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‘Who you callin’ a beast?’

An analysis of antiblack, dehumanizing discourse in sport culture and education

Bibliographic Data

ID22421997
AuthorsAlex E Chisholm (0009-0006-8158-7932, Clemson University, corresponding author), Brittany L Jones (0000-0002-2715-593X, University at Buffalo), Kristen E Duncan (0000-0001-8650-9323, Clemson University)
Year2026
Pages1-14
Publication date2026-07-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSport Education and Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1357-3322 • E-ISSN: 1470-1243
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13573322.2026.2687036
OpenAlexW7167247869
LanguageEN
References cited38

We use critical discourse analysis to examine how Black American athletes are discussed and portrayed in nine media sources, and the connections and implications of those portrayals on Black youth in education and sports. Through the lenses of BlackCrit and the Racial Contract, we discuss the history of dehumanization of Black people and the shift to sports, finding that Blackness is often oversimplified and deemed unnatural or deviant in sports media. Through critical discourse analysis methodology, this study not only underscores the responsibility of society and education to understand and respect the humanity of Black athletes, but it also highlights why Black youth who play sports deserve to have their needs met with full humanity.

Critical discourse analysis · Dehumanization · Discourse analysis · Ethnography · Higher education · Physical education · Sociology of sport · Adventure Sports and Sensation Seeking · Physical Education and Pedagogy · Sports, Gender, and Society · Sports Science

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Citation velocityhistorical
Highly citedNo

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