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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).
| Intersectionality is the idea that different parts of a person’s identity like race, gender, class, sexuality, and disability and affect how they experience the world. It helps explain how some people face multiple layers of discrimination or privilege. Understanding intersectionality helps make policies and movements more fair by recognizing the different challenges that marginalized groups face. It shows that there isn’t one simple solution for social issues because people experience discrimination in different ways. Instead, it encourages a deeper look at how power and unfair systems affect different groups.
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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 points out a racial bias in sports. People often say Black athletes are naturally gifted, while white athletes are praised for their hard work and smart thinking. For example, Usain Bolt is seen as naturally fast, while Sydney Crosby is called a leader. This isn’t fair because it ignores the effort all athletes put in and reinforces unfair ideas about race and talent.
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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?
| One major way that Black women resist misogynoir is by taking control of how they are represented in media, history, and society. For a long time, Black women have been stereotyped in harmful ways. These stereotypes ignore the full reality of Black women’s experiences and contribute to discrimination in areas like the workplace, healthcare, and education.
Black women use platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to speak for themselves and uplift each other. Social media is a strong tool for Black women to fight against misogynoir by giving them a space to share their own stories and speak up. Traditional media often ignores or misrepresents Black women, but social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube let them take control and speak out against unfair treatment.
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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.)
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In the article, Cooky and Antunovic criticize how mainstream sports journalism focuses too much on individual success and empowerment, often tied to marketability. They argue that this approach ignores the bigger issues like racism and sexism that affect athletes, especially women of color. Instead of focusing on personal achievements, they believe the media should pay more attention to the systemic problems that impact these athletes’ lives.
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C) Corporate social justice
Exercise 6: Padlet Poll
| Sports leagues vary in how they handle issues like Black Lives Matter (BLM). The NBA has been more supportive of athletes speaking out, allowing players to protest and make statements in support of racial justice. The NFL, on the other hand, initially resisted Kaepernick’s protest and took longer to show support for BLM. suggests that sports leagues do have influence, but how they respond depends on factors like their size, culture, and the potential impact on profits. So, some leagues are more proactive in supporting BLM, while others are slower or less vocal.
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Section Three: Taking a shot
Module Assignment (submit as part of notebook and separately through Blackboard mini assignment #1 portal)
