By Kamayani Bali-MahabalThey started off as a secret sports club. What brought them together was their shared love for football, a game they couldn't dream of playing owing to their conservative family backgrounds. After all, how could young girls, who weren't even allowed to step out of their homes … [Read more...]
Leading the Herd to Hell: How we are all ruining sports together
As I read Lashinda’s latest post, How Sports Can Prevent More Ferguson’s, I found myself nodding in agreement, thinking of all the times sports has connected me with people of different cultures, upbringing and skin color. It is already doing the same for my daughter, who is only … [Read more...]
How Sports Can Prevent More Fergusons
Russia’s Natalya Antyukh and I have competed against each other many times on the biggest of stages. We respect each other as competitors, and when the race is over, we know the best woman on that day won. (August 31, 2011 – Source: Michael Steele/Getty Images AsiaPac) We are all well … [Read more...]
It’s not Just Incognito
The recent news surrounding the Dolphins’ Jonathan Martin and Richie Incognitohas, for obvious reasons, brought issues of bullying and racism to the forefront of sports talk. In America, where the NFL (66.3% black) and NBA (76.3% black) dominate our television screens and many of … [Read more...]
Sports History Files: The backroads of Jim Crow sports
Tweet The 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, coming up next Wednesday, hasn’t been lost on sports historians and those who recall and preserve the legacy of segregated sports in America. Jackie Robinson had integrated Major League Baseball only 16 years before Martin Luther King gave … [Read more...]
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition: Sexist AND Racist
The Sports Illustrated (SI) swimsuit edition is sexist, I think we can all agree on that. This year's edition of the swimsuit issue took their sexism to all seven continents in an attempt to "present the natural beauty of each setting and its people." Unfortunately, some argue that the … [Read more...]
Just for women sports 24/7 coming our way
Sedona, AZ – [b] Heraea Marketing Scores with New Partner, Sports Channel for Women TV [/b] Heraea Marketing is starting to gain some traction and is being recognized for supporting female athletes exclusively. They do not promote any men nor do they showcase any male … [Read more...]
Serena Williams impersonation triggers stereotypical ideals about black women’s bodies
Caroline Wozniacki, former No. 1 tennis player in the world, decided to make fun of her friend, Serena Williams. Wozniacki stuffed towels into her top and skirt during an exhibition match in Sao Paulo, Brazil in attempt to illustrate Williams' bodily construction. It was supposed to be a … [Read more...]
Athletes don’t need to be vocal activists
Nation sports editor Dave Zirin does a fantastic job of chronicling the nexus of sport and politics in his documentary “Not Just a Game”. The movie adroitly highlights the manifestation of dominant ideologies in American society and how they are reflected in sport. However, I must take … [Read more...]
Why is the focus on Gabby Douglas’ hair and not her Olympic accomplishments?
The ridiculous attention given to the hairdo of Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas knows no bounds. The 16-year-old recently received a “makeover” in which her hair looks much more in line with European beauty standards, according to media reports. Britain’s Daily Mail paraphrased a … [Read more...]