After Atalanta

 A broad title, but it is finals week and grading has crushed my creativity. More accurately, I want to discuss the power of the contemporary Black athlete. In full transparency, and given that the current system(s) still favor (while simultaneously exploiting) Black men athletes, I am mostly talking about men. That being said [aside coming]...in the last week of my Sport, Race, and Ethnicity course, we talk about athlete activism past and present and the materials I use discuss both men and women. The podcast Throughline has an episode called On the Shoulders of Giants that starts with boxer Jack Johnson before discussing the activism [the podcast uses the term protest] of runner Wilma Rudolph, and basketball player Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf.* I pair this with an article about the WNBA's campaign to unseat (she had been appointed by the governor following a resignation) former Atlanta Dream team owner Kelly Loeffler in the 2020/21 special election for a Senate seat.  This is all to...

Shoving does not happen at Augusta National, of course. But the management does find itself in a tight spot these days. IBM--a sponsor of the Masters, and one of the few that returned after television sponsorship of the prestigious major was halted amid the no-woman controversy--just voted in a new CEO. And it's a she. Traditionally Augusta National has invited the CEO to become a member . What to do? What to do? Since the early 2000s when Martha Burk started her protest of Augusta for its failure to admit women as members (guests only!), the club has refused to talk about the issue saying it does not discuss membership. IBM never took a stand on the issue. As I said, the company chose to renew its sponsorship of the Masters, even when other companies took the opportunity to get out. If Augusta does not extend an invite, what will IBM do? Burk has been on various national media outlets talking about the current quandary. And is that a little bit of schadenfreude I detect in her...

Given the homophobia that has--historically--swirled around sport, as well as the recent spate of high-profile anti-gay bullying incidents around the country, this article was very welcome. At University of Michigan student-athletes have stepped up to support their student body president, Chris Armstrong . Armstrong has been targeted by Andrew Shirvell, an assistant district attorney in Michigan, for his allegedly radical homosexual agenda. Shirvell has followed Armstrong around protesting his politics and--seemingly--his sexual identity. Armstrong is currently seeking a restraining order against Shirvell. Shirvell has been making his feelings about Armstrong's politics known since Armstrong, the first openly gay SBP at Michigan, ran for the position last spring. Shirvell has also used his blog, Chris Armstrong Watch, to attack Armstrong. One post contained a swastika . I won't get into a discussion of free speech versus threatening speech, but I will note that it's kind ...

This post is inspired by the 38th anniversary of Title IX which occurred last week. Actually it's "inspired" by this column by a sportswriter, blogger, and basketball fan. Wendy Parker believes it's time to get beyond Title IX. Me, too. But not in the way she means. She means it's time to move beyond enforcement. Because she doesn't like the proportionality prong. And all those men have suffered at the hands of us "dogmatic" activists with our "life-and-death rituals." Who knew we were all satanists, too? I thought I was the only one! Clearly Ms. Parker's editorial triggered the snarky button (not that it takes much). Seriously, though. the day we get to move beyond Title IX is the day after we've gotten beyond patriarchy. So in the vein of Ms.* Parker's piece I bring you some reasons about why it might be a good idea to move beyond patriarchy--in a sporting context. I could of course go on and on about patriarchy and things lik...

We heard about Chinese government officials cleaning things up in Beijing by jailing dissidents, displacing peoples, and killing dogs all in preparation from the 2008 Summer Games a couple of years ago. But the clean-up act isn't anything new. Some of it has already happened in South Africa for the currently underway men's World Cup. And now it seems like officials in India are starting their own clean-up of Delhi in preparation for the Commonwealth Games. It is the first time India has played host to the games which feature the nations of the former British Empire. The games are held every four years and are the third largest sporting event in the world. In other words--a big deal. And as often happens when I prestigious sporting event comes to town, low-income peoples are made invisible through displacement, as is happening in East Delhi, where residents are being moved out (forcefully and without recourse) to make way for athlete housing. Also, bicycle rickshaw drivers are b...

So according to Adidas, the men's World Cup balls are being manufactured in southern China. There is a minimum wage guarantee of 103 pounds with many workers earning more than that--sometimes double. And as I reported (and as you can see in the video from the other day) the ball is not stitched. It is "thermally bonded." But...and you knew there was a but...these conditions are the ones for the actual balls being used right now in South Africa. They are tournament balls. There are, of course, replicas being made for resale. Those are being made in Pakistan , where 70 percent of the world's hand-stitched soccer balls are put together--by workers who make no more than 2 pounds a day. It takes over two hours to stitch one soccer ball. This is what an Adidas spokesperson had to say: “These people have a hard life because they live in rural Pakistan, but they themselves don’t think that they are living in poverty. We pay far more than agricultural work for example. It is a...

Almost passed over yet another article about the bad economy and the effects on women's sports. You know, the one that invokes almost immediately the folding of the Houston Comets and the shaky pitch the WPS finds itself on. Though much later in the article it is noted that the WPS needed to average 4,000 attendees per game to remain sustainable and in the first weeks of the season is averaging 6,000. It is the LPGA actually that seems to be hit the hardest among women's sports and that is probably because they appeal to a different clientele. The hope among other women's sports is that the low cost of attending a game, tournament, or competition will draw people who are no longer willing to spend well over $100 for a family of 4 to attend a baseball game. The LPGA does not have those same advantages. And professional golf has always relied on high-end sponsorship because it is said to appeal to higher end customers--hence sponsorships by Rolex, Cadillac, etc. But in tough ...

I kind of got blogged out with all the Dubai stuff but in my hiatus I missed one of the major stories: Andy Roddick's withdrawal from the men's tournament. Roddick, who was the defending champion, withdrew in protest over the denial of Peer's visa. I almost thought this was an Onion-esque joke when I first heard it. Because there doesn't seem to be a lot of cross-gender support in professional tennis--and there never has been: recall the Billie Jean King/ATP riff in the 70s. If Andy Ram had been denied a visa, one could see perhaps see a little more of a direct connection to Roddick's actions. I'll admit to not being a Roddick fan. I liked him when he first came on the tour and was coached by Tarik Benhabiles. I liked him when he dated Mandy Moore. But when he hooked up with Brad Gilbert and then Connors, I thought he started to become the stereotypical arrogant male athlete. But you have to give him credit for this act. There seems to be nothing self-serving i...

Yesterday was National Girls and Women in Sport Day and I had not planned to address it mostly because all the stories about the day focused on local events. I am glad that such events were so widespread and many involved university/college outreach to their local communities. But I must be feeling a bit testy, a tad radical or just a little like an advocate with horns, tail, and a pitchfork. Because I saw this list on the website of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance and wasn't quite sure I could get on board with all ten suggestions for how to celebrate. Some of them are great--yes, please buy sports equipment for girls. I love seeing tiny baseball gloves in homes of small girls--even though I cringe when they are pink--at least they are there. I wasn't quite so sure about the watch a women's sporting event on television and then call the station to thank them for carrying the event. It just seemed a little...well...desperate--and...

Don't have any grand thoughts on 2008--or forecasts for 2009. I've seen plenty of articles about top 10 sports stories at local, national, international levels upon which I feel no need to comment. The Boston Globe has a list of sport figures (including horses) who died in 2008. I had completely forgotten about former figure skater Christopher Bowman who died very early in 2008 of a drug overdose. I am interested in the Healthy Weight Network's 2008 Worst Diets of the Year. The organization took nominations for their 20th annual Slim Chance Awards. Anyone could nominate bad diets, diet products, and the biggest gimmicks. (I heard a pretty bad radio commercial the other day for a local personal training outfit that harped on one's laziness and lack of self-control and told "gals" they could get slim and trim and guys that they could get six-pack abs and guns. Hello--I want six-pack abs. Just not from these people.) Anyway, the results were released yesterday an...

...I'm here to inform you that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Which means that it's also a good time to point out some of the...ummm...problems with all this "awareness." Awareness itself is not a problem, of course. It's the hyperconsumerism that seems to accompany this awareness that has become a problem. It's the consumerism disguised as activism disguised as progress. And what does this have to do with sport? Well there is a sport angle. So many teams and events unproblematically sponsor breast cancer "activism" through a variety of means. Teams wear pink jerseys or sneakers or laces. Proceeds of various items or tickets go to "research" (on what exactly, a cure, drugs, other treatment is never revealed). Then there are the events that survivors and supporters participate in: runs, walks, triathlons, etc. The events sponsored by companies like Avon (which refuses to reveal the potential cancer-causing effects of its own produ...

I've posted about this petition to Congress to take federal actions to stop the use of Native American mascots. But there is a renewed push for signatures so I thought I would link to it again, especially in light of my post earlier this week. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/american-indians-are-not-mascots

TIME magazine came out with an article at the beginning of the month entitled "Should US Olympians Speak Out?" Well, yes, they should. Of course the article was published before the recent earthquake which makes it difficult to critique China--the whole kicking someone while they're down kind of thing. But let's compartmentalize a little bit and not forget the myriad of egregious policies and behaviors enacted by China that did have everyone talking not so very long ago. Well everyone except maybe, many--or most perhaps--athletes who are either being told not to speak their opinions about the situation(s) or don't care much at all about what has been going on. Quite annoying have been the responses of some American athletes including Paul Hamm who believes it is up to the politicians to work this one out. Well no one is asking Hamm (who has already been that the center of quite a bit of Olympic controversy, why shy away now?) to solve the problem. It would just b...

Got this from a colleague the other day. It includes a petition that encourages Congress to take action to ending the abhorent practice of using Native American symbols as mascots for sports teams. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- American Indians are NOT Mascots Target: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi & Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Sponsored by: Tim Giago and Kimberley Lyman To most American Indians it is absolutely abhorrent for a professional football team to use the color of their skin as their team mascot. As a matter of fact, we oftentimes refer to the mascot of the Washington professional football team as the R word because to us it is as hideous as the N word is to African Americans. The use of an Indian name in and of itself for mascots is not offensive, but it is what the fans (short for fanatic) do with it that is reprehensible. When they paint their faces, stick turkey feathers in their hair, and do...

Jessica Mendoza, national softball team player, has been elected the new president of the Women's Sports Foundation. What I know of Mendoza, I like. She is part of a group of athletes protesting China's policy on Darfur and, in general, seems to be in the know politically. I had a problem with past president gymnast Dominique Dawes because of her belief that it's ok for female athletes to pose in a sexual manner. For some reason I don't see Mendoza taking that stance. I hope she brings a lot of awareness about the connection between politics and sports to the forefront.

I started this post a few weeks ago and just hadn't finished it. But Justine Henin's recent comments about politics and sport got me back to it. This article was focused on her complaint lodged with the WTA over Yuri Sharapov's cutting of the throat gesture during Henin's match against Maria Sharapova. Interesting story in itself though it seems nothing will come of it--officially that is. Though I have to imagine that Larry Scott WTA CEO will be having a chat with Sharapov about his courtside behavior. But the second half is about Henin's recent comments that Olympics athletes should not involve themselves with the debate over human rights issues in China. "Politics and sport must remain separate" she said. She said she will be focusing on defending her gold medal and other Olympians should be equally focused on the "job" at hand which is being an athlete. What kind of blinders are athletes wearing that allows them not to see how thoroughly entw...

Today is National Girls and Women in Sports Day. There are thousands of events going around the country today and in the coming days and weeks as part of the celebration. Organizations like the American Association of University Women and the Women's Sports Foundation, college teams, and local community groups sponsor various activities and speakers or offer admission to games. Before I get critical, I want to say that a lot of these are great events exposing girls to higher levels of competition as well as the different types of sports available. Often events include interaction with older female athletes creating a role model/mentoring relationship. But some of the rhetoric around this day is a little troubling. For example, in Syracuse, NY this weekend the Orange are turning pink . Yep, the women's basketball team to celebrate NGWSD along with engaging in a breast cancer awareness campaign will be wearing pink t-shirts during warm-up and pink shoelaces throughout the game. W...

I am always leery of giving gifts that allegedly benefit an organization. So I try to look into what exactly is being promised to said organization and what the organization does with the money. For example, I don't buy anything that is for breast cancer because I think most of it is a waste of money and provides more money to the companies that actually produce carcinogens and, as Diane has pointed out , research organizations that test on animals. But since this is supposed to be a positive seasonal post, I will move on to suggestions of how you can give this season and support women and girls in sport. Donations. I received an email not too long ago from It Takes a Team! the branch of the Women's Sports Foundation (WSF) that addresses homophobia in sports. Dr. Pat Griffin and her staff do an amazing job bringing issues related to sexuality to one of the most difficult places to talk about them: college athletic departments. But the organization needs your help . Think about ...

If you live and ride a bike in Massachusetts please consider emailing your senator and representative to ask them to support a pending public safety law that would mandate that police officers know more about bike safety, specifically the rules of the road in regards to cyclists. It would also impart fines on drivers who injure cyclists by pushing them off the road or opening car doors into them. [Please, please get into the habit of looking back before you open your door when you're parked on a street--any time of the year.] Mitt Romney vetoed a similar bill last year (of course!). Check out the Action Alert issued by MassBike which is asking concerned folks to help get the new bill out of committee. And check out their website if you want to know how to be safe on a bicycle and if you want to know how to be a safe and conscientious driver when you're around cyclists. Of course being safe--as a driver and cyclist--does not eliminate the harassment cyclists face from drivers, w...

Did I really make it through October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, without blogging about the connection between sport and physical activity and breast cancer activism? Apparently I did. Luckily this story out of Canada has come along and provided me an entry into this discussion. And actually, these days, most pink/breast cancer campaigns are not October-specific. For example, I could pick up a can of pink tennis balls to take to the court with me any time--and probably a pink racquet bag as well. And in Toronto this weekend, proceeds from ticket sales from the games of University of Toronto's women's team are being donated to Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. It is the first Varsity Blues Think Pink weekend, the slogan for which is "Cheer Blue, Think Pink." Many schools are being encouraged to host Think Pink weekends. I find it interesting that it's women's teams that are being asked to host these events. But, of course, I also have a problem with the ...