Black Lives Matter in sport…?

Abstract

Purpose

In this invited professional insight paper the author draws parallels between recent debates on racism, Black Lives Matter and related research in sport and cognate domains.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on Critical Race Theory (CRT) the paper contends that 1) sport is a contested site, 2) sport is a microcosm of society 3) “race” and everyday racism are central to our understanding of sport. It overlays this critique with a recognition of the dynamic and multi-dimensional nature of racisms.

Findings

While the deaths of Black lives are being mourned it is argued that our attention can also become distracted by narrow manifestations of racism (overt). Such approaches leave key stakeholders efforts focused on the individual to the detriment of challenging systemic policies, practices and dispositions that entrench racism. The color-coded racism of past decades is still with us but in addition to this, our critiques and activism require continued surveillance of cultural, institutional and structural arrangements in the everyday that remain nebulous, complex and difficult to challenge.

Research limitations/implications

This is a viewpoint paper. The author draws on previous original empirical work and current insights to draw parallels between sport, Black Lives Matter and broader social contexts. Due to limitations in the extant literature in regard to the section on cycling and ethnicity, examples are drawn primarily from the US and UK.

Practical implications

This focus on sport and leisure past times demonstrates that the Black experience of “race” and racism transcends social boundaries and cannot be perceived as restricted to narrow social domains.

Social implications

Racisms are embedded in society and therefore its cultural products of which sport is a significant one should not be marginalised in antiracism efforts and activist scholarship.

Originality/value

This paper draws on the author's original published research and current insights. The paper makes a contribution to the development of critical race theorising to the sociology of sport, and broader ethnic and racial studies.

Citation

Hylton, K. (2021), "Black Lives Matter in sport…?", Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Vol. 40 No. 1, pp. 41-48. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-07-2020-0185