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Section One: The Fundamentals
A) What do we know about sport? What are common assumptions we make about sport and society?
| From my perspective, it’s a problematic belief that requires further examination. Sports can provide opportunities for some individuals who can achieve economic success and have social recognition, but these aren’t the norm. These are exempted cases of instances. The structural inequities that are in place related to gender, class, and demographics are still present and persisting in the determination of accessibility to participate in sports, particularly at the top levels.
To explain further, sports often require substantial investments in equipment and training alongside travelling expenses, which creates and maintains multiple barriers for those who are economically disadvantaged. One potential solution to this issue could be implementing subsidized sports programs in low-income communities. Another aspect is how sports are portrayed yet overlooks the systematic biases such as gender discrimination and racial stereotyping, which also influence and affect opportunities and outcomes for individuals. An example I have seen in my own experiences is less media coverage or social media publicity and less financial support and payment of female athletes in comparison to their male counterparts in similar sports for compensation. To address this, we could advocate for equal pay for equal performance in sports. Another thing to consider is that emphasizing athletic success pathways that are stereotypical can reinforce those stereotypes negatively, particularly within marginalized communities. To combat this, we could promote a more diverse range of sports and athletes in the media. Overall, it reinforces preexisting social inequalities for those who are not privileged or have access to these opportunities and avenues. |
Exercise 3: Notebook prompt
What are some other metanarratives about sport that you are familiar with? Find an image or video clip or draw something yourself that captures this idea…
So what? Why does any of this matter? Does it matter? As something we grow up with – live with – play through – we don’t often interrogate the meanings of sport, and perhaps we don’t want to.
But being aware of these assumptions and metanarratives is especially important, I would argue, because of the centrality of sport to our everyday lives, the role that sport plays in shaping our childhood and worldviews and….. [finish that thought]
| Growing up, I was familiar with metanarratives that revolved around Wayne Gretzky as hockey played a big part in my family as a pastime for fun and activities with extended family. I grew up where Gretzky was talked about as a hero and idealized version of what was deemed successful. I never understood it as he was just one person who played a sport, and yet was portrayed as the ultimate athlete to worship, yet disregarded his private life unless it was socially appropriated by focusing on his charity organization and not his private life or his attributes and qualities in what defined him as a person. It also gave the portrayal of traditional views that focused on masculine representation for hockey, where many of us girls were stereotyped and told that we could not play hockey or wear hockey skates and play with the boys as we were girls, so we had to wear figure skates. We received comments on how pretty we looked or how good we could do twirls and beds, while for boys, the more aggressive or physical the games became, the more it was rewarded.
It matters because it goes on the physicality of sports; it is also founded on culture and ideologies that shape how we see ourselves and within our society. Being a team player or understanding competition further extends to the themes of race, gender and demographics that are reflected and reinforced in a society that values normativity and expectations around us. It shapes us from when we were young children to our overall world views. To learn are base ideals such as having an identity and community or even exclusion and inequality. It further extends into the readings that discuss accessibility, privilege, and the existing barriers.
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B) What is social justice?
Exercise 4: Padlet Prompt
Think back to the last section and try to look at some of the ideas we discussed differently. How might sport and social justice actually co-exist?
Record any images, video clips, or gifs you added to the padlet and identify a point of intersection between sport and social justice (can be an issue or a barrier or a debate or something you would like to explore in more depth in this course) . Screenshot or paste in your response below.
| Sports and social justice coexist as both are platforms for change and activism. Sports provide a space that is unique where it can give those with influence and visibility an amplification in their voices and draw attention to societal injustices, challenging dominant narratives and structures. A key example of this intersection is the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team’s (USWNT) Equal Pay Lawsuit. This landmark case addressed the systemic discrimination in pay and benefits compared to the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team (USMNT).
The lawsuit originated in April 2016 when five national players named Megan Rapinoe, Becky Sauerbrunn, Alex Morgan, and others. Came together to file a legal complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Three years later, in 2019, the players took it further by suing the U.S. Soccer Federation under the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. As reported by the Associated Press, “The settlement shows the determination of these athletes to establish legal precedent and pave the way for future generations.” (Peterson & Blum, 2022). Overall, the lawsuit was settled, which marked a great victory for the team and their broader fight for gender equity in sports. Despite this progress, disparities in pay between male and female athletes remain staggering. For example, Spain’s Aitana Bonmatí, the highest-paid female soccer player in 2023, earned €830,000 for the year, while Cristiano Ronaldo, playing in Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr league, was the highest-paid male player with €262,000,000 for 2024. This equates to a 99.68% difference in compensation. Such an astounding gap highlights the ongoing inequities in how men’s and women’s sports are valued and marketed globally. The disparity in how media and marketing prioritize male athletes is evident beyond salaries. For instance, my research revealed that the web pages for male soccer players featured bold lettering, strategic keyword usage, and eye-catching colour schemes. In comparison those for female players lacked the same level of attention. This demonstrates how institutionalized bias extends beyond the pitch, influencing public perception and commercial success. This case underscores the importance of recognizing and addressing systemic inequities in sports. While progress has been made, the fight for equal pay, recognition, and respect for women in sports remains far from over. By critically examining these issues, we can challenge the systems perpetuating inequality and work toward a more equitable future for all athletes. References https://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/soccer-american-women-equal-pay-1.6359918 https://www.givemesport.com/9-highest-paid-female-footballers-in-the-world-right-now-2024/ https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1149478/highest-paid-footballers-in-world-2024
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C) Social Justice Reading
(note: this activity is optional!)
D) KINESIOLOGY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Exercise 5:
Exercise 6:
What are the implications of bodies-at-risk discourse and the refusal to understand the health gap from a social justice perspective, according to the authors of this article?
| The article Social Justice in Kinesiology, Health, and Disability argues that the bodies-at-risk discourse individualizes health by placing blame on marginalized individuals and communities for their circumstances while ignoring systemic inequalities. This approach reinforces harmful stereotypes and stigmatization, pushing the burden of responsibility entirely onto individuals instead of addressing the structural barriers they face, such as poverty, racism, and ableism.
By refusing to acknowledge or challenge these systemic issues, the gap in health accessibility, resources, and opportunities is continuously perpetuated. Current solutions often focus narrowly on individual interventions, failing to enact meaningful or lasting change. The authors emphasize the critical need for intersectionality to incorporate marginalized communities’ diverse, lived experiences. This shift would allow for a deeper understanding of the root causes of health disparities and help identify more effective solutions. The article advocates moving beyond stigmatization and individual blame by prioritizing equity, equality, and systemic reform. Policymakers and institutions must address the broader social determinants of health to close the gap on these disparities where an approach would challenge existing inequalities and create more inclusive policies. Allowing for a change in fostering sustainable changes to empower these communities and inididuvdlas within health and disparity fields.
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Section Two: Sport Feminism
Exercise 7: Notebook Prompt
What is feminism? What does it mean to you? Choose one of the images below and explain how it captures your understanding of feminism (or find one that does speak to you and paste this into your pressbook with an explanation of why it matters to you.
| Feminism means, for me, advocacy for all genders and identities of people to have equality, equity, visibility, and representation. Where the perpetuation of themes such as sexism, colonialism, inequality, discrimination, racism, and ableism, to name a few, are all systematic frameworks that revolve around the oppression of those who do not conform to the standards of normativity. What I envision for the future is a movement for creating a society where everyone, regardless of gender, race, race, and identity, can have equal access to their rights, freedoms and opportunities. The word Feminism, for me, expresses empowerment, with multiple intersections that focus on each community’s challenges, oppression and rights within the justice system. To enable those who are marginalized to have voices and be heard and recognized in the social inequities that are systematically reinforced and maintained and that need to change where it can benefit all people, particularly those who are the most oppressed.
https://www.google.com/imgres?q=feminism%20illustration%20all%20genders%20and%20identities&imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.witty.works%2Fhubfs%2Fgender%2520identity.png&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.witty.works%2Fen%2Fcategories%2Fgender-orientation%2Fgender-binary&docid=659jNr3bwMz0vM&tbnid=r78gqDhhY-3VmM&vet=12ahUKEwiGksOx4JeLAxWRtokEHSDcJucQM3oECEcQAA..i&w=900&h=525&hcb=2&ved=2ahUKEwiGksOx4JeLAxWRtokEHSDcJucQM3oECEcQAA
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Exercise 8: Notes Prompt (optional)
NB: Cornell notes is a great resource that teaches effective notetaking. Unfortunately, our system can’t save notes taken in the H5P app, so this is fully optional.
Exercise 9: Crossword Activity
Exercise 10: Padlet Prompt
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