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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).
| Neoliberal Feminism: A form of feminism that focuses on individual empowerment, personal choice, and economic success rather than addressing broader systemic inequalities. It aligns with neoliberal ideas, with an emphasis on self-improvement, entrepreneurship, and market-based solutions to gender inequality rather than collective action or structural change.
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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 highlights the harmful stereotype that associates Black athletes with superior athleticism, an assumption not made for white athletes. This often leads to generalizations, like assuming all Black people are naturally good at sports, which overlooks individual skills and experiences. Meanwhile, white athletes are often seen as individuals, not as representatives of their race. This reflects ingrained racial biases, which I recognize are shaped by societal conditioning and media portrayals.
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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 mention several ways that Naomi Osaka pushes back against misogynoir, using social media, humour, and a strong embrace of her Haitian identity to challenge the way she’s represented. Through platforms like Twitter and Instagram, she actively resists the media’s attempts to erase her Blackness, sharing personal stories, images, and videos that showcase her full identity. When the comedy duo A Masso made racist jokes about her skin colour, she clapped back with humour, sarcastically plugging her sponsor Shiseido’s sunscreen. Osaka also defies the rigid expectations of tennis by working with African American designer Pharrell Williams to create bold outfits, challenging the sport’s traditional White-centric ideas of femininity. She refuses to be boxed into a single racial or national category, constantly reaffirming that she is not just Japanese but also Black and Haitian. Through these actions, along with the support of fans and independent media, Osaka disrupts the mainstream narrative and forces a more honest conversation about race, identity, and representation in sports.
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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.
I definitely think athletes have a responsibility to use their platform for social change, especially since they have such a massive influence on people. Athletes can reach audiences that many other public figures can’t, and when they speak out on important issues like racial justice or inequality, it really resonates with fans. It’s not just about their sport, it’s about being human and standing up for what’s right. That said, I get why some people think athletes should just focus on their performance, but I believe if they have the chance to create change, why not use it? At the end of the day, they are people too, and they are affected by the same social issues as everyone else.
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 critique mainstream sports journalism for prioritizing neoliberal feminism, which highlights individual success over collective activism. They call for a shift towards recognizing WNBA players’ solidarity, labour rights, and intersectional struggles, advocating for media coverage that centers on structural change rather than reducing activism to personal empowerment narratives.
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C) Corporate social justice
Exercise 6: Padlet Poll
| In favour
I believe sports leagues do have a responsibility to support social justice movements like BLM. Athletes, especially those in national leagues like the NBA and NFL, have a huge platform that reaches millions, and they can do a lot of good by using their voice to highlight important causes. Social justice issues, particularly around racial equality, are not just “political” issues, they are also human rights issues that impact communities everywhere. Leagues that stand behind their players’ activism are sending a message that they care about more than just profits, and they’re supporting their players’ right to speak out against injustice. In today’s world, where athletes are increasingly seen as role models and leaders, it’s important that leagues stand on the right side of history and use their influence for positive change.
Reply to a post: You make a lot of good points! It’s tough to expect athletes to risk their careers when they’re benefiting from the current system. I do see where you’re coming from with the idea that leagues often bend to the loudest voices, especially when it’s financially motivated. The NFL definitely stands out as an example of that suppression, while the NBA and soccer seem more open to allowing athletes to express themselves. I also think there’s something to be said about athletes using their platforms even if they aren’t directly sacrificing their careers. It’s like they can still speak out and make an impact without necessarily risking it all, as Colin Kaepernick did. But you’re right, not all athletes are going to feel the same urgency to fight for change when they’re in a position of privilege. When you say shifting perspectives is the solution, I totally agree. It’s about changing how people see these issues, but also how the leagues approach activism and how athletes can use their power.
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Section Three: Taking a shot
Module Assignment (submit as part of notebook and separately through Blackboard mini assignment #1 portal)
Mini Module Assignment
In the film Race (2016), the story of Jesse Owens, an African American Olympic sprinter, highlights the ways in which racialized athletes use their platform to challenge societal injustices, even when faced with immense professional risks. Jesse rises to international prominence by winning four gold medals in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, which directly challenges Nazi racial ideology. His performance becomes a form of activism, pushing back against the systemic racism he faces in both Nazi Germany and the United States. Similarly, Jesse’s story reflects the struggles of modern athletes like Colin Kaepernick, who uses his platform to speak out against racial injustice, as discussed by Ramsey Khabbaz in his article Sports and Social Justice (2021). Khabbaz critiques the NFL’s initial suppression of Colin Kaepernick’s protest, drawing attention to how athletes of colour, especially Black athletes, often face a double standard when it comes to activism in the sports world.
Jesse’s decision to speak out challenges the way things have always been, but it also puts him in a tough spot, risking backlash from both the public and the systems that benefit from his success. The way race intersects with the pressure on athletes, particularly Black athletes, makes activism a tricky territory. We see this in the film Race and with real-life examples like Colin Kaepernick. The film’s portrayal of Jesse highlights how racialized athletes are positioned within a system that profits from their performances while often silencing their political statements. This dynamic is explored in Misogynoir in Women’s Sport Media (2021) by Sabrina Razack and Janelle Joseph, where the authors discuss how Black women athletes like Naomi Osaka are often subjected to racialized and gendered narratives that aim to suppress their voices. Razack and Joseph’s article underscores the ways in which race and gender intersect in the media’s portrayal of athletes, creating a system where activism is both a form of resistance and a potential source of professional jeopardy.
Both Jesse’s story and modern athletes’ activism reflect the ongoing tension between an athlete’s role as a performer and their power as a symbol for social change. The intersection of race and gender further complicates this relationship, as seen in how the media responds to athletes like Naomi Osaka. Like Jesse, she faces pushback when she chooses to speak out. The media often frames their activism as disruptive, showing the tension between personal expression and institutional control. As Khabbaz, Razack, and Joseph point out, these portrayals shape how we view sports, showing how closely they’re tied to bigger social and political issues.
