Gridiron Baltic is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear.

EPISODE SUMMARY

Risto Luostarinen, a founding member of the American Football Association of Finland (SAJL) and a 2005 inductee into the Finnish American Football Hall of Fame, talks how America's game came to Finland, and the Estonian Bowl—the first game of gridiron football not only in Estonia and the Baltic states, but also in the Soviet Union, played in Tallinn on June 3, 1989, during the summer before the Iron Curtain fell.

Risto served as vice-chairman of the SAJL (1979–1980) and twice as the chairman (1981–1982, 1988–1992). In the 1980s and 1990s he was a member of the board for a total of seven years. He also served as the vice chairman of the European Federation of American Football (1988–1993). As a player, Risto was quarterback of the Helsinki-based Munkka Colts (1980–1987) and won the Finnish championship in 1981 and two Finnish championship silver medals, in 1980 and 1982. With the national team in 1985, he won the European Championship gold medal. Risto also brought Dean Laun of Modesto, California, the first professional coach to Finland in 1982. In 1984, Risto established flag football in Finland and, 40 years later, he served as the Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the 2024 Flag Football World Championship.

GRIDIRON BALTIC BACKGROUND

Gridiron Baltic is a monthly podcast exploring connections between American football and the Baltic states—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. On the surface, America’s Game may seem to have little in common with three small-nation states in Eastern Europe. Basketball and ice hockey, however, are not the only North American sports intertwined with the histories of Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian nations.

Among other things, nineteenth century immigration and the shifting political borders of the twentieth century created a multitude of connections and entanglements, both in the West and in the East. From immigrant players in the regional leagues of the United States to the first (un)official games on Soviet and post-Soviet fields, Gridiron Baltic traces how a distinctly American sport intersects with the complex and interconnected histories of the three modern Baltic nations.

New episodes drop on the first day of each month. Some highlight early pioneers who helped build the sport (both in the United States and the Baltic region); others focus on its diffusion and present-day developments in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

HOST - JAMES BAXENFIELD

Hosted by James Baxenfield, a historian, researcher, and chronicler of overlooked stories, Gridiron Baltic invites you on a unique journey through the history of American football—from its significance in immigrant communities to present-day teams and leagues across the Baltic region. Combining guest interviews with scholarship and archival research, Gridiron Baltic brings you the stories of star college players and celebrated coaches of yesteryear alongside Cold War-era gridiron legends.