Sports are typically accompanied by powerful metanarratives (stories that shape how we value and see them). Common ones are:

1. Sports build character: this is the idea that playing sports teaches discipline, teamwork and perseverance.
2. Success in sports is based off talent and hard work
3. Sports unite people, fans and athletes alike
4. Sports provide an escape from the real world, giving us joy and entertainment

These metanarratives are the shaping factor in how one grows up understanding sport and the role it has in society. But they can also oversimplify the complexity of reality. For example, the belief that success in sports rely solely on hard work and talent does not take systemic barrier into account (e.g. unequal access to resources). The unity narrative also glosses over the fact that exclusion exist, especially when considering marginalized groups.

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, worldviews, values and how one perceives another. They also have the power to challenge inequalities or reinforce them. By questioning theses assumptions, sports can be better used to promote critical thinking, fairness and inclusion.

Sports and social justice can co-exist through purposeful efforts to address systemic inequities and make sure marginalized groups are properly and fairly represented. One example of this is the fight for gender equity in sports.  Events like the FIFA Women’s World Cup and leagues like the WNBA show how visibility and investment can challenge gender norms and promote equality. Despite there being progress, female athletes usually face unequal pay, access to facilities and media coverage when compared to their male counterparts. By advocating for these things for female athletes, it directly ties to social justice goals.

Representation can also extend to ethnicity and race. Athletes of colour, still to this day, have used their platforms and audience to combat social injustices, dating all the way back to the Olympics in 1968. From Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fists to more recent movements like Colin Kaepernick’s peaceful protest against police brutality. Actions like these highlight how sports can amplify calls for justice justice all while exposing systemic barriers that athletes face based on race.

The Paralympics are a good example of an intersection between ability and equity. These platforms challenge stereotypes about disability and advocate for broader accessibility in both sports and society.

Representation in leadership roles and debates surrounding the issue are also vital. People of colour, women, those a part of the LGBTQ+ community are still underrepresented in officiating, coaching and organizational governance. By addressing these gaps, it fosters equity and inclusion which would further align with social justice efforts.

Through these lenses, sports can become an important place for promoting representation and equity, proving that social justice and sports can actually co-exist.

This figure shows Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fists at the 1968 Olympics.

The authors argued that if one does not look at health differences (health gap) from a fairness viewpoint (social justice), individuals could be blamed for their health problems instead of solving and fixing the unfair systems that cause these health problems. This means not working on important solutions like making sure everyone has proper access to healthy food, proper medical care and safe places for physical activity. When social justice is not the focus, there is a risk of keeping the same unfair systems in place. This will continue to harm certain people groups.

To sum it up, the authors believed that it is crucial to address and understand the larger, unfair systems that affect various people’s health. This way, a world where all individuals have the same chance to enjoy sports and be healthy, regardless of where they come from or who they are.

The definition of feminism, according to Google, is the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes. To me, I look at feminism in a similar way to the definition. It is the act of one encouraging, speaking up about and tackling issues that cause discrepancies between genders. I see it as women showing the world that they could do anything they can put their mind to, regardless of the difficulty of the activity.

This image pasted above was the image that jumped out to me the most out of all the pictures showed. The speech bubble of the woman saying: “We can do it!” applies to what feminism means to me. To me, it highlights that regardless of the hurdle or the challenge that a woman could face, whether it be emotionally, physically or spiritually, it can be conquered. The picture further pushes the way I feel about feminism. The way the women is posing in the image, flexing her biceps says to me that women can be strong too. Women have been generalized to be seen as softer, more gentle and more emotional than their male counterparts. But this image says to me that despite all those generalizations, they are not held to those typical stereotypes. One can do anything they set their mind to, and it should not matter what their gender is. It is almost as if the image is saying individuals should be treated equally in all aspects because women ‘can do it too,’ regardless of what ‘it’ is.