My goal in writing this is not to preach, but instead to share a theoretical framework for understanding and fighting racism in society and culture today. I don’t want to tell anybody what to do, how to feel, or how to think – I just want to share this information with everybody in the sports community (and beyond) because of the profound impact it has had on me and my reflection during these trying times.
It’s unfortunate that it takes something like the murder of George Floyd, as well as the subsequent protests worldwide, for white individuals (myself included) to examine the role that race (and discrimination) play in our modern-day society and culture.
“But that’s not going on where I live,” many white individuals reason. “I see no obvious signs of racism in the organizations I am a part of, or the establishments I frequent. Therefore, racism must be a thing of the past!”
Although overt racism and discrimination may not be as evident in 2020 as they were decades ago, covert behaviours and attitudes remain as pervasive social and cultural issues in North America, as well as the rest of the world.
Critical Race Theory
Critical Race Theory (CRT) is a theoretical framework from social sciences that uses critical theory to examine society and culture as they relate to categories of race, law and power.
CRT’s origins date back to a handful of American law schools in the mid-1980s.
A key strength of CRT is that it places race as central to the individual experience, which is situated within social systems and power structures.
Two main themes tie CRT together.
- White supremacy and racial power are maintained over time (and the law has been of aid in this process).
- Ultimate goal: transform relationships between law and racial power, which pursues achieving racial emancipation and anti-subordination.
Essentially, proponents of CRT aim to challenge dominant discourse and question the status-quo, especially in regards to race and racism.
Here’s the question that’s been on my mind as a white individual:
Should everything remain the way it is, or the way it once was, just because I’m not currently getting the short end of the stick?
Critical Race Theory and Sport
Sport represents an important feature of modern society and culture, with many touting participation in sport as having more positive outcomes than negative ones.
Unfortunately, racism and discrimination appear to continue to exist in all levels of sport, in some instances on a deeper level than just a few individuals with questionable behaviours and beliefs.
As athletes, coaches, instructors, and physical educators, we must be critical of the organizations and systems that provide us with opportunities to participate in sport.
As a White individual, I can say that my experiences in sport have been entirely positive. But I know that this isn’t the case for many people of colour.
Just one example of many I can reference is professional ice hockey player Akim Aliu’s account of a lifetime of experienced discrimination within a sport that, from the outside, does not appear to have obvious issues involving racism. (Read Aliu’s article Hockey Is Not For Everyone).
I played hockey for years, and I assumed that there was no racism in the sport – just because I didn’t experience any personally.
That assumption, and assumptions like it, need to change.
Racism exists everywhere, and we need to do a better job of recognizing that and working towards a new setting in the world of sport (and in the world in general).
CRT: Key Terms
CRT is unique in that is comprised of contributions from many scholars, rather than a specific, individual framework created by a single person or team.
Below are some of the key terms, followed by the main themes of CRT, as well as some examples of their applications in sport settings for athletes and leaders (coaches, instructors, teachers).
1. White Privilege
White individuals experience various forms of social, political, and economic advantages compared to non-white individuals – solely because of their race.
2. Microaggressions
Covert, minute, often unconscious behaviours or thoughts that perpetuate prejudice.
3. Institutionalized Racism
Embedded deep within the legal system and American culture, racism is institutionalized. This means organizations and institutions contribute to oppression, not only individuals.
4. Social Construction
In the context of CRT, social construction refers to the notion that race is largely, if not entirely, socially constructed – as opposed to being rooted in biology or genetics.
5. Intersectionality & Anti-Essentialism
An individual’s identity does not determine other aspects of their social membership, such as race, gender, or class. Individuals can and do often possess overlapping aspects of social identity.
CRT: Main Themes
Scholars have identified at least 5 main elements that form the basics of the CRT framework.
1. Centrality of Race
CRT acknowledges that race and racism are central to the individual experience.
Solórzano (1997) points to historical context (in the United States, at least) that grounds the centrality of race and racism in culture. In America alone, racial hierarchies, and their oppressive effects on humanity dominate the country’s history.
Intersectionality refers to how various aspects of social identity (e.g., race, gender, class) can interact and overlap, and how individuals with different intersectional identities can experience unique oppressions.
As white individuals involved in sport, we must acknowledge the presence of racism in today’s society and culture – even in the domain of sport, and even if we haven’t been directly impacted by the ever-existent discrimination.
2. Challenge to Dominant Ideology
CRT strives to challenge all dominant discourse and widely accepted ideologies.
CRT challenges society’s claims of:
- Neutrality
- Objectivity
- Colour Blindness
- Meritocracy
Coaches, teachers, and instructors are particularly well-positioned to affect change and challenge the status quo in sport, as well as to inspire their followers (athletes, students, etc.) to think critically and challenge dominant ideologies, both now and in the future.
3. Commitment to Social Justice
CRT posits that all forms of oppression are interrelated. Critical race scholars have as their ultimate goal to end other forms of systematic oppression and social injustices (e.g., race, gender), focusing on racial issues as a starting point for larger scale change.
Because social justice is such a large category that includes so many aspects of social identity,
CRT scholars aim to identify, challenge, and seek to change any type of oppression that exists today.
Anybody involved in the world of sport can commit to social justice, identifying problematic areas related to oppression and taking action rather than sitting back and turning a blind eye.
Again, coaches, teachers, and instructors are very well-positioned to spread these messages with followers, as well as to set a positive example for anyone and everyone watching.
4. Experiential Knowledge and Counterstorytelling
Solorzano and Yosso (2002) write that “although social scientists tell stories under the guise of “objective” research, these stories actually uphold deficit, racialized notions about people of color.”
Counterstorytelling aims to tell the stories of individuals whose experiences are often left out of popular discourse.
This experiential knowledge does not aim to generalize the voice of an entire group of people. Instead, it aims to provide opportunities for unique, individual expression.
History was written by the victor – or in these cases, the oppressor.
Counterstorytelling is one way this can be challenged.
People of colour involved in sport, from athletes to coaches to other leaders, need their stories told – by them, in their own voices.
Coaches, educators, and leaders have a responsibility to seek out these truths not only for themselves, but also to share with their many followers.
5. The Use of an Interdisciplinary Approach
There is no one answer, no single, clear-cut way to defeat racism.
CRT emphasizes that information and support from many disciplines must come together to battle, and ultimately beat oppression.
CRT is rooted in collective learning, community building, and collaboration.
(Read more about CRT from the University of Denver Libraries.)
(Read more about the Key Terms of CRT).
(Read more about the origins of CRT in the field of Education here.)
Being Critical
Critical Theory has many off-shoots, including Critical Race Theory, Critical Pedagogy, Feminism, and more.
More broad in its definition compared to CRT, Critical Theory is a “reflective assessment and critique of society and culture to reveal and challenge power structures.”
Sociologist Max Horkheimer said that critical theory “seeks to liberate human beings from the circumstances that enslave them.”
I am in no ways telling White people (or anybody else) what to do (I tried to be as delicate as possible in writing this, so as not to instruct or preach – only to inform and spread the knowledge I have been so lucky to acquire).
What I am doing is pointing to thought-provoking concepts and ideas that may change the way you think about being a human in today’s society and culture.
Critical race theorists call for individuals to acknowledge and develop a critical praxis.
This is defined as “integrated reflection and action that attend to broader social forces and challenge dominant ideologies.”
It’s not enough to merely put up one’s hands and say, “hey, I’m not racist – so I’m not the problem.”
Engaging, challenging, changing, questioning, reflecting, learning, growing – these are the behaviours that will birth new ideologies and examine that state of the world for all individuals.
Be critical. Watching on without acting, or turning a blind eye to social injustices – even if they aren’t directly affecting you, can have dire consequences. Ask the difficult questions, take the difficult steps towards a new, better world.
