3
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, a term coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, describes how different aspects of identity—such as race, gender, class, and sexuality—intersect to shape a person’s experiences of privilege or oppression. It highlights that discrimination is not one-dimensional but rather a complex interaction of multiple factors. Everyone has an intersectional identity, though some face more systemic barriers than others. Although a person of colour will face adversity because of their skin (unfortunatley may I add, but society has built that), they might also be navigating challenges related to queerness, poverty, disability, or gender, which can compound their experiences. These identities don’t exist separately but interact in ways that create unique struggles in society.
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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.
| People often generalize Black athletes’ success, especially in sports like track, assuming all Black people are naturally fast or athletic. This stereotype ignores individual effort and training, reducing achievements to genetics rather than skill. However, in predominantly white sports like swimming or hockey, white athletes aren’t seen as representing all white people. This double standard reflects racial biases in how talent and success are perceived.
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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?
| Rajack and Joseph identify several strategies for resisting misogynoir, particularly through Naomi Osaka’s actions. One key strategy is self-representation through ICTs, where Osaka uses social media to challenge mainstream narratives and celebrate her Haitian heritage. She also engages in public statements and actions, such as directly addressing racist comments, emphasizing her Haitian identity in interviews, and using humor or sponsor mentions to counteract negative narratives. Additionally, fashion and cultural expression serve as resistance, as seen in her collaboration with Black designer Pharrell Williams. Osaka further strengthens her identity through engagement with fans and community, including visits to Haiti and public celebrations of her heritage. Lastly, she contributes to amplifying counter-narratives by using social media to challenge the erasure of Blackness in mainstream media. These strategies work collectively to push back against misogynoir and assert a more complex, empowered identity.
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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 athletes have a responsibility to use their platform for social change, but this question isn’t a simple yes or no. For white athletes, it’s an automatic yes—they should use their privilege and platform to support social change. They have a greater responsibility due to the privilege they hold, but they must also ensure they don’t overshadow those who are directly impacted. For example, when Colin Kaepernick kneeled in protest, I believe if more athletes—especially white athletes—had publicly supported him, he might not have been blacklisted. Collective action can create real impact. I also think that, as a society, we’ve seen how the public responds to athletes of color when they take a stand—it’s undeniable racism. However, athletes facing intense hate, especially from white men, shouldn’t feel obligated to continue their advocacy if it becomes too much. If an athlete chooses to step back for their well-being, they shouldn’t just be protected but celebrated for standing up for what they believed in, even when no one else did.
B) Athlete Activism & Feminism
Exercise 4: Complete the activities
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Popular Feminism is associated with the following:
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Celebrity Culture
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Corporation
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Media friendly
2) Fill in the missing words
Feminisms that gain visibility are often those that do not challenge structural arrangements
Feminist expressions that critique patriarchal structures and systems of racism and violence are more obscure
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3) Neoliberal Feminism as defined by the article is associated with the following characteristics and priorities:
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High visibility
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Entrepreneurship
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Individualism
4) Drag the words into the correct boxes
than other kinds of feminism. It identifies
. It argues that inclusion alone does not
. Intersectional feminism attempts to address (structural forms of inequality
simultaneously
gender, race, social class, sexuality*.
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? (50 words max.)
| The authors call for telling stories differently to challenge how mainstream sports journalism privileges neoliberal feminist concerns. They advocate expanding the definition of “sports media” to include all content about sports, aiming to disrupt dominant narratives and promote intersectional feminism, providing more nuanced gender representations in sports media.
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C) Corporate social justice
Exercise 6: Padlet Poll
| Sports leagues have had varied responses to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. The NBA and WNBA have been more supportive, openly endorsing BLM, allowing players to participate in protests, and incorporating social justice messaging in games. In contrast, the NFL initially resisted player protests and was slower to adopt coordinated messaging. These differences can be attributed to factors such as the size of the league, the strength of the players’ union, and fan demographics. The NBA, with its smaller size and more diverse fan base, has been better positioned to take a supportive stance without significantly affecting its ratings or revenues. Sports leagues bear a responsibility to support social justice movements like BLM, as they have the power to raise awareness, challenge systemic inequalities, and help drive meaningful societal 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)
Mini Assignment #1
I chose to discuss the Netflix series Colin in Black and White because I remember watching this show and feeling that it was one of the first times I saw a show not gloss over the treatment of young people of colour in America. Hearing and knowing what Colin had been going through in the NFL, I felt like I was making the same conclusions I did when watching this series while going through this module. The Netflix series Colin in Black and White provides a powerful representation of a racialized athlete activist, chronicling Colin Kaepernick’s journey to the NFL while highlighting the adversities he faced as a biracial Black man raised by white adoptive parents. The show highlights the various forms of racial discrimination he encountered, from microaggressions to systemic racism in sports. One of the key strategies Kaepernick employs to speak out is his use of protest, most notably taking a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality. This act of resistance is met with intense backlash, demonstrating the societal discomfort with Black athletes using their platforms for activism.
The show critiques how mainstream sports institutions expect athletes, particularly racialized ones, to conform to apolitical roles. This is reflected in how Kaepernick’s activism led to his effective blacklisting from the NFL, reinforcing the notion that Black athletes who challenge systemic injustice face severe consequences. Similarly, Razack and Joseph’s analysis of Naomi Osaka’s media representation in “Misogynoir in Women’s Sport Media” highlights how racialized athletes face erasure and scrutiny when asserting their identity. The media often downplayed Osaka’s Haitian heritage in favour of her Japanese identity, like how Kaepernick’s activism was reframed as divisive rather than a legitimate social justice stance.
Race, gender, and identity significantly inform Kaepernick’s portrayal in the series. As a light-skinned Black man raised in a white household, he navigates racial identity differently than many of his peers yet still experiences systemic racism in sports and society. His intersections are confirmed in Osaka’s experiences, as Razack and Joseph argue that the media often simplifies her multifaceted (intersectional) identity. Both Kaepernick and Osaka resist these reductive narratives through self-representation, whether through protests, public statements, or social media. Colin in Black and White shapes our understanding of sports as a space deeply entrenched in racial politics. The show, like the Razack and Joseph reading, exposes how racialized athletes must navigate a system that benefits from their talents but resists their activism. By highlighting Kaepernick’s resistance, the series reinforces the broader struggle for racial justice in sports and beyond.
References
Kaepernick, C. (2021). Colin in Black and White. whole. Retrieved Netflix, from https://www.netflix.com/search?q=colin%20in%20&jbv=80244479.
Razack, S., & Joseph, J. (2021). Misogynoir in women’s sport media: race, nation, and diaspora in the representation of Naomi Osaka. Media, Culture & Society, 43(2), 291–308. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443720960919
