COLLEGE PARK, Md. (WDVM) – Len Bias’s death in 1986 sent ripples through the sports world and impacted society.
Former Baltimore Sun University of Maryland beat reporter Don Markus, who covered Bias, and author Dave Ungrady, who wrote, “Born Ready: The Mixed Legacy of Len Bias,” teamed up to produce a podcast series about the complex legacy of Bias.
“You see so many young fans wearing Bias jerseys, because he’s sort of an icon,” Markus told WDVM. “You know and he is larger in death than he was in life.”
The 15-part podcast series will discuss Bias’ impact on Maryland athletics and the ramifications that his life and death had on the NBA, but it will also examine the effect his death had on drug-related legislation in America.
“Politicians, both republicans and democrats, used him to get legislation, very draconian legislation, that was skewed heavily against young black males in terms of drug sentences and stuff like that,” Markus said.
The podcast will also cover the importance of decision making.
“Len’s death was a result of a bad decision,” Markus said. “Dave Dickerson, [Bias’] former teammate said that that story should be told every year because it’s just such a cautionary tale. Whether it’s drugs or just other decisions in life, making good decisions, and I think that’s the part that is part of his legacy as well.”
The podcast will be released Friday, December 3, you can find more info about it here.