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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).
| I chose the word neoliberal feminism for this prompt.
When I first read this term I think back to the article by Anne Flintoff and Sheila Scranton, where they analyze different types of feminism in their contexts to sports, critically appraising each type. From this article I gained an understanding of liberal feminism. Liberal feminism has a major focus on equal opportunities for women, while neoliberalism is a new wave of feminism that believes each woman is responsible for their own success, downplaying the role of societal norms and structural barriers. Neoliberal feminism also tends to lack intersectionality, not addressing issues such as race or class. Despite their similar names, these two waves of feminism are starkingly different.
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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.
| Black athletes are extrapolated as due to historical racial structures, black athletes are labeled as different. Due to racial biases, their success is more often attributed to their race and biological qualities. Examples of this include sports like track and field and basketball, where the majority of athletes that dominate the sports are black. It takes a lot of restructuring to change this belief, growing up I understand my positionality that I my own bias has lead me to believe the same thoughts, asking myself questions such as if I was to create a track and field team, would I intend for the athletes to all be black? Why? Because growing up these are the athletes we saw dominating the sport. Personally I did not think I would attribute their successes to race, but do know my personal bias would believe there are biological advantages.
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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?
| The authors identify a few different wants in which misogynoir is resisted against. The use Naomi Osaka as an example, providing ways in which she resists and pushes back against misogynoir. Some of the ways she pushes back include explicitly identifying her Haitian heritage and chooses to fight against being identified by binary classifications. Osaka also uses social media and influence as a means to counter the stereotypes and speak up about racial injustices. Osaka chooses to use her tennis uniform as a way to celebrate her black heritage, by following in the footsteps of Serena Williams, going away with classic white uniforms and choose to show up in competitions in bold designs, most recently signing with her friend and musical icon Pharrel Williams to design her uniforms for her. |
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.
While athletes aren’t obligated to use their platforms for social change, they are in a unique position to do so. While there is no requirement, I believe they have an ethical responsibility to advocate for change. Anyone with significant power, fame, and influence should use their platform to uplift marginalized and oppressed groups and push for systemic reform. Some argue that athletes should focus solely on their sport and avoid political issues, as they may not always be well informed. However, they should recognize the immense influence they have and the impact they could have if they choose to educate themselves. Ultimately, any professional athlete who has the privilege to ignore social injustices should acknowledge that privilege and feel compelled to use it for meaningful change.
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.)
| The authors argue that mainstream sports journalism needs to move beyond stories that focus only on individual success and personal empowerment. Instead, they call for a more inclusive approach that highlights the bigger issues athletes are fighting for, like racial justice, fair pay, and discrimination in sports. They believe media should focus less on feel-good stories and more on the real struggles and activism that challenge unfair systems. By shifting the conversation, sports journalism can help push for real change rather than just celebrating individual athletes without addressing the bigger problems they face.
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C) Corporate social justice
Exercise 6: Padlet Poll
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Section Three: Taking a shot
Module Assignment (submit as part of notebook and separately through Blackboard mini assignment #1 portal)
In your Notebook, analyze the representation of a racialized athlete activist in a show (television or film or novel) of your choosing. What strategies do athletes employ to speak out? What is the commentary on athletes using their voices in these shows? How do race and/or gender or other *identities inform this representation? How do these representations shape how we understand the sports themselves?
There’s a show on Netflex called “All American”. This series dramatizes the life of a black teenage athlete, Spencer James, and follows them as they leave their predominantly black neighborhood of Crenshaw to play football in the perdomniantly white neighborhood of Beverly Hills. This story, although dramatized, is based loosely on the true story of NFL Player Spencer Paysinger.
Throughout the series, Spencer James faces a culture shock as he moves from his home, Crenshaw to Beverly Hills. The show depicts racial tension between his hometown and Beverly Hills, all while trying to navigate a newly upcoming professional football career. In the show, Spencer uses sports as a way to try and connect the two communities and relieve tensions. Often in the show, he uses football as a means to uplift the community, especially in his hometown, educating children on the systemic barriers in place for black athletes. As his popularity grows, Spencer uses his platform to speak on relevant issues, such as police brutality or systemic racisms, regardless of receiving backlash from coaches instructing him to “just focus on football”. Spencer leads by example, not only using words, but using actions and participating in events in the community such as protests, as well as frequently challenging his white teammates and coaches, pushing them to address racial bias and other race-related issues.
Although the show specifically focuses on the issues a black male athlete faces, the show also touches on topics of how wealth disparity, class, and gender affect athletes, especially black athletes.
The show depicts that even as a young athlete, sports do not transcend politics, and many issues faced by Spencer are rooted by the idea that sports, racism, identity, politics, and class are all woven together and cannot be seen as separate entities.
