WATCH: Only A Game Presents - Sports, Racism And The Myth Of Meritocracy

Sports are supposed to be the great equalizer. Movies like "Remember The Titans" and "The Blind Side" celebrate the idea that sports bring everyone together and offer a path for upward social mobility. But it’s not that simple.

In a recent special episode, Only A Game investigated the many ways sports actually perpetuate racial inequities in the U.S. — from the widening gap in access to youth sports to the way college sports function as “affirmative action for rich white students” to the racist stereotypes perpetuated by sports announcers.

Only A Game executive producer and host Karen Given will facilitate a conversation on racial inequity in sports — and push us to imagine a better path forward for sports in America.

This event will serve as a capstone to Only A Game, which after 27 years as NPR’s beloved and only sports show, will end its production in September. If you're a fan of the show, join us for this final opportunity to engage with the producing team, as they dig deeper into "one of the most important stories we've ever done."

Listen to the special episode that inspired the event below!

Panelists:

Amira Rose Davis - Assistant Professor of History and African American Studies at Penn State University and co-host of the feminist sports podcast, “Burn It All Down.”

Russell Dinkins - Princeton track alumnus and recent author of the Medium article “Brown University, If You Were Actually Serious About Racial Justice You Would Not Be Cutting the Men’s Track Team”

Derrick Z. Jackson - contributor to ESPN’s "The Undefeated," which explores the intersection of sports, race and culture, and fellow with the Union of Concerned Scientists.