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Shadowball: Rise of the Black Athlete

By: P. G. Cuschieri, Adriana Matamoros, Jessica Brydon, Amira Rose Davis, Matthew Hatchette, Curley Johnson
Narrated by: Jemele Hill
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Sports History
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Episodes
  • Shadowball: Rise of the Black Athlete - Trailer

    Shadowball: Rise of the Black Athlete - Trailer
    Feb 1 2024

    African-American athletes' roots have always been in social justice. It has also been a specter for them. As individuals, black athletes want to compete. As members of a team, they are conditioned to put their own interests aside. Outweighing their individual needs and the pressure to perform for their teammates, however, is the crushing tension of trying to make a difference for their race, aiming to achieve not just equality on the field, but in the society which they live.

    From the producers of the Signal Award-winning series The League and hosted by Emmy Award-winning journalist Jemele Hill comes the audio documentary series, Shadowball: Rise of the Black Athlete.

    Among the stories featured include a football player’s tragic death in his second college game in 1923; a female track star's courageous fight for de-segregation, including remaining seated during the national anthem at the Pan-Am Games in the late 1950’s; the ascension of African-American quarterbacks in the NFL; a WNBA team’s courageous efforts to change the tide of the 2020 election, and a baseball player who left Tiger Stadium in his uniform in the middle of the the Detroit Rebellion of 1967 to quell the violence in his city.

    This Audible Originals series offers a window into the history of the black athlete's role and how it has led us to where we are today, recounting a dark past, but showing inspirational triumphs that provide hope for future generations.
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    1 min
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  • Episode 1: I Will

    Episode 1: I Will
    Feb 1 2024
    Jack Trice, Iowa State’s first African-American football player, died from injuries sustained during a game against University of Minnesota in 1923. Nearly seventy years later, the school would name their stadium after him, and today it remains the only Division I college stadium named after an African-American.   Guests include: Desmond Howard, Seneca Wallace, Amira Rose-Davis, Jonathan Gelber, George Trice.
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    26 mins
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  • Episode 2: Run, Sis, Run

    Episode 2: Run, Sis, Run
    Feb 1 2024
    Eroseanna “Rose” Robinson was a track star and member of the U.S. Women’s National Team in 1958. “Sis,” as she called herself, was also a devout activist who fought for segregation and equality for African-Americans.  After boldly protesting during the Pan-American games of 1959, Rose would find herself in the crosshairs of the U.S. Government. During her prosecution and conviction, Rose began a hunger strike that gained national attention — and nearly killed her.  Guests include: John Carlos, Gwen Berry, Amira Rose-Davis, Mel Pender, Victoria W. Wolcott.
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    29 mins
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About the Performer-Jemele Hill

About the Performer

An Emmy Award-winning journalist, Jemele Hill is the co-founder of Lodge Freeway Media and a contributing writer for The Atlantic.
On October 25, 2022, Henry Holt and Company published Hill’s memoir, UPHILL: A Memoir. In this character-rich, unapologetically provocative memoir, Hill reveals her tumultuous childhood, complicated family dynamics, and her life-saving journey into journalism.
In April of 2019, Hill debuted Jemele Hill is Unbothered on Spotify. The two-time Webby Award-winning podcast features in-depth, thought-provoking conversation with some of the biggest newsmakers across entertainment, culture, music, and politics. Hill also explores topical and controversial issues with humorous, candid commentary. In 2022, Jemele Hill is Unbothered won two NAACP Awards for Outstanding Podcast in the Arts and Entertainment and Society and Culture categories. Previous Unbothered guests include Vice President Kamala Harris, Ava DuVernay, Common, Ice Cube, Spike Lee, Gabrielle Union, Chelsea Clinton, Dan Rather, Stephen Colbert, Issa Rae, Taraji P. Henson, and Soledad O’Brien.
Unbothered was not Hill’s only contribution in the podcast arena. On April 15, 2020, Hill, along with Van Lathan, launched the podcast The Wire: Way Down in the Hole. The podcast breaks down every episode of the HBO classic series. The hosts recap each show, breaking down signature moments, scenes, and characters.
In addition to breaking new ground as a podcaster, Hill also continued her celebrated television broadcasting career. In 2020, Hill and her longtime friend, former ESPN anchor Cari Champion, launched a weekly late-night show on Vice Network called Cari & Jemele Won’t Stick to Sports. The show covered politics, sports, news, current events, and pop culture.
Hill is also stretching her muscles behind the camera. She is executive producer of former NFL quarterback and civil rights activist Colin Kaepernick’s documentary, which will air on ESPN and is directed by legendary filmmaker Spike Lee. She also is currently developing a comedy series with acclaimed actress Gabrielle Union.
Hill’s 20-plus-year journalism career has included stops at the biggest sports media network and several reputable newspapers. She originally joined ESPN in 2006 as a national columnist for espn.com. Her profile gradually rose as she began to make appearances on television, including SportsCenter, First Take, Around the Horn, The Sports Reporters and Outside the Lines. She also spent a season as a sideline reporter for ESPN college football games.
Her foray into daily television began in 2013, when her and co-host Michael Smith began the daily sports discussion show His & Hers, which sprang from their popular podcast of the same name. In February 2017, Hill and Smith co-anchored the 6 PM SportsCenter, which debuted as a more personality-driven approach to the traditional SportsCenter. After her stint as SportsCenter host, Hill was a senior columnist for The Undefeated, ESPN’s sub-site that focuses on the intersection of sports, race, culture, and politics. She eventually left ESPN in September 2018, and then a month later she began writing about those same intersections for the highly acclaimed socio-political magazine The Atlantic.
Before joining ESPN, Hill was a sports columnist for the Orlando Sentinel from 2005–06, the lone African American female sports columnist at a daily newspaper in North America. From 1999-2005, she served as a sportswriter with the Detroit Free Press covering Michigan State football and basketball. Hill began her professional career in 1997 as a general assignment sportswriter for the Raleigh News & Observer.
In August 2018, the National Association of Black Journalists awarded Hill with the Journalist of the Year Award. In July 2016, Hill participated in the Emmy Award-winning The President and the People: A National Conversation—a one-hour town hall with President Barack Obama on race relations, justice, policing, and equality.
A native of Detroit, Hill graduated from Michigan State University in 1997 with a degree in journalism. In November of 2019, Hill married Ian Wallace.

What listeners say about Shadowball: Rise of the Black Athlete

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Profile Image for Big Musa

BEST PODCAST EVER!!!

this is the BEST podcast I have ever had the pleasure to listen to, bar none.

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Profile Image for Squid Skid

Such wonderful stories!

I really love listening to this podcast… I’m not even a sports person but the stories are compelling!

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Profile Image for Erin

GREAT Podcast!!

Each episode highlights such an incredible story of a truly inspiring individual. These pioneers are an important part of our history and deserve to be recognized and respected. Thanks for making this podcast!

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Profile Image for Jasen

Excellent!!

I learned so much about individuals I had not known before. The stories were amazing! Kudos to the researchers and the authors for putting this together.

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Profile Image for Alyson M. Stewart

Narration is terrible

Story is decent and probably not given best due. Could not get over the narrator, maybe try someone else and I'd raise the rating.

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