Athlete Activism: Contemporary Perspectives

✍ Scribed by Rory Magrath

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 223
• Series: Routledge Research in Sport, Culture and Society
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This book takes a close look at the phenomenon of athlete activism, across all levels of sport from elite and international sport to collegiate and semi-pro, and asks what this tells us about the relationship between sport and wider society.

 

With contributions from scholars around the world, the book presents a series of fascinating case studies, including the activism of world-famous athletes such as Serena Williams, Megan Rapinoe, and Raheem Sterling. Covering a broad range of sports, from the NFL and Australian Rules to fencing and the Olympic Games, the book sheds important light on some of the most important themes in the study of sport, including gender, power, racism, intersectionality and the rise of digital media. It also considers the financial impact on athletes when they take a stand, and the psychological impact of activism and how that might relate to sports performance.

 

It has never been the case that ‘sport and politics don’t mix’, and now, more than ever, the opposite is true. This is essential reading for anybody with an interest in the politics or sociology of sport, the politics of protest, social movements, or media studies.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover
Half Title
Series Information
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Contributors
Introduction
Athlete Activism: Contemporary Perspectives
Outline of the Book
Chapter Outline
References
Chapter 1 Athlete Activism and the Olympic Games: A Dialectic of Resistance and Restriction
Introduction
IOC and Political Dissent
Olympian Dissent
Conclusion
Notes
References
Chapter 2 Educated Activism: A Focus Group Study of High School Athletes’ Perceptions of Athlete Activism
Introduction
Stakeholder Theory
Identity
Methods
Results and Discussion
(Semi)educated Activism
Agency, Inspiration, and LeBron
Hopeful for Change
Implications and Conclusion
References
Chapter 3 “It’s Our Duty to Utilize the Platform That We Have”: Motivations for Activism Among U.S. Collegiate Athletes
Who Becomes a Collegiate Athlete Activist? A Profile of the Participants
Why Do Collegiate Athletes Become Activists? Motivations for Activism
What’s Next? Implications for Empowering Collegiate Athlete Activists
Notes
References
Chapter 4 Financial Implications for Athlete Activists: The Cost of Taking a Stance
Introduction
The 2016 NFL Protests
Colin Kaepernick’s Protest
Colin Kaepernick’s Activism Off the Field
Gwen Berry
Corporations
Conclusion
References
Chapter 5 The Changing Face of Black Athlete Activism
Introduction
Race and Resistance: Black Athlete Activism
Black Power and the Struggle for Civil Rights: The 1968 Summer Olympics
Quieter Times, But Not Silent: Black Athlete Activism in the 1980s and 1990s
Say It Loud! I’m Black and I’m Proud: Contemporary Black Athlete Activists
Concluding Thoughts: Pariah Today, Hero Tomorrow? The Changing Face of Black Athlete Activism
References
Chapter 6 Disability, Sport and Social Activism: Para Athlete Activism
Introduction
Disability Activism and Parasport: A Story With Two Sides
Para-athlete Activism for Parasport Improvement
Para-athlete Activism for Broader Social Good
Promoting Para-Athlete Activism
Some Future Directions: Expanding Research On Disability, Sport and Activism
Notes
References
Chapter 7 Disabled Athlete Activism: Using an Emancipatory Theological Approach to Promote the Use of Disabled Athletes in ...
Introduction
Theology and the Relationship Between Disability and Sport
Why Theology?
Theology and the Sociological Study of Disability
Aligning Freire and Gutiérrez With Oliver’s Work On the Emancipation of Disabled People
An Emancipatory Theological Analysis of the Relationship Between the U.K.-Based DPM and the IPC
Conclusion
References
Chapter 8 Revising Trans-Exclusionary Narratives in Women’s Sports Activism: Who Are the “Women” of Women’s Athletics?
Introduction
Sex Segregation as the Sole Instrument of Fairness
Woman as a Stable Category
Women’s Sport as Ever-Precarious
Conclusion
Notes
References
Chapter 9 Doddie Weir and the Activism of Health, Nationhood and Storytelling
Introduction
Sports Activism
A Strong Media Presence
Nationhood and Tartan
The Power of “Activist” Storytelling
Conclusion
References
Chapter 10 Elite Athlete Activism for Gender Equality in Sport: Women’s Football in Spain
Literature Review and Theoretical Considerations
Selection of the Empirical Case
Elite Female Footballers Mobilizing for Better Pay and Working Conditions in Spain
Economic Goals
Nonconfrontational and Confrontational Tactics
The Main Achievement: An Agreement On Professional Women’s Football
Conclusion
Notes
Acknowledgments
References
Chapter 11 Athlete Activism Relative to Clothing: A Case Study of Ibtihaj Muhammad and the Sport Hijab
Introduction
Theoretical Approach: Gendered Critical Discourse Analysis
The Literature On Clothing and Activism
Considerations About Clothing and Activism
Cultural Considerations
Religious Considerations
Sporting Considerations
Financial Considerations
Considerations About Clothing Per Se
Ibtihaj Muhammad
Concluding Thoughts About Athlete Activism and Clothing
Note
References
Chapter 12 Braids, Beads, Catsuits and Tutus: Serena Williams’ Intersectional Resistance Through Fashion
Introduction
Background
Cosmetically Contested Terrain: Fashion as Resistance in Sport
Data and Methods
Self-adornment as Self-Preservation
The Politics of Professionalism and Black Hair
Clothing Black Womanhood and Black Motherhood
The Significance of Self-Definition and Self-Valuation
Conclusion
Notes
References
Chapter 13 “I’m Not Going to the F***ing White House”: Fan Discourse About Megan Rapinoe During the 2019 FIFA Women’s ...
Introduction
Literature Review
Methodology
Results
Discrediting
Resistance
Patriotism
General Support
Discussion
References
Chapter 14 Across Field and Classroom: The Activism of Adam Goodes and the Role of Australian Teachers in Tackling Racism
The Final Quarter
“Post-racial” Australia
Race and Australian Education
Constructing Racism
Discussion and Conclusion
Notes
References
Chapter 15 “Best Way to Silence the Haters?”: Raheem Sterling’s Use of Social Media and Selective Press Interviews in the ...
Introduction
Race, Nationality and Media Framing
Methods
Findings and Discussion
Sterling’s Self-Representation
Conclusion
References
Chapter 16 Online Activism and Athlete Advocacy in Professional Women’s Golf
Risk Or Reward?
Introduction
Digital Media and Female Athletes
Professional Women’s Golf
Meghan MacLaren
Perspectives
Activism and Advocacy to this Point
Methodological Approach
Meghan MacLaren’s Response: October 2020
The Risks and Rewards of Athlete Activism
Conclusion
Acknowledgement
References
Chapter 17 Psychological Benefits for the Athlete Activist
Introduction
Resilience and Minority Stress
Psychological Benefits of Activism
Resilience and Athlete Activism
A Call to Action
Note
References
Index