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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).
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Athlete activism challenges the idea that sports exist purely for entertainment. When athletes use their platform to address social issues, many people react with discomfort or outrage—not because the issues aren’t real, but because they can no longer ignore them. For some, sports are an escape, a way to avoid difficult conversations. But activism disrupts that comfort, forcing a reckoning with injustices that extend beyond the game. From Muhammad Ali to Colin Kaepernick, history shows that athletes have always been at the forefront of 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.
| By saying Black athletes are just “built differently,” people erase the years of training, discipline, and strategy they put in. This also plays into the idea that Black people are more physical than intellectual, reinforcing racist beliefs about ability in other areas like academics or leadership.
Tiger woods would be an example of this, many articles talked about how, his athletic abilities came from his Black Father, while his discipline, precision, and mental toughness was due to his Thai mother. This selective framing ignores Woods’ own agency in shaping his skills. No one says a white golfer’s precision or power comes from their racial background; they are simply “great players.” |
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?
| Challenging Simplified Racial Binaries: Rather than allowing herself to be positioned in opposition to Serena Williams or reduced to a singular racial identity, Osaka actively claims her full complexity. She refuses to be framed as the “respectable” alternative to other Black women in tennis, challenging the dominant media’s racialized narratives
Public Solidarity and Fan Support: Fans and advocates have played a role in resisting misogynoir by calling out instances of racism and sexism in media portrayals
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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.
Athletes are more than dancing puppets or entertainers—they are human beings with the right to speak out. If Joe Blow can post opinions on social media, why can’t athletes use their larger platform to do the same? If artists can use their medium for activism, why should sports be any different?
By staying silent, sports leagues and athletes become complicit in injustice. Inaction is still an action. Choosing not to speak out upholds the status quo and ignores the realities faced by the very players and fans who fuel these leagues. Sports have always been a stage for 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.)
| Cooky and Antunovic argue that sports journalism needs to change by broadening its focus beyond mainstream media, which often highlights men’s activism while sidelining women, especially women of colour. They call for telling stories differently—including voices that challenge power structures and push for real change, rather than only focusing on issues that fit within a comfortable, mainstream feminist lens
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C) Corporate social justice
Exercise 6: Padlet Poll
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Athletes are more than dancing puppets or entertainers—they are human beings with the right to speak out. If Joe Blow can post opinions on social media, why can’t athletes use their larger platform to do the same? If artists can use their medium for activism, why should sports be any different? By staying silent, sports leagues and athletes become complicit in injustice. Inaction is still an action. Choosing not to speak out upholds the status quo and ignores the realities faced by the very players and fans who fuel these leagues. Sports have always been a stage for 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)
Athlete Activism and Media Representation: A Critical Analysis of 42
GESO 3134H: Gender, Sport, & Social Justice
Trent University
Instructor: Dr. Kelly McGuire
Student Name: Ian Dion LaFleur
Student Number: 0755727
Date: February 14th 2025
Athlete Activism and Media Representation: A Critical Analysis of 42
A strong example of a racialized athlete activist in media is Jackie Robinson’s portrayal in 42 (2013). The film highlights how Robinson, the first Black player in Major League Baseball (MLB), used strategic resistance rather than direct protest to challenge racism in the sport. Early on, he remains silent, letting his on-field excellence and resilience speak for him in the face of racist taunts and exclusion. As the film progresses, he begins to use his voice, confronting discrimination both in baseball and in society.
One key moment in 42 shows Robinson being relentlessly taunted by an opposing team’s manager. Instead of reacting, he channels his anger into his performance, forcing white players and fans to acknowledge his talent despite their prejudice. This reflects Boyle and Haynes’ (2009) argument that the media often portrays Black athletes as succeeding due to raw physical ability rather than intelligence, strategy, or discipline. This framing reinforces the illusion of sports as a meritocracy, suggesting that Black athletes must “prove themselves” through exceptional performance, while their white counterparts are seen as hardworking, dedicated and disciplined.
This also aligns with Cooky and Antunovic’s (2020) argument that sports media often favours “acceptable” activism, while ignoring the structural racism that forces Black athletes to take a less confrontational approach. Hylton (2010) explains that racism in sport is often dismissed as merely ‘part of the game,’ while any form of athlete resistance is framed as disruptive or inappropriate.
The film also highlights how race and masculinity shape perceptions of activism in sports. Robinson was praised for his ability to endure racism quietly, while modern Black athletes like Colin Kaepernick face backlash for speaking out. Galily (2019) highlights a similar pattern in the response to LeBron James, who was dismissed with the phrase ‘shut up and dribble’ when he used his platform to speak out against racism, reinforcing the expectation that athletes should entertain rather than engage in social issues. Be seen but not heard, so to speak This connects to Hylton’s (2010) argument that sports are often portrayed as fair and merit-based, even though deep racial inequalities persist.
Ultimately, 42 reinforces that sports are not separate from society but a battleground for racial justice. However, it also shows that sports media often prefers a “respectable” activist over one who directly challenges the system. Athletes who remain silent or engage in non-confrontational activism are celebrated, while those who openly resist face severe backlash—a pattern that has continued long after Robinson’s era.
References
Boyle, R., & Haynes, R. (2009). Power play: Sport, the media and popular culture. Edinburgh
University Press. https://doi.org/10.3366/edinburgh/9780748635924.001.0001
Cooky, C., & Antunovic, D. (2020). This isn’t just about us: Articulations of feminism in media
narratives of athlete activism. Sociology of Sport Journal, 37(4), 290–300. https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.2020-0025
Galily, Y. (2019). “Shut up and dribble!”? Athletes activism in the age of the Twittersphere: The
case of LeBron James. Technology in Society, 58, 101109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2019.01.003
Helgeland, B. (Director). (2013). 42 [Film]. Warner Bros.
Hylton, K. (2010). How a turn to Critical Race Theory can contribute to our understanding of
“race,” racism and anti-racism in sport. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 45(3), 335–354. https://doi.org/10.1177/1012690210371045
