To wrap up Burn It All Down’s Best of 2020 series, we are re-airing one of our most powerful hot takes: Black Women Athletes Speak Out. It originally aired June 5. This episode features 11 Black women athletes taking the mic and holding space for their voices, emotions, stories, and experiences as they processed and navigated ongoing racial injustices and social movements this summer. Interviews include Kelsey Bone, Gwen Berry, AJ Andrews, Saroya Tinker, Tziarra King, Ellie Jean, Zariyah Quiroz, Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, Batouly Camara, Alanna Gardner, and Dr. Maryam Aziz.

To ring in the New Year, we're re-airing some of the best moments from BIAD 2020. In this episode, Shireen revisits three of the team's most memorable interviews. First, from Episode 158, Amira speaks with community organizer and athlete Alison Mariella Désir about Ahmaud Arbery and the whiteness of the running community. [1:46] Then, from Episode 166, Lindsay interviews activist Rebecca Nagle on Native mascotry [26:00] And finally, from Episode 171, Jessica talks with Kristin Duquette [42:09] and Lacey Henderson on COVID and disability in sport. [1:02:15]

For the next two weeks we’re revisiting some of the best moments from the past year on Burn It All Down. First, we’re listening back to three of our favorite 2020 segments. We start back in June with Episode 164, when Jessica, Amira, and Shireen talked about athlete activism and the return of sports. [02:12] Then we’ll turn to September’s Episode 172, in which Lindsay, Brenda, Shireen, Amira, and Jessica discussed many of the ways in which climate change and its catastrophic effects are affecting how sports are practiced and played throughout the world. [26:33] And, finally, from November’s Episode 178: Amira, Jessica, Brenda, and Shireen tell each other some sports stories that should bring a smile to your face. [41:52]

It’s hard to wrap up such an abnormal and difficult year. But Amira, Jessica, and Brenda look back on some of the most surprising and memorable moments of 2020 -- and share some lessons they learned. [6:28] Also, before 2020 comes to a close, the NCAA sneaks in one more trip to the Burn Pile [39:10]. Plus, you’ll hear this week’s Torchbearers, starring Stanford women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer [48:28], and what is good in our worlds. [51:50].

On Wednesday, MLB announced it would recognize the Negro Leagues as a Major League, meaning 3,400 players from seven leagues will now be considered major leaguers. Many celebrated the move, but who does it really benefit? Amira is joined by ESPN’s Howard Bryant, who says, “I understand the intention. The intention in a lot of ways was a reparation. … I don’t think this was the right way.”

In this interview, Amira talks with Penn State Women’s Soccer Head Coach Erica Dambach and Associate Head Coach Ann Cook about their long time friendship, creating paths for more women coaches, and cultivating team culture in their championship-winning program.

Sports Illustrated recently announced the winners of its annual Sportsperson of the Year Award. This year, the magazine went with the framing of “The Activist Athlete.” On this week’s episode, Lindsay, Shireen, Amira, Brenda, and Jessica dive into the issues with the award -- and the frustration with Breanna Stewart’s selection. [5:11] Also, Tulsi Gabbard makes it onto this week’s Burn Pile [30:52]. Plus, you’ll hear this week’s Torchbearers, [44:13], and what is good in our worlds. [46:44].

In this Hot Take, Burn It All Down previews the BreakThrough Summit, a digital leadership summit to develop and celebrate women in sports. Amira talks with Megan Kahn, CEO of WeCOACH, and Mickey Grace, high school football coach and scouting apprentice for the L.A. Rams, about blazing trails for gender and racial equity in coaching and sports administration, and what brings them joy in their work. Attend the BreakThrough Summit for free December 14 and 15 at: www.breakthroughsummit.live

In this episode, Jessica brings back Dr. Adia Benton, Cultural Anthropologist at Northwestern University, to talk all things COVID and sports. They discuss Dr. Benton's predictions from March (BIAD Episode 151), the socio-economic impact of COVID sports bubbles, and the ethics of watching sports during this time.

As the Covid-19 pandemic gets worse in the United States, sports carry on. This week, Jessica, Amira, and Lindsay examine troubling situations from pro to youth sports. And they discuss: why are we no longer asking sports to justify their existence in the midst of a pandemic? [6:47] And, as always, you’ll hear the Burn Pile [34:47], Torchbearers, starring Baylor guard DiDi Richards [42:41], and what is good in our worlds [47:24].

In this episode, Shireen Ahmed interviews WNBA player Azurá Stevens about her Wubble season with the Chicago Sky. They discuss Stevens and the Sky's efforts to raise awareness about racial inequity, the team's prolific Tik Tok videos, and spending the off-season at home on "chop duty" at her family's food truck Same O Dame O's Shrimp, Fish and Grits. On Instagram you can follow Stevens @azura_stevens and her family's food truck @sameoshrimps

Legendary football star and Argentine icon Diego Maradona died Wednesday, at the age of 60. Arguably the sport’s greatest player, Maradona championed the poor and railed against imperialism. This week, Shireen and Brenda look back on Maradona’s brilliance and, at times, painful contradictions. [3:12] And, as always, you’ll hear the Burn Pile [37:22], Torchbearers, [42:32], and what is good in our worlds [45:45].

Brenda Elsey discusses her hometown of Detroit with Stefan Szymanski and Silke-Maria Weineck, authors of "City of Champions: A History of Triumph and Defeat in Detroit." They breakdown the myths of the American melting pot and explore how social and political upheaval of the 20th century United States through Detroit sports legends like World Champion boxer Joe Louis and infamous Detroit Tiger Ty Cobb.

Last Monday USA Today released an investigative report by Kenny Jacoby, Nancy Armour, and BIAD’s own Jessica Luther on LSU’s mishandling of sexual and dating violence, inside the athletic department and beyond. On this week’s episode, Brenda, Lindsay, and Jessica discuss the report -- and what it should prompt in terms of university responses. [4:05] And, as always, you’ll hear the Burn Pile [37:36], Torchbearers, [46:29], and what is good in our worlds [47:51].

In this HOT TAKE, Amira Rose Davis talks with Shiz Suzuki, the Assistant Vice President of Sponsorships and Experiential Marketing at AT&T, about the representation of Asian-American women in sports marketing and leadership, and the abundance of (often overlooked) marketing opportunities in women's sport. They also dive deep into Suzuki's personal journey and the unique steps she took to become a leader in the field, while breaking stereotypes and having the courage to make people uncomfortable along the way.

In this episode, Brenda Elsey talks with legendary soccer player Crystal Dunn about her early days of soccer, how she thrives at every position, forming the Black Women's Player Collective, and moving to the Portland Thorns.

How do we use (and misuse) data and statistics in sports? From ‘Moneyball’ to period tracking to a lack of numbers on the WNBA and NWSL, Amira, Jessica, Lindsay, and Shireen discuss statistics and sports. [4:52] Of course, you’ll hear the Burn Pile [35:58], Torchbearers, starring new Marlins GM Kim NG [47:10], and what is good in our worlds [50:57].

Brittany Collens is former collegiate tennis player turned pro. While playing for the University of Massachusetts Amherst, she and her team won the Atlantic 10 Title in 2017. However, just recently, the NCAA stripped the team of their title after UMass self-reported a clerical error in scholarship distribution to Collens and one other tennis player. Collens has formed a petition to turn over the NCAA's decision and restore the A10 title to her team, as well as to better protect all student-athletes going forward.

The WNBA, NWSL, NBA, MLS, NHL, and MLB all wrapped up, but there’s still plenty of sports to follow in the coming months. Amira, Jessica, Brenda, Shireen, and Lindsay share what they’re watching, from 2022 World Cup qualifiers to Syracuse point guard Tiana Mangakahia’s return to the court after treatment for breast cancer.[4:16] And, as always, you’ll hear the Burn Pile [32:39], Torchbearers, starring basketball coach Nancy Darsch [44:27], and a post-election edition of what is good in our worlds [47:45].

In this HOT TAKE, Amira chats with Dr. Derrick White, Professor of History and African American and Africana Studies at U of Kentucky and co-host of The Black Athlete pod, about the upcoming PSU/MD game, Coaches James Franklin + Micheal Locksley and the complicated careers of Black college football coaches.

Dr. Courtney Szto, Assistant Professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, talks with Brenda about her new book, “Changing on the Fly: Hockey Through the Voices of South Asian Canadians” and breaks down the intersections of power and inequality as they present themselves in the world of sport and physical activity.

Because we imagine this will be a hard week for a lot of people for a variety of reasons, we decided to keep the show light (except for the Burn Pile, of course). So, Amira, Jessica, Brenda, and Shireen tell each other some sports stories that should bring a smile to your face. [3:45] And, as always, you’ll hear the Burn Pile [28:03], Torchbearers, starring England women's rugby [39:41], and what is good in our worlds [43:01].

Ginny Gilder, co-owner of the 2020 WNBA Championships, the Seattle Storm, talks to Lindsay about the Storm’s endorsement of U.S. presidential candidate, Joe Biden.

In the spirit of sports being political, Shireen, Lindsay, and Brenda talk about athletes endorsing political candidates, and political activism all over the world. [4:10] And, as always, the Burn Pile [32:50], Torchbearers, starring Marcus Rashford [37:55], and what is good in our worlds [40:15].

Writer, editor and cultural critic Latria Graham talks about being Black and loving wild spaces, when she fell in love with the outdoors, what she loves to do outside, her favorite outdoor place to visit, organizations that connect and help explorers of color, and what's she working on now.