

JEFF MCHALE (he/him; producer) is an extremely online guy who plays games, streams sometimes, and loves talking old TV.

Maria and Jeff’s good union cats CLARENCE and VINNY may make an appearance and/or be mentioned. 

intro song: Stomping the Room by Delicate Beats

All opinions shared on this show are that of individuals and do not represent the views of any organization we may be affiliated with.

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SOURCES DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE: 

• September 13, 2020, The Sporting News, Colin Kaepernick kneeling timeline: How protests during the national anthem started a movement in the NFL by Tadd Haislop
• September 1, 2021, NBC Sports,Kaepernick's kneeling protest still misunderstood five years later by Monte Pool
• June 5, 2020, The New York Times, Kneeling, Fiercely Debated in the N.F.L., Resonates in Protests, by Kurt Streeter
• October 15, 2021, Labor 411, Scab Crashes Tractor, 911 Called On Day 1 Of John Deere’s Replacement Of Striking Workers