The authors explain that challenging the dominance of neoliberal feminism in sports journalism is by expanding what counts as “sports media.” They recommend including all types of media and journalists who cover sports, not just mainstream outlets like ESPN. This shift would offer a more subtle views of gender and sports while highlighting feminist activism that’s often overlooked, particularly intersectional feminism seen in the WNBA’s activism. They express by telling stories in a variety of ways this will aim to shift the focus away from traditional, male-centered sports narratives and make space for more diverse feminist perspectives in sports media.
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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).
| Colour Blindness:
Colourblindness means ignoring race and treating everyone the same because in many situations, race doesn’t matter since we are all people. The idea is that if people don’t see race society can avoid discrimination and instead make everyone feel welcome and comfortable within their communities. By seeing everyone as individuals rather than race, colourblindness can ensure everyone feels equal within society and feels like they aren’t only treated as a colour. However, some people do see this method as a way of ignoring past discrimination.
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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.
| We assume Black people are more athletic because of stereotypes and biases that society has created over time. Media often focuses on Black athletes in sports like basketball and football, which leads people to think all Black people are naturally good or better at these sports only because more people of that race are playing the sport. This idea ignores other factors, like culture and opportunity, and treats people as if their race decides their abilities instead of recognizing their individual talents. So we assume genetically each race is better at certain sports but realistically it all comes down to what we have access to. We also often hear people saying that black individuals are naturally better at long-distance running, realistically, that is just a sport they prioritize whereas in Canada we see more people playing hockey, lacrosse, soccer, etc.
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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 their article, Rajack and Joseph highlight several strategies for resisting misogynoir. Some include reclaiming and redefining Black women’s identities by preventing harmful stereotypes, creating a group action and solidarity through support networks and activism, and challenging dominant cultural narratives by creating alternative narratives through media and public discourse. This article also highlights the importance of education and awareness to both recognize and take action against misogynoir, promoting mental health and healing practices, and advocating for policy and structural changes to address racial and gender inequities. These strategies are important as they are a form of necessary approach to resisting and dismantling misogynoir. |
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.
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.)
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C) Corporate social justice
Exercise 6: Padlet Poll
Read this story by Ramsey Khabbaz contrasting the NFL stance on athlete activism with that of the NBA, especially in regards to BLM. Do sports leagues hold when it comes to BLM? Please respond to the padlet poll and record a brief rationale for your answer there in the space below. Remember to respond collegially to a classmate’s point (you may need to circle back at a later time if you are one of the first to post).
| The article talks about the NFL and NBA’s responses to athlete activism, specifically regarding Black Lives Matter. The NBA has supported players’ protests as they are allowing them to speak out, wear BLM clothes, and even not show up to games in order to really serve a point. The article explains that this is because the NBA is a smaller size and a more diverse fanbase and so they are okay with peaceful protests as they agree that if these players have a topic they want to express to others, they should be able to use their fanbase to influence. On the other hand, the NFL initially was against these protests, especially after Colin Kaepernick was blackballed in 2016. It took the league until 2020 to make a more public statement in support of BLM, even then this action was driven more by people outside of the organization. Leagues like the NFL or the NHL it is said, don’t have many guidelines regarding protesting from their players. Overall, due to their actions and acceptance of players opinions, the NBA holds a stronger position on BLM than the NFL.
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Section Three: Taking a shot
Module Assignment (submit as part of notebook and separately through Blackboard mini assignment #1 portal)
