Sometimes it Rains

Many have called Jim Brown the greatest running back of all time. Though he played in the NFL more than 60 years ago, his numbers are incredible even by today's standards. In addition to his accomplishments on the gridiron, he was also an accomplished actor and an important leader in the fight for Civil Rights. He was a man made for the moment in which he lived. But there was also a disturbing history of violence that, with his recent passing, has led some to question how, and to what degree, he should celebrated.   We take a look at all of that on this special episode of Sometimes it Rains. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sometimes-it-rains/support

When looking at the issue of Native American mascots in sports, so much comes down to a lack of knowledge concerning the history of Indigenous peoples and the relationship between Native Americans and The United States. We also look at the history of mascots in sports and how professional sports teams in Boston, Cleveland and Washington began to claim Native American iconography for their own. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sometimes-it-rains/support

Professional football comes to the Great Plains when an entrepreneur from Dallas decides to move his team to KC. A look at the history of the Kansas City Chiefs and how the name came about. We also discuss the ways in which the United States criminalized Native American culture and traditions in an attempt to force cultural assimilation. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sometimes-it-rains/support

A look at the history of the “Tomahawk Chop” in sports and how it is emblematic of how much we “don't” know of Native American history. We also take a look at how the movement to end the use of Native American mascots gained momentum in the 90's and into the 21st century. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sometimes-it-rains/support

A look at what the future might hold for the movement, including the recent significant steps taken by professional franchises to address the issue and what that might mean for the Kansas City Chiefs moving forward. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sometimes-it-rains/support

The Kansas City Chiefs are one of the few North American scholastic or professional sports organizations remaining with a mascot derived from Native American heritage. Season 2 of Sometimes it Rains chronicles the riches, to rags, and back to riches story of the Chiefs amidst the backdrop of an all too little know history of the Native American people in the United States that led to the intertwining of sports mascots, culture and politics. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sometimes-it-rains/support

An incredible talent for hitting a baseball lands Willie a scholarship to South Carolina State and the opportunity to pull himself and his family out of poverty. As he works his way up the ranks from the minors to major league, Willie’s career path eventually leads him to Kansas City. Also, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick gives a history of baseball in KC. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sometimes-it-rains/support

A quick thanks to Bob Kendrick of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and information on how you can help support the museum. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sometimes-it-rains/support

Willie finds his groove and the national spotlight as he helps lead the Kansas City Royals to an AL Championship and their first trip to the World Series. But he also finds a growing need for his new favorite pastime - cocaine. Also, a history of cocaine use in America and a look at how race has played a central role in U.S. drug policy. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sometimes-it-rains/support

As Willie’s cocaine use becomes increasingly routine, the end of every game is the beginning of the party, often with a handful of teammates at his friend and supplier Mark’s house. But the party turns sober quickly when the federal government’s burgeoning war on drugs sets its sights directly on Major League Baseball. Also, a look at how the Reagan administration transformed U.S. policy in regards to drugs and the effect those policies began to have on incarceration levels in America. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sometimes-it-rains/support

Determined to find his way back to the majors, Willie heads south to play ball in Mexico. He tears it up, setting records throughout the league. But at the same time, he finds his addiction growing more serious and culminating with his introduction to a new form of smokable cocaine.... called crack. Also, a history of Liga Mexicana de Béisbol, and a look at the crack epidemic, facts and misconceptions surrounding the drug and the ways in which the media helped shape America’s perception of crack cocaine. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sometimes-it-rains/support

Everything in Willie’s life comes crashing down the day a woman stops and asks for directions. She says her name is Karen. Willie thinks she might be looking for a boyfriend. She’s not. And her name isn’t Karen. Also, criminal defense attorney Doug Passon explains sentencing entrapment as it relates to mandatory minimums. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sometimes-it-rains/support

As Willie’s trial quickly concludes, it becomes increasingly evident that mandatory minimums will play a critical role in determining his fate. And that the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine is about to send him to prison.... for a very long time. Also, a look at the history of mandatory minimums and issues of racial bias in the criminal justice system. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sometimes-it-rains/support

While serving a lengthy sentence, first in Leavenworth and later in Atlanta, Willie finds redemption and a shot at a new life. Once released, he embraces his new role as a husband and father, and even eventually finds his way back to the Kansas City Royals. Also, an examination of where we are today with mandatory minimums and the war on drugs, particularly how they’ve impacted the Black community. And finally, some thoughts on where we might go from here. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sometimes-it-rains/support

A power hitter and superstar for the Kansas City Royals in the early 1980’s, Aikens career was derailed by a debilitating addiction to drugs. Arrested at a time when the U.S. had instituted harsh mandatory minimum sentences as a weapon in the on-going war on drugs, a policy that inequitably targeted people of color, Willie found himself sentenced, on a non-violent drug conviction, to twenty years in federal prison. Sometimes it Rains uses Willie’s journey to explore the history of America’s war on drugs, mass incarceration and the impact it has had on communities of color. At its heart, this story is about one man’s journey through baseball stardom, to rock bottom, and finally… redemption. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sometimes-it-rains/support