Racial Hierarchy

As we learned in module two, women in sports have been historically subject to gender discrimination, but what we didnt touch on in that module was the discrimination that athletes of colour are subject to. Racial hierarchies refer to the racial discrimination of both males and females in sports. Through these racial hierarchies, colonial sports would segregate and exclude athletes of colour, favouring white athletes. Sports furthered racial division through these racial hierarchies by preventing white people and people of colour from interacting with one another- this racial division is also referred to as existing between colonizers and non-colonizers.

Today, we continue to see racial stereotypes surrounding black athletes for having natural physical advantages over their white competitors- especially in sports such as track. However, the narrative regarding their success resulting from genetics is not as prominent as it was a few years ago. Instead, we see more media coverage on the additional hard work that black athletes have to put into their sport to receive the same access and benefits their white competitors receive. More often than not, we see white athletes sharing their stories of growing up playing competitive sports, while black athletes share their stories of growing up wishing to play in those same leagues. As a white individual, I acknowledge that sports do not provide equality to all athletes and that athletes of colour often have to work significantly harder to break down racial barriers and to overcome the racism that exists in sports.

Three of the strategies for resistance that Rajack and Joseph identify in their article are to stand firm and be stern on racial identity and self-representation, challenge racist and misogynoir media practices, and addressing diasporic issues. The article focused on Naomi Osaka and highlights the labels forced upon her through the media that minimize her racial identity to one race. Though she identifies with six separate races and refers to herself as Black, Asian, mixed, Japanese, American, and/ or Haitian, the media would simply refer to her as the ‘Japanese tennis player’. While a simple acknowledgment, the media refusing to acknowledge her Haitian background eliminated her identity as a mixed black woman. While the media often skips over Naomi being of Haitian descent, she refuses to allow them to refer to her as only Japanese and challenges the understanding of her many national identities, racial ideologies, and diasporic affiliations.

The authors of the article also discussed the overlooking of two women of colour competing in the 2018 US Open finals. Media cartoonist depicted Serena as violently angry while Naomi was depicted as a tiny, blonde, white woman. Through these representations the media portrays a message that light skinned women are fairer and calmer than black women, though Naomi is of mixed race. To challenge these media practices, Naomi will correct and showcase her black identity when participating in interviews. An example provided was when she interrupted a courtside journalist to acknowledge that while she is proud to play for Japan, her father is Haitian, and she is also representing that race. She frequently showcases her proud black racial identity and pushes back when media attempts to subject her to racist and misogynoir practices.

Finally, Naomi is often subject to having her diasporic identity overlooked as the media tends to focus on only one of her racial identities. To counteract this, she must actively represent her multiple identities and ensure that the media does not negate to acknowledge them.

The authors of the article call to tell stories differently as a way of challenging mainstream sports journalism. In doing so, the goal is to disrupt the current boundaries of how stories are told and interrogate the techniques in which the dominant stories, especially those based around hegemonic masculinity. To achieve this, we must expand on what we consider sports media to be and ideally seek out communication informed by feminism. This will allow for insights into how sports media is informed and how media informs others while contributing to feminist theory.