Welcome to the Edge of Sports podcast. I'm Dave Ziron. We are brought to you only by The Nation

Magazine. We are thrilled to have on the show this week to amazing guests. Later in the show, we'll be talking to the basketball savant, Aria Shirazi about March Madness,

memories when March was truly mad.

But first, I'm so excited to have this guy on the show.

You've heard me reference his research for years, if you're a regular listener to this podcast.

The reports that he has done, particularly about gender and representation in the mainstream sports media, has been invaluable.

He's a longtime teacher at USC, and he just published a book that's just coming out it's really remarkable it's called the high

school sports spirit and citizens 1903 to 24 it's about his high school salinas salinas high school

which i'm sure we're going to hear something about, and what we can

learn about sports, particularly gender in sports, but sports in general, and how we can chart

societal changes by looking at the photos, yearbooks, what have you, from this period of 1903 to 2024.

I haven't even said his name yet.

It's Michael Messner.

Michael, how you doing, sir?

I'm doing very well.

Thank you for having me.

I'm just so happy to be on your show and I'm so respectful of all the work that you do, Dave.

Oh, that's a total mutual admiration society then.

I mean, you know, I've said to you,

I said to you this over email and I want to repeat it.

This is such a great idea that I'm actually surprised

that it's never been done before, like at least in sports.

...