EP 9 - Ch 8 -- Race and Ethnicity

This episode on chapter 8 “Race and Ethnicity: Are They Important in Sports?” begins by recognizing that race is a social construction and how that leads people to see the social truths of race as fixed, immutable biological facts. The search for a jumping gene in Black athletes provides a case in point. We then differentiate ethnicity from race before applying our analysis of racial ideology to Jon Gruden being fired as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders when old emails in which he used racist, sexist, and homophobic language surfaced. This allows us to discuss how racial ideology impacts people differently, why Black men might have different reactions to a racialized incident from white men or even Black women. We further develop an intersectional analysis when discussing how tennis great Serena Williams was often framed by colonial history and knowledge. Finally, we conclude with the shifting, ambiguous racialization of Tiger Woods.