Professor Kevin Hylton

'Race', Youth Sport, Physical Activity and Health provides a resource that addresses 'race' and racism in an accessible way by contextualizing theory with practical evidence-based examples drawn from global geographical and cultural settings. This is the first book to focus on issues of 'race' and racism in youth sport, physical activity and health. Drawing on critical race theory, intersectionality and post-feminism, and presenting a range of international empirical case studies, it explores racialization processes in pedagogical and non-pedagogical settings. The book examines how 'race' and racism in pedagogical settings shape young peoples' dispositions towards participation in sport and physical activity, and how identity discourses are being shaped in contemporary sport, physical activity and health. Essential reading for anybody working in sport and exercise studies, physical education, sociology or health studies.

Critical Race Theory provides a framework for exploring racism in society, taking into account the role of institutions and drawing on the experiences of those affected. Applied to the world of sport, this framework can reveal the underlying social mores and institutionalised prejudices that have helped perpetuate those racial stereotypes particular to sport, and those that permeate broader society. In this groundbreaking sociological investigation, Kevin Hylton takes on the controversial subject of racial attitudes in sport and beyond. With sport as his primary focus, Hylton unpacks the central concepts of ‘race’, ethnicity, social constructionism and racialisation, and helps the reader navigate the complicated issues and debates that surround the study of ‘race’ in sport. Containing rigorous and insightful analysis throughout, the book explores key topics such as: • the origins, applications and terminology of Critical Race Theory • the meaning of ‘whiteness’ • the media, sport and racism • anti-racism and sport • genetics and scientific racism. The contested concepts that define the subject of ‘race’ in sport present a constant challenge for academics, policy makers and practitioners in the development of their ideas, policies and interventions. This innovative and challenging book is essential reading for anybody looking to fully understand this important subject.

The ODA (2007) and Zirin (2007) exemplify some of the contradictions and competing tensions in any Olympic project. London 2012 is not immune to the dominant narrative and counter-narrative discourses and as such this chapter chooses to emphasise some of the complexities and contradictions bound up in the consideration of ‘race’, sport, the East End and the London 2012 Games. Some of the complexities of the Olympic Games are apparent in competing discourses in addition to each host nation’s local-national backdrop which contributes further social concerns for serious consideration. In East London foregrounding urban renewal and legacy promises driven by one event are massive challenges in London’s most multicultural and resource deprived areas. This chapter also considers UK sports development’s historical failure to include black and minority ethnic communities as participants and influential voices and how this is likely to be perpetuated in East London.

This book examines the roles of those working in and around sport development and explores the most effective methods by which professionals and volunteers can promote interest, participation or performance in sport.

This study examines the use of humour by Black football coaches in England as a rhetorical device against racism. The paper draws on humour studies and critical race theory to illustrate signs of humour as defence. Research on humour has popularly explored the ambiguities and qualities of humour and, in particular, joke telling through its use as a foil to stem racial ills is less well understood. Where previous work has focused on explicit joke telling/banter in sport, this paper examines how techniques of humour are used in everyday racialised experiences. The use of techniques of humour enables feelings of subordination, and humiliation to be transposed into forms of resistance, while its physiological and psychological benefits can lead to inter-racial relief and catharsis. The paper concludes that techniques of humour remain underexplored as important tools of resistance to everyday racism.

In this invited professional insight paper the author draws parallels between recent debates on racism, Black Lives Matters, and related research in sport and cognate domains. Drawing on Critical Race Theory (CRT) the paper contends that a) sport is a contested site, b) sport is a microcosm of society c) ‘race’ and everyday racism are central to our understanding of sport. It overlays this critique with a recognition of the dynamic and multi-dimensional nature of racisms. While the deaths of Black lives are being mourned it is argued that our attention can also become distracted by narrow manifestations of racism (overt). Such approaches leave key stakeholder efforts focused on the individual to the detriment of challenging systemic policies, practices, and dispositions that entrench racism. The colour-coded racism of past decades is still with us but in addition to this, our critiques and activism require continued surveillance of cultural, institutional, and structural arrangements in the everyday that remain nebulous, complex, and difficult to challenge. This is a viewpoint paper. The author draws on previous original empirical work and current insights to draw parallels between sport, Black Lives Matter, and broader social contexts. Due to limitations in the extant literature in regard to cycling and ethnicity, examples are drawn primarily from the US and UK. This focus on sport and leisure past times demonstrates that the Black experience of ‘race’ and racism transcends social boundaries and cannot be perceived as restricted to narrow social domains. This paper draws on the author's original published research and current insights. The paper makes a contribution to the development of critical race theorising to the sociology of sport, and broader ethnic and racial studies.

This article examines legacy claims made by a range of agencies and organizations involved in the London 2012 Olympic Development Programme, and specifically the notion that this will inevitably lead to the regeneration of communities. We advocate the application of critical race theory (CRT) to provide an article that argues that ‘race’ matters in Olympic legacy discourses. We identify the shortcomings of the rhetoric of legacy Olympic-speak and its dissonance with the micro-detail of accumulated historical factors, experiences and day-to-day routines for these communities. It is argued here that single-mega-event policies cannot be the answer to entrenched racial inequalities in sport though they can contribute to alleviating many issues. In shifting ‘race’ from the periphery to the centre, CRT ensures that at the very least these issues are considered alongside others. The notion of ‘community’ is critiqued to the point that slippery legacy discourses become transparent. Ideologies are neither value-free and neutral nor ahistorical as the use of interest convergence here reasonably outlines more than altruism in the agendas underpinning the bid for the London 2012 Games. If lasting legacy is to be achieved, then broader social, cultural and historical factors need to be fully considered by policymakers or policy gaps will be further perpetuated.

Background: The universal sport discourses of inclusion, belonging, meritocracy, agency, and equality are so widespread that few challenge them. It is clear from the most cursory interest in sport, PE and society that the lived reality is quite different and ambiguous. Racial disparities in the leadership and administration of sport are commonplace world wide; yet from research into ‘race’ in sport and PE the public awareness of these issues is widespread, where many know that racism takes place it is always elsewhere For many this racism is part of the game and something that enables an advantage to be stolen, for others it is trivial and not worthy of deeper thought. This paper explores the contradictions and tensions of the author’s experience of how sport and PE students talk about ‘race’. ‘Race’ talk is considered here in the context of passive everyday ‘race’ talk, dominant discourses in sporting cultures, and colour-blindness. This paper focuses on the pernicious yet persistent nature of ‘race’ talk while demystifying its multifarious, spurious, and more persuasive daily iterations. Theoretical framework: Drawing on Guinier and Torres’ (2003) ideas of resistance through political race consciousness and Bonilla-Silva’s (2010) notion of colour-blindness the semantics of ‘race’ and racialisation in sport and PE are interrogated through the prism of Critical Race Theory (CRT). Critical race scholarship has been used in sport and PE to articulate a political application of ‘race’ as a starting point for critical activism, to disrupt whiteness, and to explore the implications of ‘race’ and racism. CRT is used here to centre ‘race’ and racialised relations where disciplines have consciously or otherwise excluded them. Importantly, the centreing of ‘race’ by critical race scholars has advanced a strategic and pragmatic engagement with this slippery concept that recognises its paradoxical but symbolic location in social relations. Discussion: Before exploring ‘race’ talk in the classroom, using images from the sport media as a pedagogical tool, the paper considers how effortlessly ‘race’ is recreated and renewed. The paper then turns to explore how the effortless turn to everyday ‘race’ talk in the classroom can be viewed as an opportunity to disrupt common racialised assumptions with the potential to implicate those that passively engage in it. Further the diagnostic, aspirational and activist goals of political race consciousness are established as vehicles for a positive sociological experience in the classroom. Conclusion: The work concludes with a pragmatic consideration of the uses and dangers of passive everyday ‘race’ talk and the value of a political race consciousness in sport and PE. Part of the explanation for the perpetuation of ‘race’ talk and the relative lack of concern with its impact in education and wider society is focused on how the sovereignty of sport and PE trumps wider social concerns of ‘race’ and racism because of at least four factors 1) the liberal left discourses of sporting utopianism 2) the ‘race’ logic that pervades sport, based upon the perceived equal access and fairness of sport as it coalesces with the, 3) 'incontrovertible facts' of black and white superiority [and inferiority] in certain sports, ergo the racial justifications for patterns of activity in sport and PE 4) the racist logic of the Right perpetuated through a biological reductionism in sport and PE discourses. Keywords: ‘Race’ Talk; Critical Race Theory; Political Race Consciousness

This paper focuses on what constitutes a Critical Race Theory (CRT) methodology. Over the last decade there has been a noticeable growth in published works citing CRT in the UK. This has led to an increase in practical research projects utilising CRT as their framework. It is clear that research on ‘race’ is an emerging topic of study recently encapsulated by the work of Seidman (2004), Bulmer and Solomos (2004), Gunaratnam (2003), Denzin and Giardina (2006; 2007), Tuhiwai Smith (2006), and Denzin, Lincoln and TuhiwaiSmith (2008). What is less visible is a debate on how CRT is positioned in relation to the ‘nexus of methodic practice, substantive theory and epistemological underpinnings that is a methodology (Harvey 1990:1). These philosophical, ethical, and practical questions are initially considered here by examining the notions of ontology, epistemology and methodology before practical considerations of recognising, framing and applying CRT research methodologies are explored.

This chapter examines the protean nature of sports development as its policy and practice are viewed through three distinctive lenses: political ideology, functionalist social theory and community development. Sports development in the United Kingdommirrors its instrumental and global use as an expressed panacea for many social ills. Sport policy and practice are often driven by potential benefits that may accrue to social groups, whether they be local, national or transnational, elite performers or the more marginal disaggregated and unhealthy individuals suffering various forms of social exclusion. This chapter emphasises different political roots of sporting discourses and in particular aligns mainstream sports development with functionalist arguments that emphasise sport’s role in sustaining diverse externalities. The chapter will further problematise some of the conservative domain assumptions of functionalism as they apply to power relations, ideas of community and diverse practices of sports development.

The Race Equality Commission (REC) has concluded that racism and racial disparities remain significant in the lives of Sheffield's citizens. What has been shared with the Commission spans education, crime, justice and policing, sport and culture, health, business and employment, civic life and communities, and more. The perpetuation of racism, and racial disparities across sectors and major institutions in the city compel the Commission to restate the urgency to instigate positive measures and improvements in organisations and among its citizenry. The Race Equality Commission was established by Sheffield City Council to make a non-partisan strategic assessment of the nature, extent, causes and impacts of racism and race inequality in the city and to make recommendations for tackling them.

Racism in sport, leisure and society was on the agenda when Kevin Hylton delivered his inaugural lecture as Professor of Equality and Diversity in Sport, Leisure and Education at Leeds Metropolitan University. The event entitled - 'What is critical race theory and what is it doing in a nice field like sport and leisure?' - took place at Headingley Campus on Wednesday 6 November from 5.30pm-7.30pm in The Great Hall in the James Graham building. Professor Hylton is the first black professor at Leeds Metropolitan University's Carnegie Faculty in more than 75 years and is Chair of the Leeds Met Race Equality and Diversity Forum.

Panel Members Included: Olympic gold medalist Christine Ohuruogu MBE, Professor Kevin Hylton, Paul Canoville, Chelsea Football Club's first black player and award-winning sports author, Michelle Pierre-Carr, former GB international athlete and a Commonwealth 4x400m silver medalist, Rodney Hinds, sports editor, The Voice newspaper, and Margaret Adeoye, World Champion 4x400m bronze medalist" "This Question Time style event focused on black communities, sport and wellbeing, including how to engage young people and older people in sport and physical exercise for their wellbeing post London 2012. It addressed the question of role models and what needs to happen to enable and inspire more black men and women to be coaches, referees and sports executives." An audience of around 100 local people, policy makers, health and sports specialists, journalists and some invited guests arrived to hear the panel.

In this lecture Professor Kevin Hylton from the Research Institute in Sport, Physical Activity and Leisure draws on his ground breaking work on Critical Race Theory (CRT) to unpack and explore its relevance to sport and leisure theory, policy and practice. Critical Race Theory’s strengths are outlined with a view to advancing activist scholarship and critical pedagogy in sport and leisure theory and practice. As the first black Professor in over 75 years of Carnegie faculty history, Kevin brings a voice to the sociology of sport and leisure that reflects an intricate engagement with, and commitment to challenge, the endemic issues that mark race relations in the UK. It is clear that ‘Race’ and racism for many are the most salient aspects of the intersecting oppressions impinging on sport and leisure lives yet their marginalization in academic and policy terms speaks more of the priorities, lack of diversity, and those in positions to influence racialised inequalities in broader society. Kevin calls upon Gloria Ladson-Billing’s (1998) fundamental question from the title (above), originally asked by her of the education profession, to outline how and why CRT is finding its expression in multiple disciplines, professions and settings that now includes sport and leisure. In particular CRT is outlined as a reaction to the way mainstream sport and leisure theorizing have ignored broader issues of ‘race’. While challenging the liberalism engrained in the meritocratic ideals implicit in sport and leisure settings the notion of sport as a level playing field is examined. Kevin explains why CRT has been described as a pragmatic, ‘race’ centred, praxis oriented framework and why it has already shown the potential to inform our thinking on ‘race’ in sport and leisure. Using Derrick Bell’s (1992) 5 Rules of Racial Standing as well as core tenets of the CRT framework, Kevin critiques the ways racism has been manifest, challenged and defended in a number of recent high profile sporting events. Though the lecture makes some of the ambiguities of racial processes more transparent the work concludes with a sobering assessment of the nature and significance of ‘race’ and racism in sport, leisure and society. Past research and experience of working in local government and higher education brings a critical ‘situatedness’ to Kevin’s own position on ‘race’ and racialised processes.

This paper argues that in relation to physical literacy we must continue to problematise the philosophies that underpin the concept to the point that it is less utopian, idealistic and politically neutral.

Critical Race Theory (CRT) explains and challenges the persistence of racial discrimination throughout the world today, addressing issues such as racism, post-colonialism and systems of apartheid. Despite claims we live in a post-racial era, equality laws are under threat in the UK and evidence of racism persists in life and work. This collection is the result of ongoing work in this area by a group of UK based academics: the CRT in the UK discussion group, convened by Namita Chakrabarty, John Preston and Lorna Roberts. The aim of this book is to examine the practical application of CRT within a specifically English context. Encompassing a range of fields, from education to civil defense, it considers the tools and techniques of CRT (including CRT feminist thought), from counter-narrative to the role of political positioning, but above all it analyzes the workings of on-going racism within English institutions and structures. Key aspects of post- 9/11 culture are also critiqued and explored, including an analysis of Islamophobia and antiracism, how counter-terror measures may reinforce racist beliefs, the role of race and the BME academic, and the manipulation of race in debates surrounding education and class. These new perspectives offer greater insight into the crucial area of race without which any understanding of 21st century England is incomplete. This book was originally published as a special issue of Race, Ethnicity and Education.

A central theme that C-SAP has been exploring in recent years is how ‘race’ and ethnicity are being taught in the social sciences. It has been keen to discover what challenges higher-education institutions face when they attempt to articulate the complex sets of issues around ‘race’ and, importantly, what learning, teaching and assessment innovations academics have developed to help them in the process. This publication is one outcome of that exploration. The book arose from a day conference at the University of Northampton on the implications of specific transitions of theorising ‘race’ in education run by C-SAP, notably those relating to the increasing attention paid to critical race theory and the mounting critiques aimed at multiculturalism.

Guest panellist for the Equality Challenge Unit webinar 12pm - 1pm

Inspirational Talk and Networking Event

There is a great realization that a professor teaching an introductory or philosophical foundations course in the field of leisure studies comes to, if that professor may not be from the dominant culture of most Western societies. This realization is as stark as their numerical presence in their respective departments. Why are the philosophical foundations of the field devoid of the experiences, voices, and perspectives populations of color, or even more broadly, the populations of the global majority? And, why is there an absence of historical discussions on the field’s role in perpetrating or condoning activities that hindered or constrained populations of color full access, enjoyment, and articulation of leisure? As we move forward in the field more globally, thinking and discussing the new and progressive ways that we can conceive the sociology of leisure, it is imperative that we rethink our philosophical foundations in reconciliation of the potential harm it may have caused (and may continue to harm) and the actual good it can invoke in assisting the myriad of scholars who are pushing more progressive efforts for a critical leisure paradigm (Spracklen, Lashua, Sharpe and Swain, 2017). The objectives of this manuscript are: 1) to briefly categorize the research in the field on Race and ethnicity; 2) to outline the key canonical texts of the field; 3) to consider and reconceptualize a racially and ethnically inclusive foundation for the field utilizing The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study as an example; and, 4) to identify some of the specific areas that this change and inclusion would impact or realign the field’s history.

Sport may seem like a meritocracy, but scholars debunk, debate, and diagnose the boundaries that keep some on the sidelines, off the air, and out of the game all together.

This article examines the rhetorical turns used to reveal dispositions to ‘race’ and racism by bloggers in response to an article written about an alleged racist incident in international golf. While on stage at an awards ceremony in Shanghai, Tiger Woods’ ex-caddie Steve Williams was asked to explain his emotional reaction to a golfer's tournament win. He told a room packed with leading golfers and tour officials, I wanted to shove it up that black arsehole. This paper examines the blog responses to the subsequent Associated Press article and cites how rhetorical devices are used to minimize concerns of racism and to further trivialize claims of racialised harm. The use of semantics, ambivalence, humour, mockery and practices of ignorance are identified as manifestations of online racism. Through the easy communication of dominant racialised values across real and virtual spaces notions of cyberspace as the last frontier of social equality are contested.

Over the last decade there has been a noticeable growth in published works citing Critical Race Theory (CRT). This has led to a growth in interest in the UK of practical research projects utilising CRT as their framework. It is clear that research on 'race' is an emerging topic of study. What is less visible is a debate on how CRT is positioned in relation to methodic practice, substantive theory and epistemological underpinnings. The efficacy of categories of data gathering tools, both traditional and non-traditional is a discussion point here to explore the complexities underpinning decisions to advocate a CRT framework. Notwithstanding intersectional issues, a CRT methodology is recognisable by how philosophical, political and ethical questions are established and maintained in relation to racialised problematics. This paper examines these tensions in establishing CRT methodologies and explores some of the essential criteria for researchers to consider in utilising a CRT framework. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

As long as racism has been associated with sport there have been consistent, if not coordinated or coherent, struggles to confront its various forms. Critical race theory (CRT) is a framework established to challenge these racialized inequalities and racism in society and has some utility for anti-racism in sport. CRT's focus on social justice and transformation are two areas of convergence between critical race theorists and anti-racists. Of the many nuanced and pernicious forms of racism, one of the most obvious and commonly reported forms of racism in sport, racial abuse, has been described as a kind of dehumanizing process by Gardiner (2003), as those who are its target are simultaneously (re)constructed and objectified according to everyday myth and fantasy. However, this is one of the many forms of everyday racist experiences. Various forms of racism can be experienced in boardrooms, on television, in print, in the stands, on the sidelines and on the pitch. Many times racism is trivialized and put down as part of the game (Long et al., 2000), yet its impact is rarely the source of further exploration. This article will explore the conceptualization of 'race' and racism for a more effective anti-racism. Critical race theory will also be used to explore the ideas that underpin considerations of the severity of racist behaviour and the implications for anti-racism. © The Author(s) 2010.

This book examines the role of race in athletic programs in the United States. Intercollegiate athletics remains a contested terrain where race and racism are critical issues often absent in the public discourse.

In the decade since Kevin Hylton’s seminal book ‘Race’ and Sport: Critical Race Theory was published, racialised issues have remained at the forefront of sport and leisure studies. In this important new book, Hylton draws on original research in contemporary contexts, from sport coaching to cyberspace, to show once again that Critical Race Theory is an insightful and productive tool for interrogating problematic social phenomena. Inspired by W.E.B. Du Bois’ statement that "the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the colour line", this book sheds a critical light on the way sport perpetuates racism, while identifying opportunities to challenge its insidious presence. Exploring and explaining the ways in which notions of ‘race’ are expressed and contested at individual, institutional and societal levels, it addresses key topics such as whiteness, diversity, colourblindness, unconscious bias, identity, leadership, humour and discourse to investigate how language can be used as a device for resistance against racism in sport. Contesting ‘Race’ and Sport: Shaming the Colour Line is vital reading for all sport studies students, academics and those with an interest in race, ethnicity and society.

Inclusion in sport and recreation activities is consistently utilised as a pragmatic response for many contemporary social issues. The understanding of participation in sport as an ‘unambiguously wholesome’ endeavour (Smith and Waddington, 2004) is exemplified in the wide array of ‘Community Sport Development’ (CSD) initiatives and programmes in England. These programmes have at their heart, to varying degrees, an acknowledgement of the transformational potential for personal and communal betterment through sport participation. However CSD in England is an under-researched and under-theorised practice, due in part to the resilience of ‘dominant uncritical narratives’ (2011a) that continue to frame participation as a functional apolitical mechanism for positive social change. CSD is in need of theoretical refinement if its potential for contributing towards social outcomes is to be fully understood.  This thesis demystifies ‘CSD’ in the mixed economy of sport provision, with particular emphasis placed on exploring the empowering capacity of CSD programmes. Drawing upon the notion of researcher-as-bricoleur (Denzin and Lincoln, 1998; Kincheloe, 2001), this study utilises a selection of critical sociological concepts to provide an apt theoretical frame through which to demystify CSD. The thesis draws upon Giddens’ (1984; 1998) notion of the duality of structure’ to provide an ontological premise for theorising CSD practice. In addition, Bourdieu’s (1977; 1990; 1998) concepts of habitus and doxa are utilised to enable a deeper theoretical focus on the constitution of CSD practice. The research fieldwork consisted of a two-stage emergent methodology. The first stage consisted of semi-structured telephone interviews with practitioners who self-identified as practicing CSD, or whose activities resonated with preexisting conceptions (Haywood, 1994; Coalter, 2002; Hylton and Totten, 2013). Constant comparative techniques (Corbin and Strauss, 2008) provided the methodological toolkit through which to conduct chain referral sampling iv with practitioners; the aim of which being to explore the range and characteristics of contemporary CSD practice. In building upon conceptual foundations established during fieldwork stage one, the second stage of data collection comprised of two case studies of organisational practice. Through these case studies the research sought to identify the processes that lead to the purported aims of organisations, whilst also illuminating the principles and philosophies underpinning ‘empowering’ CSD practice. This research concludes that, far from a benevolent and politically neutral activity, CSD practitioners negotiate and embed dominant conceptions of desirable social change through sport and recreation within ‘communities’. Whilst an examination of the two case studies demonstrates that both organisations practices warrant merit, the cases highlight that the creation and development of participatory communal structures, the fostering of community ‘assets’, and a more critical engagement with the ideas and conventions underpinning ‘mainstream’ provision are conducive to sustainable and empowering CSD practice.

This thesis analyses how the role and remit of local government sport development has changed since the emergence of sport development as a service area under the Conservative administration of the 1980’s. The research is distinctive as it focuses explicitly on sport development services in local authorities, an under-researched area of public policy. The methodology utilised desktop research to identify changes to structural arrangements for sport development services across 75 local authorities in the North of England. This informed the development of a Typology of Local Government Sport Development which identified the different structural models used to these services. The implications of each model on sport development policy and practice are considered, acknowledging tensions in service delivery, and identifying key drivers of provision. In addition, six local authority case studies were undertaken representing different structural arrangements and delivery models.Analysis is underpinned by a theoretical framework which combines insights from discipline areas including political science, policy studies and organisational theory. The framework predominantly draws upon theories of new institutionalism to demonstrate that local government sport development policy and practice is shaped by a combination of macro institutional pressures and agentic influences within each authority. Sport development provision is identified as ‘decentred’ due to increasing agentification of services. Public health is identified as a key driver of provision, with sport development services being strategically ‘repositioned’ to reflect this. Shifts in national sport policy combined with ongoing impacts from austerity measures has led to the ‘invisibility’ of sport development in many authorities with services marginalised into other departments or renamed to better reflect synergies with the health agenda. Changing resource dependencies and asymmetrical power relations are acknowledged within the organisation field, affecting the position of local authorities in the wider sporting landscape.The thesis encourages readers to re-think sport development – it challenges traditional notions of local government sport development and highlights the changing professionalism of sport development practitioners.

This book examines the roles of those working in and around sport development and explores the most effective methods by which professionals and volunteers can promote interest, participation or performance in sport.

In a recent policy debate in this journal, focusing on gender and the events industry, Rhodri Thomas states that his intention in writing the piece was to challenge policy-makers and those working in representative organisations related to events to take equalities more seriously. The aim of this paper is to both react to this call and to make a similar one, explicitly challenging the need for more policy considerations and research into ‘race’, ethnicity and whiteness in the context of the events industry. While the notion of social justice is receiving greater scrutiny in the event literature, ideas of ‘race’, ethnicity and their intersections, and whiteness are neither currently addressed or understood. Many of the privileges afforded by whiteness processes rely on its reported invisibility, hegemony and supremacy. The first step in combating these privileges and their effects, is in explicitly identifying whiteness and making it visible. A simple acknowledgement that the lack of Black and minoritised ethnic people on the Boards of events organisations, is a good starting point, but alone, this is not enough. If the commitment to racial equality is to be more than a form of paying lip-service, then it is also necessary to engage with the deep-rooted cultural relations of power that sustain racially exclusive practices. If not addressed, the disproportionate number of leadership positions in events organisations will continue to perpetuate the ‘snowy white peaks’ of the industry’s representative bodies.

Ever since his introduction to the first-­-team at Manchester United FC, Cristiano Ronaldo Dos Santos Aveiro has been recognised as one of the footballing world’s most stand-­-out football players. In turn, Ronaldo has drawn the attention of scholars working across a number of disciplines. While sports economists and sociologists of sport, amongst others, have contributed to a growing literature about Ronaldo and the social implications of his on and off-­-field behaviour, few critical analyses have considered the racialised aspects of Ronaldo’s representations, or how audiences make sense of his racialised or ethnic identity. Using images of Ronaldo, which we presented to and discussed with self-­-identified physically active white British men, we explore what it is representations and audience interpretations of Ronaldo reveal about the complexities of white male identity formation. We do this to understand better how white male identities can be read and interpreted through and in the context of football. Facilitated by our conception of contingent whiteness, we argue that white British men’s interpretations of Ronaldo’s whiteness are inextricably linked to discourses of ‘race’, masculinities and football.

The purpose of this paper is to elucidate how racism manifests ‘behind closed doors’ in the backstage private domain. We do this with reference to recent high-profile controversies in the US and UK. In particular, we use the concepts of frontstage (public) and backstage (private) racism to unpack the extraordinary case in point of the ex-National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise owner Donald Sterling. The paper concludes that though it is important for frontstage racism to be disrupted, activist scholars must be mindful of the lesser-known, and lesser-researched, clandestine backstage racism that, we argue, galvanises more public manifestations. The Donald Sterling case is an example of how backstage racism functions and, potentially, how it can be resisted.

Over the last 30 years, Critical Race Theory (CRT) has been applied successfully as an analytical framework, through which, to explore matters of “race,” racialization, and subordination in numerous fields. For CRT to continue to be relevant, there is a need to reorient it as a guiding analytical framework, to account for the ubiquity of digital technologies across liberal Western democracies and the ways in which they have radically changed social and cultural production. During this article, we wish to extend this argument further and encourage the development of critical race methodologies (CRMs) fit for the (hyper)digital moment, so we are equipped better to challenge the persistence of racialized hierarchies and the emerging cultural circumstances in which they operate. It identifies the philosophical principles that underpin CRMs and concludes by outlining critical race semiotics (CRS) as an analytical tool dedicated to human emancipation, particular to our highly visual culture.

This paper applies the concept “blind spots” to describe partial approaches to “race” and gender equality agendas in sport organizations in the UK, drawing on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with Equality and Coach Development Leaders. Using the specific context of sport coaching, our qualitative approach is underpinned by critical race theory and the work of black feminism and intersectionality scholarship. Three key themes are identified: The marginality of “race” in the equalities agenda; Patterns of (in)visibility; and Whitening Equality. We argue that there is an urgent need for “race” conscious intersectional critiques of sport coaching. This is to examine the multiplicity and complexities of inclusion and exclusion for coaches and the different levels at which social divisions are constructed and interconnected. The paper provides a theoretical contribution to develop “race” equality research and outlines implications for policy-makers and practitioners to help challenge notions of meritocracy.

Rationale: Community sport practitioners often face the dual challenge of creating and sustaining inclusive provision, whilst also aspiring to demonstrate the wider social impacts of their interventions. This enduring challenge has prompted a growing interest in the adoption of “asset-based” approaches as a way to facilitate provision without the resource-intensive commitments of programme delivery. Approach: This article draws upon a case study of asset-based community sport development to reveal an application of this innovative approach. Findings: A community-orientated ethos and participatory processes are identified as key components of an asset-based approach. The findings provide much needed theoretical and practical insight into the actualities and implications of their adoption. Practical implications: The paper concludes that an asset-based approach has the potential to aid practitioners and policymakers in their laudable aspirations of inclusive provision and pursuit of social goals through sport. Research Contribution: This research is the first to examine the use of an asset-based approach in community sport provision, providing insights into a particular “family of mechanisms” crucial to understanding the potential of Community Sport Development.

This paper examines the involvement of members of South Asian communities in cricket (in Bradford and Leeds, UK). The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) identified that despite the high level of interest in cricket within these communities, relatively few were participating in opportunities provided through ECB structures; instead, they were engaged in various forms of ‘informal’ cricket. Using data from a small-scale survey and group interviews, this paper speaks to issues of diversity and equality utilizing Rowe’s theory of sporting capital framed with insights from Critical Race Theory (CRT). We argue that Rowe’s model should be refined by incorporating the concepts of cultural competence and cultural wealth. Doing this can safeguard against deficit models of capital that stress what people lack rather than what they possess. This provides the sporting establishment with better insight to how their sport is perceived and engaged with by those outside the mainstream.

Providing pragmatic interventions (through sport) to tackle social issues in hard-to-reach communities, including those in Aboriginal and black minority ethnic (BME) communities, this study highlights how a community football club was able to deliver positive outcomes for racism, discrimination and health. The article compares findings geographically originating from Australia with those in the UK. The program highlighted herein does not have the so-called ‘power’ and backing of a brand (of a professional football club) to rely on, and the appealing factor is football alone; football in its purest sense: the activity. We call upon those strategically placed in funding and commissioning roles to draw on the evidence base to support non-professional football (and sport and recreation) clubs to deliver on the health agenda. Adding further conclusions that this mechanism and context of delivery can support positive social and health changes, but requires further examination.

This study was set up to examine claims made for the ability of cultural projects to promote social inclusion (cultural projects are here taken to include those incorporating sport, the arts, media, heritage and outdoor adventure). This was to be achieved primarily by collecting evidence from a sample of 14 projects selected from some 200 that had volunteered their services. The report to the government’s Social Exclusion Unit (SEU) from the Policy Action Team (PAT10) (1999) noted the potential. In his foreword, Chris Smith (then Secretary of State for the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS)) wrote: “… art and sport can not only make a valuable contribution to delivering key outcomes of lower long term unemployment, less crime, better health and better qualifications, but can also help to develop the individual pride, community spirit and capacity for responsibility that enable communities to run regeneration programmes themselves”. Similar statements have followed from other politicians, particularly in the recent Commons debate on sport and social exclusion (22/11/01), and again in the public health debate (13/12/01). However, the PAT 10 report also came to the same conclusion as previous commentators (e.g. Glyptis, 19893; Allison & Coalter, 19964; Long & Sanderson, 1998) that there is little ‘hard’ evidence of the social benefits that accrue.

This book examines the roles of those working in and around sport development and explores the most effective methods by which professionals and volunteers can promote interest, participation or performance in sport.

The paper addresses the implications of using the process of systematic review in the many areas of leisure where there is a dearth of material that would be admitted into conventional Cochrane Reviews. This raises important questions about what constitutes legitimate knowledge, questions that are of critical import not just to leisure scholars, but to the formulation of policy. The search for certainty in an area that lacks conceptual consensus results in an epistemological imperialism that takes a geocentric form. While clearly, there is a need for good research design whatever the style of research, we contend that the wholesale rejection of insightful research is profligate and foolhardy. A mechanism has to be found to capitalise on good quality research of whatever form. In that search, we draw upon our experience of conducting a review of the material available on participation in sport and physical recreation by people from Black and minority ethnic groups. The paper concludes with a proposal for a more productive review process that makes better use of the full panoply of good quality research available. © 2012 © 2012 Taylor & Francis.

This paper presents and explores critical race theory (CRT) as an ontological starting point for the study of sport and leisure. CRT is based on five precepts outlined by Solorzano and Yosso that centre 'race' and racism, social justice, plurivocality, transdisciplinarity and challenge orthodoxies. There have been a number of recent criticisms and debates amongst leisure and sports studies writers that challenge their general focus of study as narrow and myopic. The five precepts have been fundamental to radical shifts in critical legal studies over the past fifteen years and have significance for the development of critical sport and leisure theory. CRT and 'race' critical perspectives are drawn out, clarified and their mutual agendas focussed. It is argued here that researchers and writers need urgently to centralize 'race' and racism as core factors in the study of social relations in sport if Birrell's optimism in the development of sport (and leisure) theory is to be realised.

This study was set up to examine claims made for the ability of cultural projects to promote social inclusion (cultural projects are here taken to include those incorporating sport, the arts, media, heritage and outdoor adventure). This was to be achieved primarily by collecting evidence from a sample of 14 projects selected from some 200 that had volunteered their services. The report to the government’s Social Exclusion Unit (SEU) from the Policy Action Team (PAT10) (1999)2 noted the potential. In his foreword, Chris Smith (then Secretary of State for the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS)) wrote: “… art and sport can not only make a valuable contribution to delivering key outcomes of lower long term unemployment, less crime, better health and better qualifications, but can also help to develop the individual pride, community spirit and capacity for responsibility that enable communities to run regeneration programmes themselves”. Similar statements have followed from other politicians, particularly in the recent Commons debate on sport and social exclusion (22/11/01), and again in the public health debate (13/12/01). However, the PAT 10 report also came to the same conclusion as previous commentators (e.g. Glyptis, 19893; Allison & Coalter, 19964; Long & Sanderson, 19985) that there is little ‘hard’ evidence of the social benefits that accrue.

Apart from millennium concerns about what it means to be English, 'whiteness' has largely escaped examination, particularly in the leisure literature. Where 'black' people have been seen as the significant other in British sport, 'whiteness' could be seen as the 'silent' other. This paper begins to redress this by drawing on the experience of a suite of studies conducted by the Centre for Leisure and Sport Research into racism in sport. During those we solicited self-definitions of ethnicity and explored perceived characteristics not just of Asian and African-Caribbean, but also of white footballers and cricketers. From this we examine personal identity in the context of normalized, privileged 'whiteness' and demonstrate the processes by which these operate in sporting environments. Examining 'whiteness' more closely should allow researchers to make it visible and open to discussion. Moreover, an understanding of its construction generates the possibility of a clearer understanding of the processes of racism, hence a better chance of disrupting them. The paper demonstrates the complexity of these processes and their interpretation, which cannot, of course, be achieved independently of the researchers' own blackness and whiteness.

This podcast will provide you with an insight into the unconscious bias in sport, and how unconscious bias can have an impact and influence on organisations and the sport and recreation sector as a whole

© 2015 Taylor & Francis This section of the journal encourages discussion between several authors on a policy-related topic. The same question may, therefore, be addressed from different theoretical, cultural or spatial perspectives. Dialogues may be applied or highly abstract. This Dialogue starts with this contribution and is followed by three comments by Herman Ouseley doi.org/10.1080/19407963.2015.1115951; Daryl Adair doi.org/10.1080/19407963.2015.1115952 and, finally, Jacco van Sterkenburg's reflections prompted by the observations of fellow contributors doi.org/10.1080/19407963.2015.1115953.

This British Academy funded study examines how online racism and Islamophobia are manifest, enabled, experienced and tackled. It comprises a focus on, 1) Fan Forums Content Analysis 2) Twitter/'X' Social Network Analysis 3) English Premier League and English Football League Interviews

At times of economic uncertainty the position of new migrants is subject to ever closer scrutiny. While the main focus of attention tends to be on the world of employment the research on which this paper is based started from the proposition that leisure and sport spaces can support processes of social inclusion yet may also serve to exclude certain groups. As such, these spaces may be seen as contested and racialised places that shape behaviour. The paper draws on interviews with White migrants from Poland and Black migrants from Africa to examine the normalising of whiteness. We use this paper not just to explore how leisure and sport spaces are encoded by new migrants, but how struggles over those spaces and the use of social and cultural capital are racialised.

Despite greater attention to racial equality in sport in recent years, the progress of national sports organizations toward creating equality of outcomes has been limited in the United Kingdom. The collaboration of the national sports agencies, equity organizations and national sports organizations (including national governing bodies of sport) has focused on Equality Standards. The authors revisit an earlier impact study of the Racial Equality Standard in sport and supplement it with another round of interview material to assess changing strategies to manage diversity in British sport. In particular, it tracks the impact on organizational commitment to diversity through the period of the establishment of the Racial Equality Standard and its replacement by an Equality Standard that deals with other diversity issues alongside race and ethnicity. As a result, the authors question whether the new, generic Equality Standard is capable of addressing racial diversity and promoting equality of outcomes. © 2006 Sage Publications.

This paper offers a critique of the much-vaunted claims of sports ability to integrate new migrants by generating social capital. By examining a growing literature base alongside new empirical evidence, we explore whether the experiences of new migrants actually reflect the hypothetical claims made by some policy-makers and scholars about the role of sport in tackling exclusion, promoting inclusion and constructing interculturalism. We demonstrate that the claims made about the value of sport are not found in the experiences of most of our respondents from new migrant communities living in Leeds, UK. We question whether sport truly is communicative in the Habermasian sense, contributing to identity projects, and so counsel caution in using it as a panacea to promote belonging and cohesion. This was a purpose for which leisure opportunities seemed more suited (at least for participants) in our research.

The current article provides a critical examination of the racialised and gendered processes that reinforce disparities in sport coaching by exploring the experiences of Black men and women coaches in the United Kingdom. The findings are based on in-depth qualitative interviews with coaches from two national governing bodies of sport. Using a Critical Race Theory approach and Black feminist lens, the coaches’ narratives illuminate the complex, multifaceted and dynamic ways in which ‘race’, ethnicity and gender are experienced and negotiated by sport coaches. The coaches’ reflections are discussed under three themes: negotiating identities; privilege and blind spots; and systemic discrimination. The narratives from the coaches’ experiences emphasise the need for key stakeholders in sport to recognise the intersectional, structural and relational experiences that facilitate, as well as constrain, the progression of Black coaches in order to challenge racialised and gendered inequalities.

This paper is critical of the blind spots in approaches to ‘race’ and gender equality in sport coaching organisations in the United Kingdom (UK). The doctoral research is based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with Equality and Coach Education Leaders in sport coaching organisations and national governing bodies. The method of thematic analysis was used to aid the identification, analysis and reporting of themes across the data set (Braun and Clarke, 2006). Rooted in a Critical race theory and Black feminist theoretical framework, the blind spots are discussed under three themes: Locating ‘race’ in the equalities agenda; Patterns of invisibility: intersections of ‘race’ and gender; and Confronting Whiteness. The findings provide a critique of equality policies and practices that fail to fully articulate and address the nature of discrimination through either marginalising issues or focusing on one categorical oppression at the exclusion of others (Crenshaw, 1991). I conclude that there is a clear need for continued intersectional analysis in sport coaching that includes the continuous questioning of whiteness to further examine the complexities of inclusion and exclusion for coaches. Whereas the importance of intersectionality has engendered different ways of thinking and theorising about the multiplicity and complexity of power relations in sport coaching, this now needs to be translated into sport practice with regards to ‘race’ and gender equality work.

The article examines how UK sport organisations have framed race equality and diversity, in sport coaching. Semi-structured interviews were used to gain insight into organisational perspectives towards ‘race’, ethnicity, racial equality, and whiteness. Using Critical Race Theory and Black feminism, colour-blind practices were found to reinforce a denial that ‘race’ is a salient factor underpinning inequalities in coaching. The dominant practices employed by key stakeholders are discussed under three themes: equating diversity as inclusion; fore fronting meritocracy and individual agency; and framing whiteness. We argue that these practices sustain the institutional racialised processes and formations that serve to normalise and privilege whiteness. We conclude that for Black and minoritised ethnic coaches to become key actors in sport coaching in the UK ‘race’ and racial equality need to be centred in research, policy and practice.

The Carnegie Research Institute was commissioned by Sporting Equals and the Sports Councils to conduct an independent systematic review of the literature on participation in sport and recreation by Black and minority ethnic (BME) communities. The brief was to focus on UK material from the past ten years, to compile an electronic, bibliographic database and use that evidence to assess the policy significance of existing knowledge in the drive to widen and increase participation. Although the field might still be considered under-researched over 300 items were identified. Judgements were made on the quality of the research on the basis of the methodological and theoretical soundness and the credibility of the link between the conclusions and the data. The various items were collated in an electronic, bibliographic database and coded as: substantive research of good quality; related public statistics and policy documents; and other related materials of interest. The research, policy and practice contained in this body of work is set within an expanding national and international framework of policy and legislation concerned with human rights and principles of equality. The Sports Councils and Sporting Equals have played a significant part in this through initiatives like the Equality Standard. They have not been acting in isolation, but have received support from other sports bodies with initiatives both to challenge discrimination and inequality and to promote participation and inclusion. Nonetheless, there still seems to be a measure of disconnection between research, sports policies and equality policies. Indeed, sports policies are sometimes based on limited representations of racism and so are inhibited in the way they address racial equality.

The research on which this paper is based started from the proposition that sport and leisure spaces can support processes of social inclusion (Amara et al., 2005), yet may also serve to exclude certain groups. As such, these spaces may be seen as contested and racialised places that shape behaviour. We shall use this paper not just to explore how those spaces are perceived by new migrants, but how those interpretations may vary with time and processes of social change. That involves examining how sport and leisure spaces are encoded in different ways, thereby affecting people’s experience, while at the same time recognising that their sport and leisure practices shape those social constructions. We argue that such an understanding is necessary to inform policies and practices that could promote the development of mutual and shared spaces rather than disconnected multiple occupations of spaces. Our goal is not only to contribute to the development of theory, but also to the debate that has counterposed multiculturalism and integrationism. Our recent systematic review, conducted for Sporting Equals and the sports councils (Long et al., 2009), synthesised literature on participation in sport and physical recreation by people from Black and Minority Ethnic Communities (BME) in the UK. That review identified a growing body of research, but one focussing primarily on the experiences of Black and Asian groupings. That has led us to turn to a consideration of new migrant communities. In this paper we shall be reporting on empirical research conducted with ‘new migrants’ now living in Leeds.

This is a triple book review of the following publications: Prostitution Policy in the Nordic Region: Ambiguous Sympathies. By May- Len Skilbrei and Charlotta Holmstrom, Leaving Prostitution: Getting Out and Staying Out of Sex Work. By Sharon S. Oselin, Selling Sex: Experience, Advocacy and Research on Sex Work in Canada. By Emily van der Meulen, Elya M. Durisn and Victoria Love

Though still of concern, racist abuse within the UK’s football (soccer) stadiums has declined. However, with the increasing significance of digital leisure in people’s lives, there is now a large amount of abuse related to football that is expressed through social media. Digital communities provide both the means of consuming leisure (watching football) and ‘talking’ about it with whoever will ‘listen’. Here we examine the social architecture of networks on Twitter as they emerged in response to two incidents in 2020. To do this, we adopt Social Network Analysis to reveal the prosumption networks that form around key ‘users’. Our article offers empirical insights into racial digital leisure, addresses what action is needed from sporting organisations and media platforms, and suggests avenues for future research.

This article used a critical sampling approach to investigate a series of football forums which respond to and discuss racism and Islamophobia. A thematic analysis of 1,064 forum posts identified 19 themes which led to the construction of five overarching themes which are: i) racism has decreased; ii) denying and downplaying racism and Islamophobia; iii) racism has increased; iv) victims and perpetrators; and, v) the action that should be taken. Our qualitative analysis illustrates that most of the football fans ascribe to a narrow understanding of racism in that it is perceived as overt. Very few forum participants offered a nuanced understanding of racism meaning that implicit racism, and how it can be challenged, was overlooked. While overt racism and Islamophobia was infrequently observed across the forums, fans’ tendency to downplay racism, and distance themselves from it, was noteworthy as this acts as a barrier to the anti-racist action.

This paper draws on original research from a larger study of racism and Islamophobia online around football, particularly a set of interviews with staff at English football clubs whose responsibility is to manage social media. We use that information alongside our reflections on “platformed racism” to appraise how expressions of racism on social media differ from those in and around the grounds, and how clubs and others in football contest them. This involves a consideration of three themes commonly identified by those speaking on behalf of the clubs: The triggers that ignite racist posts; the partnerships necessary to counter them; and their proposed solutions. Hence this is not just a cue for a collective wringing of hands, but an effort to point the way forward.

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Within the UK adoption has become a highly politicised and racialised practice as successive governments have promoted adoption above other forms of permanence. The Children and Families Act, 2014, controversially removed the requirement that adoption agencies should ‘give due consideration to the child’s religious persuasion, racial origin and cultural and linguistic background’. Using Critical Race Theory and contemporary sociological discourses, this is the first study to examine how social workers have responded to this legislative reform, to examine if and how race matters within adoption. This qualitative study took place in a local authority and its associated adoption agency. Through the use of semi-structured interviews with nine children’s social workers, six adoption social workers, an agency decision-maker and a focus group with eight members of an adoption panel, this study examined the influence of race and ethnicity on adoption practice for children of mixed racial backgrounds. In providing a theoretical discussion of the construction of race and mixed race, this study examines how mixed race identities are conceptualised within social work assessments and how this informs decision-making and matching with prospective adopters. Through the application of critical race methodologies and thematic analysis, the findings suggested that three interrelated themes: Racial Literacy and Social Work; Race, Adoption and Ethical Literacy and Racially Literate Adoption Practice highlight the salience of race within adoption practice. The study found that despite the removal of the ethnicity clause, race continues to matter for mixed race children within English adoption practice, as many social workers demonstrated an ethical commitment to the significance of race for children’s adoptive identities. The study highlighted increased heterogeneity in categories of mixedness as participants sought to understand the complexity of children’s lived experiences. However, the study identified a lack of racial literacy within adoption practice, which was reflected by an inconsistency in how mixed race identities were represented in assessments and reports, and it was difficult to determine how race and ethnicity were considered in placement decisions. The study concluded that race does not need to be an explicit feature of discourse to remain an invisible presence and highlighted the potential of Critical Race Theory to understand racialisation within adoption policy and practice. The study offers recommendations regarding future research; adoption policy and practice, and social work education and training with the intention of improving the experiences of mixed race children who are seeking adoption.