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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).
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Critical Race Theory: we can look at critical race theory as an ideology where we see how something certain races within our society aren’t treated as fairly as others; we can see this in sports as it is evident today as we even look at the last module about “fairness” and things are not always considered fair. This would be one primary example of this is how transgender people are/were excluded from female sports because it was deemed unfair to them to participate against women in fear of them dominating the sport and having players advantage, which has created many challenges and barriers that can set them back from being included. Their race can also have setbacks. For example, let’s look at Simone Biles, who has faced ample challenges due to her racial background. Gymnastics has been historically known to have more Caucasian athletes. As we can see from the 1976 Olympics, all the gymnasts were predominantly white. This is a recurring theme as Simone has had to prove herself throughout her career as a Black woman. Critical race theory helps us to make things fair for those who are marginalized and face gender and racial disparities, showing how these populations are treated and excluded and seeing how we can create inclusivity in a world that doesn’t always serve to benefit those who aren’t considered as the social and societal norm.
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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.
| I think there is a belief that all Black people are naturally good at sports; for example, they are all good at basketball and are fast runners due to the assumption that when it comes to these sports, they beat everybody due to their genetics over their white counterparts as they possess these unique traits that male them unbeatable competitors. These assumptions can also fail to recognize the hard work associated with their success as not only solely based on biological characteristics but also on the training they have put in to get there. This shows the different outlook we have on white athletes as we contribute to their success solely based on their determination and hard work and don’t associate any biological traits with white athletes.
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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 the article by Rajack and Joseph, there are numerous strategies for resistance as a means of pushing back against and resisting misogynoir the first of the two being through active resistance, which is used through social media and using it as a way of taking control of their narrative by being able to tell their own story through their platform, for example, the article highlights how Osaka utilizes her social media platform to assert her identity and background that the traditional media fails to shed her in the correct light, therefore, having her social media account can tell her story in the correct light. The second is information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the light of social media that helps to use their voice to use their voice and to share their stories, aiming to create a safe platform for Black women athletes. The strategies discussed throughout the reading can help Black women in sports media reclaim their voices and identity to empower their voices and to push back against systemic misogynoir.
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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.
Athletes have a responsibility to use their platform for social change as their voice can draw attention to many social issues owing to their massive fan base and can bring to light important topics and issues that are sometimes not always spoken about or ignored. Although they are not obligated to use their voice, it is a responsibility as they can be an activist for social change, allowing them to be a voice for those who cannot vocalize and bring social issues to light. They can have their voice heard by many who would want to listen to what they have to say. They can significantly influence the public to make a social change. Still, they can also face backlash, which, for many athletes, can jeopardize their careers for speaking up; that is why their publicists sometimes advise many not to get involved in media, as sometimes even speaking up for what is right can be perceived negatively. Therefore, although it is their responsibility to use their platform for social change, athletes need to stand up for what is believed to be correct and, in doing that, use their voices to create positive and meaningful change.
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.)
| In the article, the authors bring to light an approach called “telling stories differently,” advocating for social justice to fight for social change and to shed light on systemic and racial discrimination to help broaden the scope of sports media. The authors discuss women’s unequal pay as just the surface of social injustices but argue how mainstream sports journalism needs to go way deeper into the oppression that exists as the mainstream sports media creates and hinders authentic narratives as oftentimes they diminish the extent of the actual reality of inequalities experienced by women of colour. They argue for a more unique approach than the traditional journalism sports media coverage that hinders existing racial disparities and, by telling stories differently, can shed light on the inequalities women face in sports media, shedding light on the real issues so they can be adequately addressed in the right light.
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C) Corporate social justice
Exercise 6: Padlet Poll
| In Favour: I believe sports leagues do bear the responsibility to support social justice movements like BLM as they can bring to light awareness of the racial injustices in hopes of creating equality and addressing systemic racism as a lot of Black athletes, in particular, face racial discrimination challenges and are the first ones to be able to relate to such injustices that occur. Having experienced a lot of racial inequalities moves the audience in a different light as fame, money, and names mean nothing, as there are evident racial injustices just because the colour of your skin overpowers all other factors. Athletes can create social change and bring to light racial awareness that race exists, even for those with money. It is a real social issue, and addressing these problems brings to light the reality of the unjust ways people discriminate against Black communities and even successful athletes because Black lives do matter. |
Section Three: Taking a shot
Module Assignment (submit as part of notebook and separately through Blackboard mini assignment #1 portal)
I have chosen to analyze Bubba Wallace, a racialized athlete activist, through the Netflix docuseries titled Race: Bubba Wallace, which is about NASCAR’s only full-time Black driver driving behind a Toyota Camry. Throughout the entire film, people have questioned his belonging in race car driving due to his race. Bubba took a stance against Black Lives Matter (BLM) after hearing about the police brutality against George Floyd that had resulted in his death and other killings against Black people such as Trayvon Martin, Ahmaud Arbery, Alton Sterling and Freddie Gray, were all believed to have been killed due to racially motivated crimes. This, along with a text message he had received from his mom saying, “Good morning, I pray as a mom of a Black son that I never have to hear you crying out, “I can’t breathe.” I love you Bubba, and your life matters to me.” sparked him to become an activist and to take a stance of Black Lives Matter. Bubba wants to speak out as NASCAR’s only Black driver. Bubba has faced challenges and discrimination and wanted to take meaningful action to use his voice as a platform to raise awareness of racialized violence. Bubba became an activist and started to speak on Instagram Lives and news channels, expressing his concerns and opinions to advocate for change and bring cultural issues throughout America to light. Bubba had broken his silence on CNN about wanting to ban the Confederate flag at NASCAR races, stating that they represent racism and slavery and that they don’t belong, depicting the systemic racism embedded within NASCAR. By removing the association of white supremacy away from the sport, Bubba has created a welcoming space for all drivers and fans. Bubba had worn a shirt in support and to show solidarity with the BLM movement that said, “I can’t breathe,” which were George Floyd’s last words before he took his last breath. To bring this to light, Bubba painted and raced a Black Lives Matter car in 2020 to capture racial inequality and drove it for 500 laps, which the car was aired on FS1 for the world to see. Bubba has broken many racial barriers with NASCAR, which is a Southern sport of predominantly white origin and considered a white man sport so having Bubba race as an African-American, he has had to prove himself and his belonging in the sport as he had received a motivated racial hate crime against him as his team found a noose in his assigned garage in Talladega which turned out to be a rope that happened to resemble a noose showing the active forms of racism and was believed to be a threat against him for speaking out and defending BLM movement. After the noose was discovered, Bubba’s drivers and crews stood behind Bubba. All helped to push his race car to the front in support of Bubba to send the message to the world that Bubba’s life matters and all Black Lives Matter. Bubba has faced backlash for speaking out and making social change, but his strategies to bring awareness have been successful and moving. Although Bubba has faced ample mental health consequences and faced ups and downs in his career, he has always fought for equity.
When we look at professional athletes like Bubba, he feels responsible for creating social change. He can use his platform to raise awareness of racial injustice. He has created a pivotal change with NASCAR and bringing to light social injustices and continues to use his voice as a platform to make change; regardless of the negative criticism he received throughout his career, he used his voice to speak out about the brutality and hate crime against those of colour and is an activist and has received ample support from the Black community like Michael Jordan and has even had DoorDash become a new sponsor in support of him and what he stands for. This has led other sponsors, such as McDonald’s and Dr. Pepper, to support him. Razack & Joseph (2020) offer the perspective on racialized athletes and how they serve as role models and can challenge colonial boundaries, carrying a significant role in the media being in the public eye, allowing them to be political icons through their voice and athlete status, allowing for systemic change. Bubba has provided meaningful insight through his heritage and platform to address racial issues, allowing for massive change within NASCAR. His being the only Black driver has allowed for a shift in acceptance. Bubba’s mom has said that Bubba has always looked at it as “When we put those race helmets on, you don’t know what colour I am.” “we’re just race car drivers” has always been his mentality that it’s all about the love for the sport, not the colour of your skin.
