Part discussion, part interview, Nate Wallace & Mike Serazio hit on a compelling mix of contemporary issues that relate to topics he writes about in his book, and an illuminating deep dive into the book itself. If you want to better understand why (love them or hate them) sports are so powerful in U.S. society, you''re going to want to check out this episode.

Michael Serazio is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at Boston College. His research and teaching focuses on media production, advertising, popular culture, political communication, and new media. His latest book is The Power of Sports: Media and Spectacle in American Culture (available from NYU Press). A behind-the-scenes investigation that draws upon dozens of interviews with leaders and professionals in the media business, "The Power of Sports" provocatively analyzes how sports culture explains and reflects contemporary American life – from journalism to politics to commercialism to gender.

Professor Serazio received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication, where he won the National Communication Association’s Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award. He also holds a B.A. in Communication from the University of San Francisco and an M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University. A former staff writer for the Houston Press, an alternative newsweekly, his reporting was recognized as a finalist for the Livingston Awards and he has continued to write essays on media and culture for The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New Republic, The Nation, Bloomberg, and Salon.

A native San Diegan, Mike enjoys rooting (often frustratingly) for the Padres and Chargers, and, above all, spending time with his wife and daughter. His webpage, with links to writing, can be found at his website in the link below.

http://sites.google.com/site/linkedat...

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