Serena and Venus Williams (Sisters) (Tennis Players)
Final Paper – Athlete Activism and Identity – (4-5 pages)
Cultures and identities operate within sport(s). The six broad identities include gender, race, sexuality, class, ability, and religion, which all include complicated ideas and nuances regarding presentation, performance, and perception. Within these categories – and even some not encompassing these categories.
This paper will focus on identity and activism, social impact, and political out speaking. You are tasked with looking at how a particular athlete, team, or individual within sport (broadly defined) uses their identity to promote their politics, activism, or impact society.
You can focus on one particular moment of activism, outspeaking, or impact, or you may examine a pattern of activism, outspeaking, and impact. Think about the larger implications of what you are discussing, all of the individuals involved, and the concepts you are examining.
Questions to consider/Use as a guide in developing your ideas:
● Over the past few years, more athletes have used their platform to speak out on issues of social injustice. How do these athletes’ identities inform their decision to use sport as a platform for social change? What challenges do they face?
● Why is sport such a powerful tool to construct identities?
● What is the historical context for this moment of activism or social impact? Remember, just because we are seeing more activism doesn’t mean it hasn’t existed for decades prior to this moment. You always want to consider the history of activism when thinking about the moment, person, league, or organization you will be discussing.
● Is there another moment, individual, or organization that is related to the instance(s) you are analyzing?
In your final paper, please include the following components:
1. You must choose a member (William’s sisters) of the athletics community (broadly defined) who you feel uses their platform to be an activist, agent of social change, and/or to speak out about their politics. Who are they? What are their identities? How do they use their platform and what do they speak about?
2. How do these individuals’ identities inform their decision to use sport as a platform for social change? What challenges do they face?
3. What makes sport such a powerful tool to construct identities? Are all identities constructed in similar ways?
4. You must use a minimum of seven sources (this includes academic and non-academic). Academic readings include journal articles and NOT news sources.
Helpful Tips:
● Do not focus on summary or solely include biographical information in your paper. Remember you want to analyze and examine.
● Relate your paper to course concepts and materials, including readings.
● Expand on your use of sources. Use them – especially academic sources – in an in-depth manner, really utilizing the arguments the authors are making.
● Make sure you integrate academic sources and passages into the paper, don’t just briefly mention them.
● Avoid using first-person language. This is a research paper!