Blacklight on Sports

MSR Digital Studio
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Sports

Blacklight on Sports is a dynamic podcast hosted by veteran sports journalists Charles Hallman and Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald, shining a spotlight on the athletes, coaches, and stories that shape the Black sports experience. With deep historical knowledge and firsthand reporting, the hosts engage in insightful conversations about the impact of sports on Black communities, the challenges and triumphs of Black athletes, and the evolving landscape of diversity in sports media. Featuring interviews with key figures in athletics, the podcast provides critical analysis, historical context, and fresh perspectives on the intersection of race, sports, and culture. 

Episodes

  1. Oct 26

    Blacklight On Sports w Brett Buckner

    Brett Buckner does not call himself an activist. He calls himself a servant, and he says the work is the daily, unglamorous effort of making the north side better for the people who live there. Buckner joins host Charles Hallman on Blacklight on Sports to talk about the North Commons Park fieldhouse, which took more than 12 years to reach groundbreaking and secured federal, state and local funding together. He explains how the project was built so the community center could keep operating, why nearly 12,000 children within a mile make the park a regional opportunity, and how he hopes suburban teams will start traveling to the north side to compete. He also shares his vision for a mixed-use campus built to anchor women’s professional sports, a concept he is developing with the Minnesota Vixen, and his call for the Timberwolves, Lynx, Vikings and Twins to invest in the north side in sustained ways. The conversation covers the $3.5 billion Blue Line extension, voter protection work with Common Cause Minnesota, how Minnesotans responded when ICE came to the north side, and what arriving at Hampton University, an HBCU, taught him about Black leadership. Listen to the full conversation. Executive Producer/CEO Publisher Tracey Williams-Dillard Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder 3744 4th Ave South Minneapolis MN 55409 612-827-4021 MSR Digital Studio Ray Seville Charles Hallman MSR Sports Columnist  Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald, PhE. MSR Sports Columnist ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BY MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN-RECORDER 1934

  2. Oct 26

    Blacklight On Sports w Reggie Wilson & Alexis Rogers

    For the first time, Blacklight on Sports welcomes a husband and wife. Reggie Wilson served as the first Black sports director at KARE 11, and Alexis Rogers became the first Black woman in a management role in the station’s history. Together they have navigated layoffs, a new baby, a cross-country career journey and the launch of their own storytelling business, I Speak People. Hosted by Charles Hallman, the conversation covers Reggie’s scenic route from photographer in Wichita to Minneapolis, Alexis’s path from the Chicago area to the anchor desk, the isolation of arriving during the pandemic, and the night of community love that changed Reggie’s mind about quitting. They also open up about being laid off, how those moments accelerated I Speak People, and their work mentoring young Black journalists through NABJ. Faith runs through it all, along with advice on staying excellent while still being a work in progress. Listen to the full conversation. Executive Producer/CEO Publisher Tracey Williams-Dillard Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder 3744 4th Ave South Minneapolis MN 55409 612-827-4021 MSR Digital Studio Ray Seville Charles Hallman MSR Sports Columnist  Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald, PhE. MSR Sports Columnist ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BY MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN-RECORDER 1934

  3. Sep 28

    Blacklight On Sports w Gary F. Green II

    Dr. Gary F. Green II grew up in a football family in San Antonio, Texas, the namesake son of Gary Green Sr., who played for years in the NFL. He was recruited to play at the University of Kansas, saw the inside of the recruiting apparatus at major programs across the country, and eventually traded the field for the seminary, the classroom, and now a published book that reframes everything most people think they know about Black athleticism. Green joins host Charles Hallman on Blacklight on Sports to discuss his book, "Playing the Game: Embodied Brilliance Beyond the Moral Limits of Race and Sport," his work as a faculty member at United Theological Seminary, and why he believes Black athletes have always been geniuses that the dominant culture simply refused to name as such. Green structures the book around three athletes, each representing a different layer of how white supremacy inscribes itself on Black male bodies, and how those athletes disrupted that inscription through their brilliance: Marshawn Lynch and the criminalization of Black men in public, Steph Curry and the economic logic of athletic evaluation, and Deion Sanders and the psychospiritual refusal to shrink. Green also previews an upcoming essay bringing Black women, including Serena Williams, more fully into the conversation, and reflects on his own path from Division I football to pastoral theology. Executive Producer/CEO Publisher Tracey Williams-Dillard Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder 3744 4th Ave South Minneapolis MN 55409 612-827-4021 MSR Digital Studio Ray Seville Charles Hallman MSR Sports Columnist  Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald, PhE. MSR Sports Columnist ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BY MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN-RECORDER 1934

  4. Sep 16

    Blacklight On Sports w Jonathan Mason

    Jonathan Mason grew up in the Twin Cities with family roots stretching back to 1930s Minneapolis and the Mississippi Delta. He earned a criminal justice degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, worked in Minneapolis Public Schools and founded a cultural competency firm. Then the murders of Jamar Clark, Philando Castile, Thurman Blevins and George Floyd pulled him to the front lines of Minnesota's civil rights movement, and he has not stepped back since. In this episode of Blacklight on Sports, hosts Charles Hallman and Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald sit down with Mason for one of the podcast's most expansive conversations, covering front-line activism, economic self-reliance and the urgent push for Black agricultural sovereignty. Mason talks about his decision to become more vocal and visible after seeing the depth of systemic inequity up close. "Once I started to unpeel the onion of what actually was going on in Minnesota, I took it upon myself to be more vocal and active. I said, I can change the narrative. I'm going to have to be vocal, but I have to follow the law. That was my biggest thing." Drawing on his background in law, Mason took on a leadership role organizing peaceful demonstrations, challenging law enforcement systems in court and demanding structural accountability across Minneapolis and the state. But his work extends far beyond civil rights marches. Partnering with his longtime close friend and former NBA player Rashad Vaughn, Mason is helping run 20 Pastures Farm in Milaca, Minnesota, a working farm and educational hub that is redefining what life after sports can look like for both athletes and urban youth. With Black farmers accounting for roughly 0.2 percent of all farmers in Minnesota, 20 Pastures Farm is a ground-breaking effort toward self-determination. The farm has already brought more than a hundred inner-city youth out to the country to experience farm-fresh meals, gather eggs, interact with livestock and learn the mechanics of local food production. Youth also learn woodworking through Mason's furniture venture, Mason Tree LLC, alongside livestock management, butchering and agricultural economics. "So many times we see kids fall into that echelon of just basketball, sports, or music. We're teaching people within our community that we can take and create our own system around the things that we need." The team is currently working toward acquiring a USDA-certified food processing plant, which would be the first Black-owned facility of its kind in the region, with plans to establish direct-to-door fresh meat and produce delivery for urban families utilizing EBT benefits. On food access, Mason is direct. "You deserve the best of the best. It doesn't matter if you're on government assistance or you've had a tough patch in your life. You still deserve to eat well." Mason also speaks to civic engagement as local election cycles approach, urging residents to focus energy on city and county leadership where policies on clean water, local business and neighborhood safety are actually made. He closes with a principle drawn from Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton: observation and participation. "I want everybody that is in a role of leadership to give your skills without gatekeeping. Give them to the next generation. Just start, go, and let it lead where it leads." Stay connected at msr.media. Executive Producer/CEO Publisher Tracey Williams-Dillard Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder 3744 4th Ave South Minneapolis MN 55409 612-827-4021 MSR Digital Studio Ray Seville Charles Hallman MSR Sports Columnist  Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald, PhE. MSR Sports Columnist ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BY MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN-RECORDER 1934

  • 4 Episodes

About

Blacklight on Sports is a dynamic podcast hosted by veteran sports journalists Charles Hallman and Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald, shining a spotlight on the athletes, coaches, and stories that shape the Black sports experience. With deep historical knowledge and firsthand reporting, the hosts engage in insightful conversations about the impact of sports on Black communities, the challenges and triumphs of Black athletes, and the evolving landscape of diversity in sports media. Featuring interviews with key figures in athletics, the podcast provides critical analysis, historical context, and fresh perspectives on the intersection of race, sports, and culture. 

Information

  • Creator
    MSR Digital Studio
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Blacklight on Sports