Racialized Bodies and Black physical cultures

sport and racism

contains elements that can help dismantle racism, but aspects of physical culture are structured by and contribute to damaging racial stereotypes and systemic inequities

define race

fluid social construction to classify and group individuals based on shared phenotypical traits

what is racialization

a group or individual being ascribed a “race” and thus granted characteristics perceived to be associated with that race

what is the race based heiarchy

white have historically gained advantages over blacks, indigenous, or other non white ethnicities, it shapes peoples lives and experiences, even with sport and physical culture

what is ethnicity

culturally based learned, experienced, and performed aspects of people’s behaviours

• ethnic groups share common geographies, histories, practices, values usually derived from race based privilege or discrimination

• sport is one cultural practice that serves to express ethnic
  groups.

what is the jim crow laws

enforced racial discrimination and segregation in america in the late 19th and early 20th century

sport and physical culture

sport has been one of the only sites where black americans were granted bodily freedom

what is the negro league

an all black baseball league because of race based exclusions from mainstream sporting leagues and institution, so black americans formed their own

when was the negro league formed

Feb 13, 1920

who formed the negro league

andrew “rube” foster, and other team owners

what was the main impact of the NNL

a platform for black players to showcase their talent, laid foundation for other leagues and events for black baseball

what is the legacy of the NNL

lead to jackie robinson breaking MLB colour barrier in 1947, and many other black players to continue to do so in baseball

when did jackie robinson have his MLB debut and with who

april 15, 1947, for the brooklyn dodgers

what was jackie robinsons legacy

• faced lots of racial discrimination from fans despit his athleticness, enduring jim crow laws

• he broke the colour barrier in baseball despite this and after retitring continured on to lead civil rights causes until he died on october 24, 1972

• left a legacy as a pioneer for racial equality in sports and society

who created the 4 types of racism

ibram kendi, 2019

what is biological racism

races are meaningfully different in their biology and these differences create a hierarchy of value

example of bio. racism

myth that blacks are athletically superior, and intellecually infereior, which was reinforced in sport

what is bodily racism

the harmful and dehumanizing perceptions of racialized bodies based on negative racial stereotypes

examples of bodily racism

black athletes represented in their physical aspects, deemed to be freak thletes, violent players, etc

what is cultural racism

a cultural standard and imposing cultural heirarchy among racial groups, attributing racial inequalities to perceived deficiencies in cultural values or traditions

examples of cultural racism

sports leagues have subjectve traditional or professional standards based on white and westerncentric values, eg. 2005 NBA dresscode

what is spatial racism

racist policies that lead to resource inequity between racialized spaces, sustained by racist ideas about racialized spaces

examples of spatial racism

• who is seen to ‘belong’ in certain spaces can be apparent in physical culture with things like golf courses, ski resorts, etc

• apartheid in south africa

apartheid and sport

• government enforced strict racial segregation policies extending to sports, separate leagues, facilities, etc

• IOC banned south africa from participating in or hosting events

• protests across the globe to push south africa to end apartheid

• sporting events were symbolic as forms of resistance against apartheid, they werent allowed in the 1964 tokyo olympics

• after apartheid ended their sporting landscape changed a lot, new policies came out to promote equal opportunities in sports