3 Chapter Three: Race, Gender, & Social Justice
Section One: The Fundamentals
A) Keywords
Exercise 1:
Briefly (in 100 words or less) define one of the keywords in the padlet (including one that you. may have added yourself).
| Colorblindness mirrors an attitude that attempts to disregard racial distinctions in the hope of encouraging equality. The attitude is, nonetheless, going to unconsciously enhance existing inequalities by overlooking the particular issues and structural impediments of marginalized groups. When individuals or institutions take a colorblind stance, they have a tendency to downplay the way in which race influences individuals’ encounters, prospects, and associations in society.
For instance, a school district has a colorblind policy that asserts all students will be treated the same despite their racial or ethnic identity. Although the aim is to establish an equalized setting, this strategy overlooks the specific challenges encountered by students of color, including microaggressions, disparities in educational resources, and the weight of historical trauma. In classrooms, teachers can overlook cultural variations influencing learning styles, language problems, or the need for diverse representation in the curriculum, while students of color can become isolated or feel unsupported, which can compromise their academic achievement and social inclusion.
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B) Representing Race
Exercise 2: Notebook Prompt
In about 50-70 words, consider Joel Bervell’s question: why do we feel the need to extrapolate the athleticism of one Black athlete to all Black people when we do not do the same for white athletes?
Try to think of examples when this happens, making sure to reflect on your own positionality.
| Joel Bervell’s question shines a light on a common bias that allows for stereotyping of Black people, often relying on the success of a privileged group. When great Black players such as LeBron James are perceived as ambassadors of all Black people, for example, it strengthens the stereotype of natural athleticism. Yet white players such as Tom Brady are not often viewed as representatives of their race. This mirrors systemic racism and the necessity for us to critically reflect on our own prejudice and the stories we believe.
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C) Gender, Race & Sport
Exercise 3: Notebook Prompt
What are some strategies for resistance that Rajack and Joseph identify in their article as a means of pushing back against and resisting misogynoir?
| Rajack and Joseph enumerate numerous strategies of resistance to misogynoir, such as self-representation via Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) like social media sites, which enable individuals to challenge and destabilize dominant discourses and stereotypes. They also stress the importance of recognizing and honoring hybrid identities – Osaka’s own Black Haitian Japanese hybrid – that can potentially destabilize binary constructions in the conventional sense and foster a more inclusive conception of racial and cultural identity. The authors also gesture toward the potential of online spaces and communities to form counter-narratives against the status quo and challenge sexist and racist language. They note, too, however, that such spaces are limited by virtue of being constructed within a White heteropatriarchal framework. The resistive acts delineated here necessitate prioritizing the voice and lived experience of racialized women and forging a more complicated and intersectional conception of identity and representation in sport and media alike. |
Section Two: Making Connections
A) Athlete Activism
Exercise 3: Padlet Prompt
Do athletes have a responsibility to use their platform for social change? Why or why not? Please remember to record your response in both the padlet below and in your Notebook.
B) Athlete Activism & Feminism
Exercise 4: Complete the activities
Exercise 5: Notebook Prompt
What do the authors of the article call for as a way of challenging how mainstream sports journalism privileges neoliberal feminist concerns? (100 words max.)
| There must be a re-evaluation of the way that mainstream sport journalism presents stories about athlete activism through resisting the prioritization of neoliberal feminist issues. They call for a change from the overwhelming emphasis on individualized portrayals of feminism to an acknowledgment of the collective and intersectional activism of sportswomen. This was evident in campaigns such as the WNBA’s reaction to #BlackLivesMatter and the U.S. Women’s National Team’s equal pay lawsuit. Hence, illustrating the necessity of differently telling stories, they call for a better comprehension of feminist storytelling that goes beyond conventional media, thus enabling a more balanced portrayal of various feminist voices within sports journalism.
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C) Corporate social justice
Exercise 6: Padlet Poll
| In Favor: I strongly feel that it is the responsibility of sports leagues to stand with social justice movements such as Black Lives Matter (BLM). Sports leagues, as cultural institutions with such profound penetration and visibility, are in a strong position to bring attention and make an impact regarding important social matters. This directs critical discussion but also shows responsibility within both the sporting and general communities, in addition to internally among the institution itself. A very good example of this was within the NBA’s response to the mindless murder of George Floyd, where they headed a distinctive campaign that included renaming their stadiums and permitting players to wear supportive BLM slogans on their jerseys. In this way, it honored Floyd’s memory, but it also served to educate fans and enable thoughtful discussion regarding systemic racism that exists within institutions and society. The NBA mobilized its players, coaches, and fans, showing that sports leagues can be forces for social change. Thus, by endorsing movements such as the above, sporting leagues can demonstrate that their values of equity and justice mean more to them than profit and entertainment under capitalist and imperialist systems, which has a chain effect as it encourages fans and communities to get involved with and respond to matters of social justice in positive and reflective ways and demonstrate that we are human before profit.
It’s a moral responsibility and a reflection of their power as catalysts for social change.
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Section Three: Taking a shot
Module Assignment (submit as part of notebook and separately through Blackboard mini assignment #1 portal)
