The Sport Intersectional Model of Power as a Tool for Understanding Intersectionality in Sport Governance and Leadership

Abstract

The recent UK Diversity in Sport Governance report (UK Sport, 2019) highlighted that two thirds of boards have no Black, Asian and minority ethnic members and that board diversity is an ongoing problem. In the report, UK Sport (2019, p. 5) acknowledged that 'the sports sector is falling behind other sectors in terms of minority ethic members'. While this is an important acknowledgement, it reflects trends in both research and policy on diversity in UK sport governance that continue to focus on single forms of discrimination (e.g., gender, ethnicity, age or sexuality). In this chapter we move beyond this approach to consider how Black women experience sport leadership and governance through an intersectional lens. The key findings in this paper outline Black women's positionality at the intersections of race and gender and how these influence their sport leadership opportunities and experiences based on: (a) their outsider within status, (b) inequities in their salaries, marginalizing promotions, and occupational stereotyping, (c) their tactics identity negotiation, and (d) their experiences with womanism. We conclude by arguing that we need more research exploring the intersection of race and gender within UK sport leadership and governance which should be positioned within the context of long-standing and deep-rooted racialised and gendered ideology and beliefs within UK society.

Gender representation and policy implementation in the governance of international Paralympic organizations

“…Researchers working in the fields of work, organization, and management studies have drawn on the theory of intersectionality to highlight disadvantages associated with recruitment and promotion processes, working conditions, pay conditions, the distribution of work, and leadership/decision-making (Brown & Moloney, 2019). A limited body of work has explored the intersectional experiences of women sport administrators, managers, and leaders, including the experiences of indigenous women (Palmer & Masters, 2010), lesbian women (Robertson et al, 2019), Black women (McDowell & Carter-Francique, 2017;Simpkins et al, 2022), and multiple marginal identities (Walker & Melton, 2015).…”

Introduction: why a Research Handbook on Gender and Diversity in Sport Management

“…Diversity is a highly valued organizational principle, as suggested in the public statements of organizations (Ahmed, 2006a;Jonsen et al, 2021;Knoppers et al, 2021;Simpkins, 2019;Spaaij et al, 2020). Its promotion is often a form of nonperformative discourse or "happy talk," that is, talk that does not accomplish anything except linking an organization to a societal value (Bell & Hartmann, 2007).…”

“It becomes a fight against who I am, rather than what I say”: Gender, positionality, and inclusion in esports leadership

“…There are some notable exceptions, with a small number of researchers exploring how various identities and conditions work together to produce unique inequalities for some women sport leaders (e.g. Hanlon and Taylor, 2022; Melton and Bryant, 2017; Palmer and Masters, 2010; Robertson et al, 2019; Simpkins et al, 2022; Walker and Melton, 2015).…”

“…This differs to existing intersectional research that has tended to focus solely on the perspectives of people or groups with multiple marginalised social identities (e.g. Hanlon and Taylor, 2022;McDowell and Carter-Francique, 2017;Palmer and Masters, 2010;Simpkins et al, 2022). The article continues with an outlining of previous research on the experiences of women in esports, as well as gender and esports leadership.…”

“…From decades of research in sociology of sport, it is evident that the leadership and governance of traditional sport organisations are gender-imbalanced and gender-inequitable at all levels across the world (Elling et al, 2019; Evans and Pfister, 2021). An increasing body of research is also exploring the intersectional experiences of women sport leaders and has found that women experience unique challenges based on their intersecting identities (Hanlon and Taylor, 2022; McDowell and Carter-Francique, 2017; Palmer and Masters, 2010; Robertson et al, 2019; Simpkins et al, 2022; Walker and Melton, 2015). Within this article, we draw on positionality theory to understand how gender intersects and overlaps with other aspects of esports leaders’ identities to impact their privileged and/or marginalised perceptions and experiences of working in the sector.…”