Race, Ethnicity and Sport PHED 1007 March 4, 2015

Overview  Examine concepts of race and ethnicity  Explore some topics associated with race, ethnicity and sport

Race = Definition: Race depends on a classification system through which meanings are given to physical traits.

Ethnicity = An ethnic population = a category of people regarded as socially distinct because they share a way of life, a collective history, and a sense of themselves as a people.

Minority=... a socially identified population that suffers ___________ due to systematic _______________and has a strong sense _______________ ______________based on shared experiences of past and current discrimination.

Minority - All minorities are NOT racial or ethnic populations and all racial and ethnic populations are NOT minorities Example Whites in Canada are often identified as a race but they would not be a minority unless another racial or ethnic population had the power to subject them to systematic discrimination People of Ukranian heritage in Alberta are considered an ethnic population but they are not a minority

The Origins of Race and Racial Ideology  Human ______________is a fact of life  People have categorized one another, often using _________________________________________  Distinct and identifiable races is a “new” invention- developed by the ____________in the 17 th century as they explored the world and encountered people who looked and lived differently than themselves. As they began to colonize around the world, the Europeans developed _____________ ____________________to distinguish the populations they had encountered.

The Origins of Race and Racial Ideology  The Europeans use the term “race "very loosely. They based it on particular ________________. ____________, ________________, __________________  People gradually began to use the term “race” to identify population that they believed to be _____________distinct from other populations.  This “scientific analyses” combined with other observations and anecdotes told to the explorers led us to the development of _____________ _____________.

Racial ideology... a web of ideas and beliefs that people use to give meaning to _____________ and evaluate people in terms of racial classifications. The racial classification models that were developed in Europe were based on the assumption that the appearance and actions of white Europeans were _____________and that an deviation from this_____________ were considered strange, primitive or immoral. In this way, “whiteness” became the standard against which the ____________ and ___________of others were measured and evaluated.

Racial Ideology  Between the 17 th and 20 th centuries, whites used this racial ideology.  Research since the 1950’s has produced evidence that the concept of race is ______ ________________ __________  Race is a myth based on socially created ideas about variations in ______________________________that are assumed to be biological  Canadians have learned to “see” race as a fact of life and use it to sort people into what they believe to be biology- based racial categories.  When racial ideology is put aside, the definitions of race and approaches to racial classification vary widely over cultures and over time

Midnight Black Snow White ______________ traits = skin color, height, brain size, nose width, leg length, leg length ratio, # of fast-twitch muscle fibers, etc. ________________ traits = blood type, sickle cell trait, 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. Racial categories: Drawing color lines in society Skin color continuum

Racial Ideologies The primary difficulty with racial ideologies is that their main purpose has been to __________________________________________________. Racial ideologies tend to support the following: Racism: attitudes, actions, and policies based on the belief that people in one racial category are ________________________________to people in one or more other categories Genocide: the systematic destruction of an __________________________ Stereotypes: generalizations used to define and judge all individuals who are _________________in a particular racial category

Race, Racial Ideology and Sports None of us is born with racial ideology. We acquire it over _________as we interact with others. Racial ideology encourages people to  “See” sport performances in “racialized” terms, i.e., in terms of skin colour  Do research designed to “discover” racial differences in athletic ability (and otherwise)

Searching for “Athletic Genes” Some people argue that black people are genetically better athletes. This search is misleading because  It is based on _______________________about genes and how they work.  It mistakenly assumes that athletic abilities (e.g., sprinting, jumping, etc.) is a ___________________________related to a single gene or interrelated set of genes.  Ignores __________________factors

The Racially “Natural Athlete”? There is no evidence showing that _________________is related to physical traits that are essential for athletic excellence across sports or in any particular sport. Watch video of the “The Sports Gene” – what do you think about that? controversial-aspect-sports-genes

Traditional racial ideology used in sports The achievements of _________ athletes are due to: The achievements of _______ athletes are due to: 1. 2.

A ________________ hypothesis Racial ideology + discrimination + sport opportunities Beliefs about biological and cultural destiny + Motivation to develop skills OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS IN SPORTS

Racial and Ethnic Relations in Canada  Canada is a ___________country (does not share an ethnicity or common language; has two or three founding nations)  For Canadians, the “elephant in the room” is the United States- we are constantly trying to celebrate our differences i.e. Joe from the “I Am Canadian beer commercials”, Rick Mercer’s “Talking to Americans”, 2002 Olympic Winter Games where the men and women’s hockey teams beat the USA  The most striking difference between the two is in regards to immigration- USA-”_____________ /Canada-____________

Challenges of Racial and Ethnic Relations in Canadian Sport  Racial and ethnic relations in most sport settings are better today than in the past but many changes are still needed.  Once racial and ethnic segregation is eliminated and people come together, there now presents a challenge of these people working and living and playing together. Meeting this challenge requires a commitment to EQUAL treatment in addition to learning about the perspectives of others. Three major challenges include:

The film The Jackie Robinson Story showed that the Dodgers manager faced new challenges after desegregation. _______________ by opponents, spectators, general population Coaches had to deal with: who would be Jackie’s roomate on trips? How to deal with players’ racist remarks without destroying morale?

Issues in Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Sports  New challenges as sports become more global, teams recruit more and more from around the world, and global migration increases  Risk of racial and ethnic issues that are apparent in “_______________” life will appear in sport settings

Modern Issues with Ethnicity and Race in Sport  ____________________________ in soccer  Last summer the Quebec Soccer Federation banned religious head coverings  Later lifted the ban  Recently FIFA announced they will be allowing religious head coverings for a two year trial period  Is it discrimination to ban head coverings? Or is it just about safety?