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).
| Intersectionality is a concept that describes how different social identities such as gender, race, sexuality, class, status, and others intersect with one another to create unique life experiences of privilege and oppression for different individuals within a society. For example, an individual whose social identities are male, white, straight, and wealthy is likely to be more privileged. On the other hand, an individual whose social identities are female, Black, lesbian, and poor are more likely to experience oppression. Overall, the more intersecting social identities that an individual has that lead to oppression, the more vulnerable they are to having worse education, healthcare, and equal rights, which ultimately contribute to a lower quality of life.
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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.
| I agree with Bervell and admit I cannot answer the question. The first thing that comes to my mind has to do with the subject of racism, as society praises the athletic capabilities of white individuals based on hard work and character. Still, Black individuals are only acknowledged for their genetic ‘advantages’. An example of this is quarterbacks in the NFL. Scouts and analysts question the athlete’s IQ, character, and work ethic whenever a Black quarterback is drafted. As for white quarterbacks, there are never any concerns about those things but scouts do tend to question the athlete’s arm strength and speed which are genetic. This stems from Bervell’s question and I believe that there is no justification for this ignorant perception. |
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?
| Some strategies for resistance that Racjack and Joseph identified in their article as a means of pushing back against and resisting misogynoir are by using social media to produce content such as images, videos, words, and links. The content will promote equality and stand up against misogynoir. It exposes the subtle, yet harmful things that commentators and producers use throughout sporting events that demonstrate a racist image of Black women in sports. For example, the article discussed the visual depiction of Williams showing her to be violently angry, with an enlarged body, ballooned lips, chiseled facial features, and oversized kinky hairstyle, smashing her racket while her pacifier lay on the ground. The authors stated that it reminded US readers of racist caricatures drawn from slavery. If content is created that debunks misogynoir and explains the damage that these statements can have on an individual then perhaps incidents will not occur as frequently. Both the athletes who are directly affected and fans watching from home just like us can resist misogynoir by posting this social media content. Everyone has a voice and the more people push back against misogynoir, the more recognition people will have about the issue. Once more people recognize the significance of the issue, incidents will slowly begin to decrease. |
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 do not believe that athletes have a responsibility to use their platform for social change, but I do encourage it. Athletes are role models and leaders for many people within society, and their voices can affect and inspire others. Similar to politicians and celebrities, when athletes talk, people listen and their platform is a great resource to advocate for social change. Although their platforms are great resources, athletes should not feel the responsibility in the slightest to advocate for social change. Their jobs are to compete in sports, stay out of trouble, and serve as leaders for the public and anything else that they provide for their community is a bonus. Athletes such as Lebron James are heroes for standing up for what they believe in and advocating for social change, but athletes who do not should not feel shame or responsibility. Another key component to look at is if an athlete uses their platform for social change that could be racist, homophobic, anti-symetic, etc. Not everyone has the same beliefs and I think that should be private. Many more negative effects could transform if every athlete felt responsible for promoting the social change that they believe in.
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.)
| In the article, the authors call for us individuals to expand on what constitutes as sports media by not limiting the possible ways of knowing to only specific media sources to challenge how mainstream sports journalism privileges neoliberal feminist concerns. Currently, there are several sports media outlets that produce content that prioritizes male sports news rather than female. The content disregards the accomplishments of female athletes and focuses solely on the accomplishments of male athletes. If we challenge to expand to more media sources then mainstream sports journalism will no longer privilege neoliberal feminist concerns. |
C) Corporate social justice
Exercise 6: Padlet Poll
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Not in Favor: I do not believe that sports leagues bear a responsibility to support social matters such as the Black Lives Matter Movement. I think that sports leagues should not promote or obstruct anything related to politics. Sports leagues around the world consist of athletes who are from different cultures and have different sets of beliefs. What one athlete might believe is a positive social matter to support, another might not. This can create tension and lead to negative incidents when competing or outside of sports such as on social media. We saw in the NBA bubble when the majority of the league kneeled for the national anthem to support the Black Lives Matter movement but others did not. All this created more controversy surrounding the character of some athletes. In order for sports leagues to protect their athletes, I think that it is important that politics are not involved at all. However, if athletes decide to go out of their way and support a social movement, sports leagues should let that be. Every day, millions of people around the world watch sports and athletes hold a strong platform to support social movements they believe in and promote change. Overall, I believe that sports leagues should only focus on the competing aspects, but should allow athletes to support social movements they believe in. |
Section Three: Taking a shot
42 is a sports movie about the life story of Jackie Robinson, the first African American athlete to play in the MLB. The film highlights his journey of breaking the league color barrier in 1947 as he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson experienced extreme racism on and off the field from opposing players, coaches, fans, and the media, which took an emotional toll on his mental health. Some examples of racism that he encountered were verbal abuse, death threats, segregation in traveling, and hostile fans. There were several occasions in which Robinson contemplated quitting baseball, specifically early on in his career when racism was the most intense.
A scene in the film that accurately demonstrated the severity of the racism that Robinson faced took place in the bottom of the eighth inning of a scoreless ball game. Robinson came up to the plate and was immediately called several racial slurs by Ben Chapman, a player in the opposing dugout. The umpires at the game held the power to kick Chapman out for his comments but instead allowed him to proceed which displayed the societal racism in the mid-1900s. Despite facing the challenge of hitting a 100 MPH fastball while being called racial slurs, Robinson got on base and scored the first run of the game to give the Dodgers the lead. This scene was one of the many examples in the film in which Robinson remained composed on the field, channeled his resiliency, and produced greatness to his legacy.
In 42, Jackie Robinson did not use many strategies to speak out against racism throughout his playing career. He believed that the best way to fight against racism and prove that African Americans belong in the MLB was to lead by example on the field and let his game speak for himself similar to what Lebron James stated in the “Shut up and Dribble? Athletes activism in the age of twittersphere: The case of LeBron James”. He never retaliated while being called names and slurs on the field to show that racism would not stop him. At the end of the film, Robinson began speaking out against racism more directly after his career progressed. He used media resources such as writing articles, giving interviews, and using his public platform to speak about ongoing social issues within society.
It is clear that Robinson’s representation of being an African American man played a key role in the racism that he experienced. Throughout his tenure as a professional athlete, slavery was at its peak in the United States and it was the norm for African Americans to be disdained regardless of their athletic capabilities. Robinson was viewed as an outsider by the entire MLB and he felt that he did not belong.
These representations shape the way we understand sports themselves because they are more than just a game. For many sports are an expression of freedom and a representation of culture. In Robinson’s case, baseball allowed him to be an activist against racism and needed social change in the United States. The article “Shut up and Dribble? Athletes activism in the age of twittersphere: The case of LeBron James” touches on the negative responses that Lebron James received using his platform to support social justice for African Americans. Robinson’s scenario was similar and led by example each day on the field. Without the legacy of Jackie Robinson, who knows what the MLB would be like today, as well as other North American sports?
Module Assignment (submit as part of notebook and separately through Blackboard mini assignment #1 portal)
