The Physical Cultural Studies research group at the University of Maryland was well-represented at this year’s annual meeting for the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport (NASSS) in Las Vegas, Nevada from November 9-11th. The theme of the conference this year was Raising the Stakes on Representation and current PCS students and faculty presented on topics ranging from anti-blackness in kinesiology to faux-empowerment in reality TV shows to DeLand’s assemblage theory.

On Friday, June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade (1973) ruling, no longer authorizing the constitutional right to abortion.

I got the news on Monday that George Floyd, another in a long line of Black men killed by police, had died from forceful tactics inflicted on him by a man who lacked an ounce of humanity.

As the coronavirus pandemic has seemingly disrupted all economic, political, and social routines, a debate has commenced over what the pandemic means for the fate of capitalism. Radical thinkers – especially those who are seeking to re-imagine and overturn structures rather than merely improve them – have been eager to believe that this represents the beginning of capitalism’s end.

I forget that not everyone knows just how corrupt (and frankly, doomed) Olympic Weightlifting is. We experience the sport in a cycle that repeats every few years: we idolize a number of incredibly strong weightlifters, fawn over their successes and world records, proclaim them the greatest of all time, find out they have tested positive for steroids (after years of negative drug tests!), and then move on to the next rising star – and we believe that this time, unlike every other time, the new fan favorite is completely steroid-free.

This may not be breaking-news or surprising to some, but I was shocked last year when I read that Serena Williams almost died after giving birth to her daughter because the nurse did not believe Serena’s claim that she was in pain. My first response to reading this news was “it’s because she’s Black.” Still, I hesitated to draw to this conclusion given that Serena Williams is wealthy, a boss, and the G.O.A.T (greatest of all time) to ever step on the tennis court.

When we consider the intersections of gender, race, capitalism, McDonaldization, and football, we arrive at the issues surrounding Antonio Brown. Moreover, it brings us to the core question then, of who is really at fault here, and what side do we take? Is AB another victim of the NFL’s exploitative and dehumanizing protocols, or is he a loose cannon who has finally been brought to justice with the current sexual abuse investigation? Is he both? And perhaps the more chilling question: who’s next?

Why do African-Americans still need to cautiously navigate as pedestrians? Late last year, the movie “Green Book,” starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen was released. This true story, which received three Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Ali, was about Tony Lip (Mortensen), an Italian-American bouncer in the early 1960s, being hired to drive Dr. Don Shirley (Ali), an African-American jazz pianist, on his eight-week concert tour through the Midwest and Deep South using The Negro Motorist Green Book, or simply the Green Book.

A year ago, I wrote about the concerns regarding the International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF) newest policy on testosterone regulation and the science “supporting” their policy. In this piece, I critiqued the IAAF’s proposed policy around testosterone regulation of athletes with higher levels of naturally occurring testosterone. Specifically, I focused on the discriminatory nature of this policy and failure of the science behind it to corroborate the IAAF’s assertion that endogenous testosterone unfairly benefits female athletes.

The news article probably would’ve been written something like this. “On Thursday, 23-year-old College Park resident Brandon Wallace was fatally shot by local police officers after entering the police station armed with a deadly weapon. According to authorities, Wallace rushed into the police station wielding a 10-inch knife with intent to kill. A local police officer, who has asked to remain anonymous at this time, saw the knife in Wallace’s hands immediately after Wallace entered the station. The officer shot Wallace 11 times, killing him on the spot. The officer claims that he feared for his life and the lives of his fellow officers. The police administration has stated that the officer’s actions followed protocol and were justified. An investigation into the incident is pending…”