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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
The term intersectionality refers to how factors such a race, gender, sexuality, social and economic class affect an individuals experiences and opportunities within society. When it comes to sport some athletes are fortunate enough to have easy access to elite level coaching, top of the line training facilities, funding, and many opportunities to improve and move up through the ranks. There are also athlete that face many challenges and obstacles. Athletes of colour or marginalized communities often face discrimination due to gender and race compared to a white athlete.
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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 shows the racial stereotype that assumes Black athletes are naturally more athletic pointing towards the fact that Black athleticism is often a born trait rather than as the result of hardwork, skill, and training. If you take Usain Bolt as an example many people with credit his dominance in the sport to his genetics and often overlook the hours of training he has put into the sport to get to where he is in his career.
There have been times where I’ve compared athletes performance and success in sport and judged based on race but now I am more conscious of giving an equal assessment of all no matter their background, race, or gender because each athlete experiences different barrier that has affected the success of their career.
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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?
| In the article “Misogynoir in women’s sport media: race, nation, and diaspora in the representation of Naomi Osaka” by Rajack and Joseph the main strategy for resistance was self-representation like through media and how she presents herself in interviews. This allows athletes to choose how they want to portrayed and not have the media misrepresent them.
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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 believe that if an athlete is comfortable they should use their platforms for social change because they have a unique role when it comes to public influence. They have a unique following and can have a significant influence on those who may not be aware or have limited knowledge about certain issues. They have the opportunity to shine a light and start discussions regarding issues that may not be discussed or taken seriously before. I don’t think that athletes should feel like it’s an obligation because there are topics that they may not be comfortable speaking out on.
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.)
| Refocusing media narratives to elevate the voices and activism of sportswomen, particularly women of colour, is a point the authors support and advocate for. They believe that addressing systemic injustices and offering a more comprehensive, inclusive portrayal of women’s activism in sports by emphasizing solidarity and group activism and by doing so it will hopefully challenging how mainstream sports journalism privileges neoliberal feminist concerns.
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C) Corporate social justice
Exercise 6: Padlet Poll
| In favor:
I believe that sports leagues bear a responsibility to support social justice movements like Black Lives Matter (BLM). There are many athletes that have been vocal about movements like BLM which sparked even more discussions due to how big of an audience that sport has and its influence on society. During the 2020 NBA playoffs players wore BLM slogans on their jerseys and the Kansas City Chiefs wear custom helmet decals. This not only shows that the leagues stand with their players/athlete but also show that these issues are bigger than sport but also foster a more inclusive environment.
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Section Three: Taking a shot
Module Assignment (submit as part of notebook and separately through Blackboard mini assignment #1 portal)
