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Host of WBUR’s ‘Only A Game’ throws in the towel

Bill Littlefield, host of the Boston-based NPR sports program “Only A Game,” will retire this summer.
Alex Kinsgubury | WBUR
Bill Littlefield, host of the Boston-based NPR sports program “Only A Game,” will retire this summer. ";s:

For 25 years, Bill Littlefield has brought insightful commentary and thoughtful narratives surrounding the sports world to NPR listeners’ ears every Saturday morning. But in July, the host of the program “Only A Game” will retire from WBUR in Boston.

On Wednesday’s St. Louis on the Air, host Don Marsh spoke with Littlefield about his long career, the landscape of American sports today and the crossover between that realm and politics.

One aspect of the discussion focused on athletes who exercise their right to protest, like NFL player Colin Kaepernick, for example.

“What they’re trying to do is make a statement about the fact that young black men in particular, and black citizens in general, have been mugged and beaten and in some cases shot and killed by the police,” Littlefield explained. “This is a situation which anybody with any sort of perception and compassion should be objecting to and protesting against. And these legitimate protests – these legitimate exercises of free speech – have been distorted and misrepresented by people who are just trying to gain political advantage by calling NFL players who take a knee S.O.B.’s.”

Marsh pressed Littlefield on whether protesting is something athletes should be doing, to which he replied, “I think it’s a role that anybody should be playing. I think every citizen in the United States ought to be thinking about, ‘how do I make my country even better than it is?’”

As a retiree, Littlefield said he plans to spend time writing, teaching and collaborating on a number of projects with people he has met throughout his career.

“There [are] some [people] working with incarcerated kids, for example,” Littlefield explained. “There’s a program that collects used books and teaches kids at risk how to run a business by selling the books and keeping track of the bookkeeping, and all the rest.”

According to the Bostonian, a successor has not yet been determined for the sports program.

St. Louis on the Air brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh and producers Mary EdwardsAlex HeuerEvie HemphillLara Hamdan and Caitlin Lally give you the information you need to make informed decisions and stay in touch with our diverse and vibrant St. Louis region.

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Caitlin Lally is thrilled to join St. Louis Public Radio as the summer production intern for "St. Louis on the Air." With a bachelor's degree in journalism from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Caitlin also freelances for area publications like Sauce Magazine and the Belleville News-Democrat. In her career, she's covered topics such as Trump's travel ban, political protests and community activism. When she's not producing audio segments or transcribing interviews, Caitlin enjoys practicing yoga, seeing live music, and cooking plant-based meals.