Ep. 216: The Underbelly of Global Football Academies

In this episode, Amira Rose Davis and Brenda Elsey start the show with their favorite football/soccer chants. Then, the historians talk in-depth about global football academies and the intentional invisibility of what goes on at them, which is exploitation, child labor, racial abuse and sex trafficking veiled as a school. They also discuss who is benefiting from this system and why reform is so slow and difficult. You'll also hear from African football scholar Gerard Akindes. Following this discussion is an interview tease with journalist Chloe Angyal, author of Turning Pointe: How a New Generation of Dancers Is Saving Ballet from Itself. Next, they burn the worst of sports this week in the Burn Pile. Then, they celebrate the Torchbearers of the week including many Paralympians breaking barriers right now as well as Torchbearer of the Week Kali Reis, a Cape Verdean and Native American boxer who recently took the WBA junior welterweight championship, and who used her victory to raise awareness about the terror of residential schools for Indigenous youth and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. They wrap up the show with what's good in their lives and they they're watching this week. This episode was produced by Tressa Versteeg. Shelby Weldon is our social media and website specialist. Burn It All Down is part of the Blue Wire podcast network. For show notes, transcripts, and more info about BIAD, check out our website: www.burnitalldownpod.com To help support the Burn It All Down podcast, please consider becoming a patron: www.patreon.com/burnitalldown For BIAD merchandise: https://www.bonfire.com/store/burn-it-all-down/ Find us on Twitter: twitter.com/BurnItDownPod; Facebook: www.facebook.com/BurnItAllDownPod/; and Instagram: www.instagram.com/burnitalldownpod/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices