Welcome to SportsWise: A Podcast about Sports and the Law
June 28, 2022

Episode 28: Nazem Kadri, Akim Aliu & Racism in the NHL with Ben Meiselas

Episode 28:  Nazem Kadri, Akim Aliu & Racism in the NHL with Ben Meiselas

On this episode, I'm joined by Ben Meiselas, prominent civil rights and sport lawyer, attorney and business partner of Colin Kaepernick, co-founder of Meidas Touch, an independent pro-democracy media network, and an advisor to the Hockey Diversity Alliance.

After winning the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche, Nazem Kadri told the international television audience that "for everybody that thought I was a liability these playoffs...you can kiss my a-s."   Earlier in the playoffs, Kadri, the only Muslim player in the NHL, accidentally injured the goalie for the St. Louis Blues, leading to a a torrent of racist messages and death threats from fans on social media.   

Ben Meiselas joins me to discuss the Kadri incident, the formation of the Hockey Diversity Alliance by a group of hockey players of color, and the daunting question facing the NHL:
 why does the league have such a diversity problem, and what can be done to fix it?  We also talk about Colin Kaepernick and his prospects of playing in the NFL again.  

Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .