Race & Ethnicity in Sport PDF

Race, Ethnicity, & Indigenous People in Sport  Creating race: The origins of an ideology Racial classification systems were developed as white Europeans explored & colonized the globe and found that there were physical differences between people. These...

Race, Ethnicity, & Indigenous People in Sport  Creating race: The origins of an ideology Racial classification systems were developed as white Europeans explored & colonized the globe and found that there were physical differences between people. These systems were used to justify colonization, religious conversion, slavery, and genocide. According to these systems, white skin was the standard, and dark skin was associated with intellectual inferiority and slowed development.  Race Ethnicity refers to socially constructed Refers to cultural distinctions between groups characteristics shared by a of people based on physical social group, such as customs, or genetic characteristics, language, beliefs, and history such as skin colour, hair type that hold the group together and facial features and assist others to recognize (Satzewich & Liodakis, 2017) them as separate.  Racial ideology... interrelated ideas and beliefs that are widely used to classify human beings in categories assumed to be biological and related to attributes such as intelligence, temperament, and physical abilities Racial ideology has been used by white people to Give themselves moral permission to colonize and exploit dark-skinned people without guilt Define dark-skinned people as “the white man’s burden” in need of moral salvation and civilizing  Racial ideology in the North America Between the 17th and 20th centuries a person’s humanity and moral worth came to be associated with skin color because 1.White folks needed justification for political expansion 2.White folks sought to control Black people after the abolition of slavery. 3.Scientists claimed to have proof of the natural inferiority of “colored” people and the natural superiority of people with “Caucasian” ancestry. Whiteness became the foundation for an American identity and a prerequisite for citizenship.  The problem with race & racial ideology Research shows that race is not a valid biological concept because external traits are not linked with patterns of internal differences. Race is a social construction that is based on social definitions and the meanings that people give to physical traits. Racial classification systems vary by culture and over time, and they are based on arbitrary distinctions related to continuous physical traits (see diagram).  Racial categories: Drawing color lines in society Snow white Midnight black Skin color continuum Continuous traits = skin color, height, brain size, nose width, leg length, leg length ratio, # of fast-twitch muscle fibers, etc. Discrete traits = blood type, etc. Racial category lines are drawn on the basis of continuous traits. Therefore, they can be drawn anywhere and everywhere on this continuum! We could draw 2 or 2000 lines. Our decisions are social decisions, not decisions based on biology. Some people draw many; others draw few; some reject lines altogether.  Searching for “jumping genes” in black bodies This search is misleading because It is based on oversimplified ideas about genes and how they work. It mistakenly assumes that jumping is a simple physical activity related to a single gene or interrelated set of genes. It ignores that jumping is a cultural performance as well as a physical act. The racially “natural athlete”? There is no scientific evidence showing that skin color is related to physical traits that are essential for athletic excellence across sports or in any particular sport.  Racial ideologies tend to support Racism: attitudes, actions, and policies based on the belief that people in one racial category are inherently superior to people in one or more other categories Genocide: the systematic destruction of an identifiable population Stereotypes: generalizations used to define and judge all individuals classified in a particular racial category  Using critical theory to ask questions about racial classification systems Whose classification systems are used? Who uses them? Why are some people so dedicated to using certain classification systems? What are the consequences of usage? What strategies do people use to minimize negative consequences? How can the systems be challenged? What occurs when systems change?  Race and Ethnicity in Sport Through social relations, rules are (re)produced concerning how things work and how resources can be distributed. They become “power relations” because those rules always provide for or privilege some people over others. Race and ethnic relations are a particular type of power relations Three measures of power in sport The ability to structure Establish sport traditions Define legitimate meanings and practices associated with dominant sport practices.  Race, racial ideology, & sports Racial ideology encourages people to “See” sport performances in “racialized” terms, i.e., in terms of skin color Use whiteness as the taken-for-granted standard in sports Explain the success or failure of people with dark skin in racial terms Do research designed to “discover” racial difference Whitestream sport Canadian sport has been primarily shaped by the individuals of white European heritage in ways that privilege their traditions, practices, meanings, and sport structures  Traditional racial ideology used in sports The achievements of The achievements of white athletes are black athletes are based on: based on: Character ▪ Biology Culture ▪ “Natural” abilities Organization ▪ Genetic heritage  Playing while white (Leonard, 2017, pp. 6-7) Means being seen as a leader, being celebrated as an intelligent athlete, and being praised for embodying a positive values found in our sporting landscape. For the black athlete, trash-talking and other indiscretion off the field result in narratives about “thugs” who don’t respect the game, widespread debates about role models, values, morality and punishment. The same behavior in while athletes generate stories about passionate players who simply need to mature When black players yell at teammates, they are seen as selfish hip-hop ballers; for white players, this behaviour is a sign of a desire to win and a commitment to leadership.  Historical consequences of racial ideology for Black folks in sports Desegregation of revenue-producing sports Labeling sports white sports and black sports Position stacking in team sports Racialized interpretations of achievements Barriers for blacks in coaching & management Desegregation of revenue-producing sports In Euro-American racial history there have been Strong fears of the physical power and prowess of (oppressed) black men Powerful anxieties about the sexual appetites, attributes, and capabilities of (angry) black men Deep fascination with the movement of the (controlled) black male body THEREFORE, the black male body became a valuable entertainment commodity and black people saw it as a mobility asset Racial ideology influences some—not all—white people to avoid sports in which Black people have a record of excellence.  Stacking Using racist ideological beliefs as reasoning to positionally segregate Black football players were put in running positions (running back) because they were supposedly more natural White players were in central, leadership postions, such as quarterback, center, and middle linebacker because they were assumed to have the ability and intellect to fill such positions. Racialized interpretations of achievements In the US, the body of the black female has been sexualized and/or viewed as a source of nurturance This has led to stereotypes of black women as oversexed on the one hand, and as “Mammy” on the other hand. These stereotypes continue to be expressed in the 21 st century When pro tennis player Caroline Wozniacki mimicked Serena Williams she revived a global legacy of racist beliefs about black female sexuality and what happened to Saartjie Baartman, caricatured in this 200 years old racist image. Serena Williams knew this history, Wozniaki didn’t.  Racialized interpretations of achievements In the U.S. and Canada, black women athletes must Closely monitor their presentation of self so they are not perceived by whites as “too black” Tone down their toughness to appear amicable and nonthreatening Cartoon found in Australian Herald Sun  Barriers for blacks in coaching & management Rooney Rule, created in the NFL to correct the lack of visible minority coaches in the league, which has existed since 2003. The rule stipulates that NFL teams must interview at least one minority candidate for head coaching and senior management position. It only requires that a minority candidate be interviewed, which makes it a superficially symbolic action Devasting Consequences of Racial Ideologies How the NFL Failed its Black former players – Fault Lines Documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgAq1oRelO0