Policing the Race: U.S. Men’s Distance Running and the Crisis of Whiteness

Abstract

In this article, we examine the complex relationship between whiteness and men’s U.S. distance running. Through a critical examination of over 700 print and electronic sources dealing with distance running in the U.S. from the 1970s through the present, we present evidence that distance running has been framed as a “White space” that is threatened by both external factors (dominance of male international distance-running competition by athletes from African nations) and internal factors (lack of U.S. White male success in conjunction with the success of U.S. citizens of color, born within and outside of the U.S.). We also examine several forms of backlash against these perceived threats, including the media focus on a succession of next White hopes, the rise of U.S. only prize money in road races, and the marginalization of African-born U.S. runners. Our analysis reveals how the media works to normalize whiteness within the larger narrative of U.S. distance running and suggests the need for future work on whiteness and sport.

Jackie Robinson`s Legacy and Women “Cross-over Athletes”: A Comparison of The New York Times' Coverage

“…Representations of these four athletes are on the whole consistent with critical sport studies research on the role of the media in emphasizing and normalizing hegemonic femininity and the existence of fundamental biological differences between men and women [1,23,24]. A number of themes emerged in my analysis, the three most central being: women enter men's events as a publicity stunt; men and women are assumed to be fundamentally different athletes; and these athletes are presented as "good girls," meaning that they are not feminists and they behave themselves.…”

“…[17] As Hall notes, much of the social function of sport involves emphasizing the differences between men and women and celebrating traditional (and narrow) notions of masculinity [22]. While a great deal of important sociological work on gender and sport has identified and challenged the ways in which sport naturalizes and reinforces patriarchal power and essentialist notions of sex/gender identity [1,23,24], most of this scholarship focuses on the need to further develop and equalize support for parallel sporting institutions for girls and women. A much smaller body of work within the sociology of sport addresses the artificiality of the sex/ gender binary itself as the basis for sex segregated sport [18,[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32].…”

“…Studies revealing the role of sport media in normalizing and reinforcing sexism and racism abound [1,23]. Explaining the powerful role of mass media in constructing cultural categories and beliefs, Vincent observes that "the gendered nature of newspaper coverage of sporting events helps to define, normalize, influence, and reflect mainstream societal beliefs about professional sport" [36].…”

The Sport Nexus and Gender Injustice

“…A symbiotic relationship exists between elite sport and mainstream sports media to the extent that such sports media needs to be understood as an integral part of the sport nexus. Mainstream sport media play an important cultural and economic role in the sport nexus"s celebration of masculinity through male sports and male athletes and the diminishment of women athletes and women"s athletics (Walton & Butryn, 2006;Messner, Dunbar, Hunt, 2000;Van Sterkenburg & Knoppers, 2004). The role of sport media in making men"s sports economic juggernauts underscores the relationship between economic and cultural social forces, the very dimensions that Fraser draws on in her definition of participatory parity.…”

Submersed in Social Segregation

“…Some notable exceptions include Erikson's (2003) observational explanation of the invisibility of Whiteness through an analysis of rock climbing at an indoor facility, and Spracklen, Timmins, and Long's (2010) ethnographic study of Whiteness of rugby in England. In addition, others have analyzed media representations of Whiteness and sport, for example, Butterworth (2007), Coleman (1996), Douglas (2005), Erikson (2003), Rhodes (2011), Poniatowski and Whiteside (2012), and Walton and Butryn (2006). These authors have demonstrated the critical importance of understanding, examining, and interrogating the subject of Whiteness and its relationship with sport/leisure participation so as to gain a nuanced perspective of the way in which privilege structures sport, a body of literature to which this article seeks to contribute.…”