Discuss the extent to which race and ethnicity matter in sports.

Provide examples to
illustrate your arguments.

Discuss the argument that sport is a useful lens through which the complexities of human ideas
about ethnic and racial difference can be examined

How far does sport ease ethnic tensions or misunderstandings in multicultural societies? Use
examples to support your arguments.

-Within the arena of sports, ethnicity has emerged as a crucial subject matter.
-It has long determined the meaning of participation and performance, appraisal from
fans, media portrayal of players as well as their presentation of themselves.
-Race and ethnicity are closely related so far that they are very frequently mixed up and
used interchangeably, since they both offer ways to categorize and arrange visible
variations among people.
- However, it's crucial to make the distinction, especially when it boils down to sports.
-While ethnicity refers to the use of cultural traits such as language, nationality, country
of origin, and customs as a means to make sense of others and form social groupings,
race refers to the use of biological attributes, particularly skin color so as to comprehend
individuals and identify social groups.
-Although, the physical nature of sport correctly draws attention to racial and
discriminatory issues, the connections between ethnicity and sport offer insightful
perspectives on how identity, community, and society are formed.

Para one: As a means of identity

-Sport helps ethnic groups identify their identity, the values that are important to them,
and what makes them unique from other people.
-The dissemination of athletic achievement through print, visual, and electronic media
encourages people to identify with and connect with others, viewing themselves as a
common people or ethnic group, which has in fact helped to create imagined
communities.
-On many occasions, a certain sport becomes representative of a people.
-For instance, baseball and basketball are often regarded as being American and as
being the nation's pastime. Rugby and hockey have become strongly linked to what it
means to be a New Zealander and a Canadian, respectively. And ethnic groups,
particularly indigenous peoples, have increasingly looked to resurrect traditional
sporting practices as a way to revitalize heritage and culture.
-As such, sport has shown to be particularly relevant for ethnic minorities, especially
when excellent performance serves as a foundation for pride and celebration.

Para two: As a way to exclude others to reinforce one’s identity

-In other instances, the play's aesthetic serves as a tool for affirming or rejecting a
specific ethnic identity. The flamboyance, originality, individuality, and flair associated
with black urban culture in the US have transformed modern sport and society, giving
African American and European American athletes and fans a crucial resource for the
promotion of their identities and the growth of social networks.
-Gatekeepers have reinforced the norms defining whiteness by restricting transgressive
expressions as a result of negative public opinions of this type of play and its
relationship with urban blackness. Similar to how the fast-paced style of cricket
developed by West Indians completely altered the game, it also served as a potent
symbol of ethnic identity.

Para three: Turn to sports during hard times

-Sports have played a significant role in helping people cope with difficult times. They
have brought individuals together, fostered social cohesion, and provided a platform to
address key social justice issues.
-During the COVID-19 pandemic, many sports leagues adopted creative solutions to
overcome health and safety challenges, allowing people to unite for a common
purpose-when hate crimes were taking place.
Sports icons and leagues leveraged their platforms to shine a spotlight on social justice
issues, raising awareness and driving positive change.
-During hard times, sports have been a source of hope and inspiration for ethnic
minorities. For instance, in the early and mid-20th century, African Americans used
sports as a means to fight for greater rights and freedoms. Even before the
desegregation of the military and public education and before blacks had full legal
access to voting, racial barriers had begun to fall in American sports. African American
athletes have recorded impressive achievements and also utilized sports to fight for
greater rights and freedoms
-In addition, sports have been used as a tool to promote social justice and equality. For
example, the NFL’s ‘Rooney Rule,’ established in 2003, requires teams to interview one
minority candidate for head coaching and upper-level management positions. This rule
highlights the level to which sports leagues are still racially divided.
-ethnic groups often turn to sport in unbearable social circumstances, such as
Japanese Americans in internment camps during World War II.

Para four: Carry a historical legacy of imperialism, dominance, racism and

discrimination
-The importance of voicing out opinions about race and ethnicity within sports becomes
necessary especially when the history of sports itself is replete with examples of how
racism has been constantly perpetuated.
-It is often asserted that this racism stems from a historical legacy of imperialism and
dominance within sports.
-For instance, the 1936 Berlin Olympics, which were held under Nazi rule, were used as a
propaganda tool to promote the idea of Aryan supremacy. The American sprinter Jesse
Owens, who was black, won four gold medals at the games, but his victories did little to
challenge the racist ideology of the Nazi regime.
-Similarly, the British Empire used sports as a means of promoting its imperialist
agenda. Cricket, for example, was introduced to India by the British and was used as a
tool to promote British values and culture. The sport was also used to reinforce the idea
of British superiority over the Indian people.

Para five: Assimilation through sports (the positive and negative)

-Sports communicate crucial concepts regarding the social order.
-Physical education and extracurricular sports, when included in the curriculum, have
been found to be crucial in multiethnic states' attempts to address alleged social
problems.
-Societies try to "nationalize" immigrants, native Americans, and other ethnic minorities
through sport.
-Native American boarding schools were created in the US (as well as Canada) in the
late nineteenth century. Over time, sports played a bigger role in attempts to
''Americanize'' native populations, or as it was commonly said at the time, ''kill the Indian,
to save the man.
-Teachers aimed to create a sense of discipline, decency, and manliness in their
students.
-They would eventually come to view sports as a potent public relations instrument that
might improve public impressions of Native Americans, facilitating assimilation while
dispelling stereotypes and prejudices.
-The post-revolutionary Mexican government sought to employ physical education for
similar purposes, notably to unite a multiethnic nation around shared ideals, as Native
American boarding schools started to lose popularity in the 1920s.
- The goal was not to eradicate Indianness, in contrast to its northern neighbor. In order
to create the hybrid, mestizo nation it envisioned Mexico becoming, it emphasized
ethnic differences by introducing indigenous customs into the physical education
curriculum.

-Sport did not reduce racial tensions or miscommunication in either case, but it did
prove to be particularly transformative in both because participation in sport
simultaneously transforms players and invites others from diverse backgrounds to do
the same.
-Individual sports are frequently modified by ethnic minorities for personal gain. The
introduction of cricket to the Trobriand Islands is instructive here, in addition to the
basketball and cricket games that have already been covered. Cricket was introduced to
Trobrianders by missionaries in an effort to acculturate them and provide them with an
alternative to conflict. To the dismay of the missionaries, the islanders altered the
game's regulations and used games as an excuse to practice magic and rituals from
their culture.
-Games played by oppressed communities are also remade by dominant ethnic groups.
After years of watching and playing it, Canadians hijacked lacrosse from Native
American tribes, transforming it from a traditional holy cultural complex into a
rationalized and secular sport with a very different aesthetic. Later, Canadian lacrosse
organizations prohibited First Peoples from taking part in official games. Sport has also
given excluded ethnic groups a chance to endure in socially unfavorable contexts.
-On one side, a lot of immigrants like the games they brought with them. Latino soccer
leagues in urban areas of the US enable participants to build significant social networks,
find employment and communities, and keep ties to their home countries.

Para six: Media representation of athletes-propensity of stereotyping

-The ability of ethnic groups to define an identity audible to all is restricted by a variety
of factors, including cultural expectations, political access, social location, and
education.
-To make matters worse, the public's perception of athletes and athletics is frequently
influenced by stereotypes, bias, and misinformation.
-In fact, research demonstrates that media coverage has exhibited a tendency to frame
sportsmen in ethnic terms since the development of contemporary sport in the
nineteenth century.
-For instance, the media has criticized athletes of color for having a poor work ethic and
lack of discipline while highlighting their natural talents in the US, Canada, Australia, and
Great Britain, and has commended white players for their diligence, intelligence, and
leadership qualities.
-Tiger Woods is a powerful illustration of the possibilities and restrictions of ethnic
identification in sport in many ways.
-The well-known golfer has worked to establish himself as Cablinasian, a name he
coined to describe his multiethnic origins. Nike launched a series of commercials in
which children from many different ethnic groups proclaimed, "I'm Tiger Woods," in
support of Woods' hybridity.
-However, the majority of reporters, analysts, and fans made a concerted effort to give
Woods a specific identity. As a symbol of African American or Asian American
excellence and a source of ethnic pride, Woods attracted a lot of attention from
observers.
-The golfer was regularly shown in the media in ways that defied accepted notions of
blackness, but after Woods' failure, stereotypes about black athletes grew more
prevalent.

Para seven: Site of social struggle and social resistance

-In addition, sports can also be a platform for ethnic minorities to challenge the
precepts and practices of mainstream society, and prompt cultural borrowings and
social reinventions
-More specifically, organized sports can help combat racism and promote social justice.
- For instance, notable examples include Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in
American major league baseball, Jesse Owens’s Olympic gold medal victory as a
repudiation of Nazi Germany, and more recently, Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling during The
Star-Spangled Banner at American football games to protest police violence against
people of color.
-At the 1968 Olympics, American speakers Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their
fists in a Black Power salute during the medal ceremony to protest against racial
discrimination in the US.

Para eight:
-There is the interplay of other aspects within the domain of sports which can be
explored through the lens of intersectionality.
-Coined by Kimberle Crenshaw (1989),a prominent scholar and civil rights advocate.
-Intersectionality is a concept that describes how different forms of oppression, such as
racism, sexism, and classism, intersect and interact with each other to create unique
experiences of discrimination and disadvantage.
-It is important to know that while racial and ethnic differences and their ensuing
agendas are truly pertinent in sports, they interact with other elements such as gender,
socio-economic status as well as disability.
-In terms of gender, the recent debate on transgender athletes in sports alongside their
racial and ethnic affiliation has truly sparked much controversy.
-Socio-economic status is a significant factor that influences sports participation.
People’s economic status reflects their income and wealth, which in turn affects their
education, occupation, and other life experiences. For instance, in the UK, people in
managerial and professional positions have the highest rates of participation in sports,
while manual workers and unemployed people have the lowest rates. Coupled with
ethnic and racial inequalities, the opportunities for minority groupings become
diminished.
-While there have been breakthroughs in sports when it comes to individuals with
disabilities, such as the Paralympic Games, Invictus Games or Deaflympics, they remain
underrepresented in the general domain which remains occupied mostly by able-bodied
individuals in key leadership roles. Coupled with racial and ethnic differences, varying
outcomes are obtained.
-When taking into account the amalgamation of these factors, inclusivity in
policy-making is reinforced.