This week The 252 welcomes sports historian Paul Putz of Messiah College. We asked Paul about the history of “Sportianity” — Frank Deford’s term for the fusion of sports with evangelical piety, plus the role of faith in recent protests by African American NFL players, Paul’s experience teaching undergraduate courses like the one our podcast previews, and how his own background as a basketball player has influenced his teaching and research.
(If you want to read more from Paul, try his Sportianity blog, plus articles on everything from the politics of prayer to the faith of Jackie Robinson.)
Also on this 7th episode of The 252:
• We discussed the U.S. Women’s National Team’s fight with U.S. Soccer for equal pay and working conditions.
• Race, class, and college recruiting: we considered the odd role of sports like water polo, tennis, and soccer in the elite college admissions scandal that came to light yesterday.
• Thanks to everyone who voted for the four members of our college basketball Mount Rushmore (revealed in segment 1). Now, sign up to compete against us and fellow listeners in a 252 March Madness Bracket Challenge!
You can download or stream The 252 from Podbean. And be sure to follow our Live from AC2nd network at its Facebook page.
Also, if you happen to be at or near Bethel on Tuesday, March 26th, plan to join Sam and me at 11:15am in the Bethel Library for our talk on podcasting and blogging as ways of “thinking in public.” (If you don’t live nearby or can’t make it, don’t worry: we’ll record the presentation as a live podcast for Live from AC2nd.)
The Pietist Schoolman 