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).
| Physically, the condition known as colourblindness is when you are unable to see colours or differences in colours in the way most others do, due to some nerve cells in your eyes not working as they should or they are missing. Colourblindness can also be known as colour vision deficiency. When someone refers to themselves as colourblind in connection to race, this means they have the idea that the greatest way to end discrimination and racism is to view everyone as equal – as if they do not see the colour of one’s skin. This not only brushes over the lived experiences of people of colour, but also presents the idea that if you ignore racism it simply doesn’t exist. Using this approach to racism provides the opportunity for people to skip the uncomfortable cultural differences that do exist no matter what. |
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.
| Bervell’s question brings to light the stereotype that Black athletes are superior in sports compared to other races – especially in sports like basketball or running track. This creates the assumption that Black athletes are naturally gifted, as opposed to having put in hard work and training to get to where they are. This generates harmful biases, and bypasses the important considerations of race, environment, and culture. While many known Black athletes have been referred to as naturally gifted solely because they are Black, people like Serena Williams, LeBron James, Usain Bolt, etc. are the first examples that come to mind. Reflecting on my own positionality, I am aware that we as a society and as individuals need to challenge this oversimplification and stereotyping, and we need to acknowledge individual diversity within all races. |
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?
| I identified 4 strategies used by Naomi Osaka for resistance highlighted in this article as a means of pushing back against misogynoir. 1. Defining herself (she proudly claims her mixed heritage, regardless of what the media tries to push), 2. using social media (Instagram and Twitter), 3. humour (when people make racist comments about her, she makes joke out of them), 4. challenging stereotypes (she actively resists the stereotype of the “quiet, and obedient Asian women” by not being afraid to show her entire, complex self – she does not mold to the traditional expectations of femininity). Each of these strategies is Osaka fighting against the racism and sexism brought on by the media, while fighting to shape her own narrative. |
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 everyone, athletes included, have a responsibility to use their platforms for social change. As a role model to many, or even a public figure, you possess a great amount of visibility and influence. What you post and put out into social media has an effect and depending on what it is, that effect could be negative or positive. Many athletes come from varying backgrounds and some have faced barriers and discrimination themselves, giving them the experiences and power to speak out about injustices they and others face daily. There have been athletes throughout history that have used their platforms to encourage social change, like Jackie Robinson and Colin Kaepernick – thus proving that athletes can cause social change, and can be powerful agents at that. Athletes possess the ability to shape cultural conversations and be the voice for those who cannot be heard, and to ignore this power would be a great injustice to all.
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.)
| The authors of this article call for an examination of feminist storytelling – specifically calling for sports media to tell their stories differently. Majority of the stories pushed by sports media revolve around men. This hegemonic masculinity molds the content of sports media and academic narratives on sports, gender, and media alike. There is a significant need to disrupt this ‘norm’ of sports content and media through the implementation of feminist storytelling. This shift, and the way these stories would inevitably be told differently, provides a new perspective that allows people to understand that feminism informs sports media narratives especially when it comes to women’s sports. |
C) Corporate social justice
Exercise 6: Padlet Poll
|
In favour: I believe that sports leagues do bear responsibility to support social justice movements, the same way I believe that athletes as individuals should utilize their platform to support these movements as well. Considering how influential sports leagues such as the NBA, NHL, MBA, NFL, etc., truly are, it would be a huge injustice to not support these movements. Not only do the players need this support from certain movements, but the people do – the fans, the non-fans, the people behind-the-scenes – they all deserve for someone to speak up for them, as it is not always a possibility for them to be heard. When leagues voice their support, it is seen as a unified and collective agreement that has the ability to amplify one voice into numerous more. Inclusivity is fostered once support is voiced, setting an example for those that follow along and encouraging people to break down the barriers in front of these movements. This contributes to the creation of overall stronger communities, by advocating for fairness for all. |
Section Three: Taking a shot
Module Assignment (submit as part of notebook and separately through Blackboard mini assignment #1 portal)
The film 42, released in 2013, depicts the story of the first African-American player in the Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era – Jackie Robinson. This movie is based on a true story, and illustrates his activism surrounding racial discrimination in sports and society alongside his outstanding athletic achievements (Helgeland, 2013). The strategies Jackie used in order to speak out against the racial segregation in baseball were both direct and indirect in nature. The first strategy I noted was the use of self-control: Jackie made the decision to not retaliate against those who were being racist towards him, whether it was fans or players. By doing so, he was able to highlight the nature of racism and this silence prompted the public to recognize and confront the unfair treatment he braved (Helgeland, 2013). He also pushed back against the racism through demonstrating his excellence in the game, proving Black athletes are just as capable of participating in professional sports as white athletes. While Jackie did not speak out publicly to challenge this issue, his existence in the MLB alone became a statement against racism and discrimination (Helgeland, 2013). The commentary on athletes using their platforms to speak out in movies like this is usually positive, acknowledging the struggle for people as individuals to use their voice to challenge the societal norm of discrimination . However, there are instances where the commentary takes a negative turn – and we can turn to the article by Yair Galily (2019) for an example of same. LeBron James is a Black basketball player who commonly uses his platform to make political statements and promote social activism. A Fox News host took it upon herself to criticize LeBron for this act, not only calling him insults such as “barely intelligible” and “dumb jock”, but also stating that he should “shut up and dribble” as opposed to commenting on politics (2019). Returning the focus to Jackie Robinson, his racial identity was central to his activism: not only was his fight to play baseball, but to push back against the systemic racism that strived to segregate him (Helgeland, 2013). To answer the question of how these representations shape how we understand the sports themselves, we can return back to the article by Galily (2019). Sports should be known as a site where oppressive acts such as racism, sexism, etc. are bred and exacerbated. On the other hand, stories like Jackie’s allow for the understanding that sports can also be a catalyst for change (2019).
Citations:
Galily, Y. (2019). “Shut up and dribble!”? Athletes activism in the age of twittersphere: The case of LeBron James. Technology in Society. Scholars Portal Journals. https://journals-scholarsportal-info.proxy1.lib.trentu.ca/details/0160791x/v58icomplete/nfp_uadaitttcolj.xml
Helgeland, B. (Director). (2013). 42 [Film]. Legendary Pictures.