On this episode of BMU, the guys offer their critiques of capitalism’s effect on the Juneteenth holiday before diving into a nuanced conversation about the Caitlin Clark discourse. The conversation begins with harsh critique of some of the foremost male voices in sports media and their lack of understanding and study regarding the complex dynamics associated with Clark’s meteoric rise. The guys discuss those dynamics, offering pathways for us to legitimately regard Clark’s talent and stardom without succumbing to the racist, misogynoir, anti-LGBTQIA, and capitalist ways of thinking that would require us to tear down other players within the majority-Black and distinctly queer-identifying WNBA in the process.

The guys also announce the inaugural BMU Summer Book Club in which we’re reading All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks (1999) and The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin (1963). The first and second halves of All About Love will be discussed on our July 4th and 18th episodes, respectively. The Fire Next Time will be discussed in the same two-part fashion on episodes released on August 1st and 15th.

  Today’s episode references Forty Million Dollar Slaves by William C. Rhoden (2007).