Legacy of Speed – Malcolm Gladwell Podcast

There are some stories that demand to be told in full.

In partnership with Tracksmith and PUMA, Malcolm Gladwell has produced a six-episode series which traces the journey of the stars of the Speed City track and field program who would later go on to ignite the movement to boycott and protest during the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.

Tracksmith’s first-ever podcast is a collaboration with Revisionist History’s Malcolm Gladwell, entitled Legacy of Speed. It tells the tale of Speed City, the storied San Jose State University track and field program, whose athletes, including Tommie Smith, Lee Evans, and John Carlos transformed culture on and off the track. Gladwell, a competitive runner himself, explores the history of Speed City from its foundation after WWII, to the 1968 Games and today’s sporting icons.

Featuring conversations with Olympic athletes, sports journalists, performance coaches and documentarians, as well as Tommie Smith and the friends and families of those involved, Legacy of Speed resurfaces an important sports story of athletes who took a stand, and the coaches and mentors who made them fast enough – and brave enough – to pave the way for the sports activism we see today.

You can listen to the episodes as they are released, here.