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).
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Colourblindness in reference to race is the ideology that we should not see colour and that colour should not be a determining factor in policies, decision making or social interactions. While this stems from a place of trying to promote equality, it often suppresses the systemic and structural flaws we have, ignoring them and making those who have suffered from racism oppressed. By claiming we do not see race it ignores history and the generational trauma an individual may experience due to racism, its a sense of ignorance and it enables people to not have to take accountability or change. Colourblindness also fails to address racism systemically, it often creates the idea that it is an individual focus rather than as a whole. Racism is not just amongst individuals but it can also be seen in institutions and its in larger organizations. In terms of sports media, often race is avoided in sports media, but it should be recognized, embraced and acknowledged . an example is when Colin Kaepernick took a knee, and a lot of people chose to ignore it even though it was an act of activism. It is important that we acknowledge it because many ethnic athletes have had to face great challenges in order to be successful in sports. |
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.
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I think that Joel Bervell’s question reveals racial stereotypes we often see in sports and how these stereotypes shape athleticism. Growing up in Bowmanville a predominantly white community, in high school I would often hear that black athletes are ” naturally gifted, or that they are ” good runners”. in comparison we would hear that white athletes have to work hard to gain skills and progress in sports. These stereotypes are incredibly racists and harmful to the black community. An example of this is we often hear of black athletes that are good at running because of genetics, while it is truly linked to dedication and training. As a society it is important that we recognize these stereotypes and try to progress to a state of equality in sports.
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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?
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Some strategies that Rajack and Joseph identify in the article in terms of pushing back against and resisting misogynoir are (1) self-representation, (2) counter narratives in digital media, (3) calling out racism and sexism publicly and lastly (4) leveraging popularity to shift narratives. self-representation through ICTs refers to Osaka and other atheletes that will use their social media platforms to challenge narratives, and build their own identiies for people to recognize rather than the narratives they hear online or in the media. It creates a sense of true being rather than what the internet wants to perceive an individual as. Counter-narratives in digital media offers a place for people to recognize and disrupt sexism, and racism, providing a place for an individual to confront the narrative and prove that these narratives and ideas are not true. They are purely stereotypes created by society and often stem from places in history and we have not been able to break free from the past. counter narratives provide visibility to female athletes and eradure in traditional sports media. Calling our racism and sexism publicly is very important as it raises awareness and reveals to those who are ignorant that racism and sexism still exisits. By ignoring it, it is harmful to the oppressed, when its ignored we are not only ignoring the present but the history of racism and sexism and all the historical context that comes with it. Osaka supports openly critiquing the advertisements she’s in that she believes she is ” whitewashed in” this forces companies to reconsider their depicitions of black female athletes and promotes change.
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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.
B) Athlete Activism & Feminism
I completed these activities, I have screenshots, i, not sure why its not saving.
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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The authors in the article mention that it is important to expand our boundaries and horizons about what makes up ” sports media”, and to include all media and journalists covering sports. This pushes against what we typically see in our definitions of sports media, it challenges and disrupts our current narratives and highlights how gender representation is complex and has many factors to it especially in mainstream sports journalism that is often overlooked.
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C) Corporate social justice
Exercise 6: Padlet Poll
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I think that big sports leagues have the responsibility to not only support their athletes but aid in raising awareness as their platforms can reach millions of people. WNBA have made significant efforts to try and support their athlete activism by integrating the Black Lives Matter messages (BLM) into their operations and allowing players to wear social justice statements on their jerseys. On the other hand leagues like the NFL did not go to the same lengths to support their athletes, it felt like the NFL only tried to start acknowledging the BLM once Colin Kaepernicks protest in 2020 when he took a knee ultimately starting a social justice movement. Overall I believe it depends on the league, while the NBA was very supportive in athlete activism, the NFL athletes did not quite receive the same support. I completely agree with you pt 2 of my post above ^. These platforms have the ability to make great change and drive awareness into those who may not have knowledge in these topics. The athletes who play are also very influential on people and can act as role models for even children. I think its so important that sports leagues support their athletes through social justice movements like this because they can reach great numbers of people through their platforms, athletes are idolized by so many, and these athletes deserve support to. I understand that maybe the leagues try to avoid politics but it’s not fair to oppress their athletes because of the fear of their image being tarnished. The leagues are mad up of athletes and they are all from so many different backgrounds and cultures, they must be treated as such and have support especially from a career job.
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Section Three: Taking a shot
Module Assignment (submit as part of notebook and separately through Blackboard mini assignment #1 portal)
Jackie Robinson in the film 42
The fictional film 42 made in 2013 reveals the struggles of being a racialized athlete, the main character Jackie Robinson the first black player in the major baseball league (MLB) approaches the racism he endures differently. The film brings us through Robinsons story, showing how he had to navigate entering a professional baseball league in 1947 and how he overcame his struggles of being the first black baseball player in the MLB.
How did he challenge the racism as an athlete?
Robinson took a different approach to challenging racism. Rather than retaliating and protesting like modern movements he remained silent. He was instructed to do so by the general manager of the Brooklyn dodgers, saying that Robinson must endure racial insults, exclusion and violence and not retaliate. This further promotes the idea that racialized athletes must earn their place by standing silent and proving their worth through their dedication and performance. The film 42 critiques the ideas surrounding sports and politics which further demonstrates that sports are never truly neutral which was stated by Katie Barnes in module (chapter) 3. Robinson had an amazing talent, and he proved this through his performances on the baseball field. the film 42 does shows the systemic barriers in the past and the current barriers that prevent black athletes from being successful in sports leagues and social settings. It also shows the ideas we’ve learnt in previous chapters that the playing field is not equal for other ethnic groups other than Caucasian and racialized athletes constantly have to fight for an equal chance in sports . This also aligns with Katies ideas as she revelas how sports are never truly fair because of advantages that other players may have such as physiological factors like higher testosterone levels in some women or less production of lactic acid like Michael Phelps. In the case of the film 42, the natural advantages the other players had against Robinson sadly enough was their skin colour, Robinson was penalized for his skin colour and had to endure such great amounts of racism while the white individuals on the team didn’t endure any such thing. During Robinsons time in the MLB he was met with many death threats, racial slurs and taunts, as well as receiving hostility from his own teammates. Not only was Robinson penalized by his community for his skin colour but by his own teammates where he should be accepted unconditionally. This reveals how sports can be utilized as a tool for racial activism to raise awareness as we have seen with Colin Kaepernick, but sports are unfortunately often a breeding ground for racism which prevents communal bonding.
Race identity and representation
In 42 Robinsons character represents how race shaped his image and the expectations that were placed on him. He had to learn how to both hold a professional face being strong and enduring the racism while not being aggressive enough to be seen as disruptive. This reflects Katie Barns argument that sports are not fair and that sports will never be fully equal. Robinson was expected to silently face abuse and death threats from his teammates and the fans of the MLB, while the white individuals on the team did not face any sort of discrimination and were not held to the same standard as Robinson. This reveals that racialized athletes will always have to overcome barriers and challenges, and that the playing field is not equal. Another reading from module/chapter 3 that aligns with this film is the article by Ramsey Khabbz, Ramsey discusses Kaepernick activism and I believe that there are some parallels from the film 42 and Kaepernick. while Robinson was forced to be quiet, Kaepernick’s activism was visible and quiet. People chose to ignore his activism but he was persistent and knew that he needed to challenge current American societal norms. He was respectful and took a knee to show his support, similarly to how Robinson was quiet but began to put himself in social settings where he didn’t belong.
How representation shapes our understanding of sports
Overall, film 42 challenges the idea that sports are purely about merit and talent, athletic success isn’t only based on athleticism and merit, but connections, race, and power. Robinson is faced with racism and overcomes these challenges through silent activism and not only proves his worth as a player but shows that he won’t allow racism to overpower his dreams. This film reveals key themes that have been discussed in modules 1-3 relating to sports activism, equality and fairness. Sports are a breeding ground for politics and sports will always be about politics whether society chooses to acknowledge it or not. Ignorance is bliss, and as long as people ignore the unfairness and politics in sports there will never be change. Racialized athletes need to continue to use their platform to spread awareness and push for societal change.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0453562/
thats a link to the trailer! it was quite an interesting move (: I watched it quite sometime ago but I really enjoyed it.
