Dr. Stan Thangaraj - Race and Athletes in America - Part 1/2

Dr. Stan Thangaraj

Dr. Stanley Thangaraj, professor of anthropology at City College in New York City and author of the book Desi Hoop Dreams, joins us to discuss race and athletes in America.

Race is not an easy topic to discuss.  It's easy to make people angry or upset, but Dr. Thangaraj has taken the topic head-on with his teachings and writings.  We discuss black and white, but we also discuss the Asian culture around sports, even more specifically what it was like for him as an Indian-American athlete.  His most entertaining story is when he played baseball for the first time and ran to third base, since he was used to playing cricket and figured any base would suffice.

Needless to say, this episode was packed with substance and interesting anecdotes Dr. Thangaraj has learned over the years.  Some main points are when we discuss what it feels like to be labeled a "dumb jock" vs a "good student", women playing masculine sports and why they need to be seen as "hetero-sexy", and the Linsanity phenomenon.  We also discuss how African Americans are treated in the collegiate setting if they are an athlete.

Overall, amazing episode, and you can find Dr. Thangaraj's book Desi Hoop Dreams on Amazon here:  Desi Hoop Dreams

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