Twelfth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

The purpose is to illuminate narratives of underrepresented voices in sport who participated in activism during their athletic career and examine how intersectionality played a part within each athlete’s life on and off the field. At the height of controversy over Colin Kapernick’s kneeling protest during the national anthem, parallels can be observed with the protest 50 years ago from Olympic champions Tommie Smith and John Carlos. These voices are seen and heard, however, many other marginalized communities in the past 50 years have stories that go untold. This study aims to uncover untold stories within this population – delving into athlete activism, and how identities intersected within the Sport Industrial Complex. This study will use the intersectionality framework in accompaniment with the Athletic Identity theory in aims to explore athlete voices. This exploratory study will use a phenomenological approach through qualitative data collection. Results: The results of this study will be presented during the Sport & Society Conference.