A collection of engaging narratives describing social injustices in sports

Bo Carlsson
Linnaeus University

The book I have in my hand, Facing Social Justice in Sport, is quite slim (99 pages). It begins with four pages (!) of tributes to the book, written by various academics or journalists, more precisely a dozen or so, all men. What is considered to be the book’s strength is the breadth, commitment and that the book focuses on an important topic in our time, namely whether sport and social justice can co-exist. The question is whether I will agree with this approval.

It can certainly be useful for me to read about justice from this aspect of the concept and its role in sport. The concept of fairness can also be linked to a more internal perspective and be about how to create fair/equal conditions for competition, which has a more functional dimension. That’s the aspect which I’m most familiar with and well-read in. This publication deals with fairness in sport from social, moral and political aspects.

The book is published as part of “The Facing Project”, which is a non-profit organization involving 7,500 volunteers that have told over 1,500 stories (21 of which appear in this book), as well as produced a number of books and radio programs. This book has sports as its theme. It is edited by Dr. Adam J. Kuban, who has been assisted by a large number of undergraduate students at Ball State University (Indiana). They have taken a course called Sports Reporting & Writing.

Of course, as a scholar, I overshoot the purpose and goal of this book, which is not analysis, but empathy.

The preface – and the contextual background – is largely about racism, with athletes such as LeBron James, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Arthur Ashe, Muhammed Ali and Venus Williams being exemplified as elite athletes who have been exposed to racism in various forms and who have fought to raise the issue and its possible measures. LGBTQ and mental illness are also highlighted as the basis of social injustice, and that there’s need to put these issues on the agenda.

The book consists, in addition to a chapter (by Andrew Kahle) on Colin Kaepernick and the polarizing views on that issue, of 21 brief chapters, case histories, which were produced by students based on interviews, named in the form of a subtitle, such as “Chapter 18: Coming Out and Into the Pool: Jackson Ketcham’s Story as Told to Tanner Martello”. These small chapters deal with athletes, coaches, and sports journalists. The case descriptions move at different levels, from elite to youth sports. The cases are taken from the United States, apart from two international cases. The sports covered are American football, baseball, basketball, volleyball, tennis, soccer, lacrosse, swimming, and boxing. Topics covered in these stories are racism, gender, poverty, mental health, disabilities, and various LGBTQ challenges.

These stories are undeniably engaging and interesting. However, it becomes a kind of potpourri of social (in)justices in sports. I would prefer to see a clearer and deeper contextual background and an analytical dimension in addition to the narratives. Of course, as a scholar, I overshoot the purpose and goal of this book, which is not analysis, but empathy. We will learn from the students through their powerful stories to listen to other people and their life experiences which allows us to gain a better and more engaged understanding of the problems surrounding social (in)justice in sports. They may be right about that!

And for those who are interested, these stories provide a good (and published) interview material for further analysis. And that being the case, one won’t have to worry about academic ethics committees…

Copyright © Bo Carlsson 2023