Papers by A. Lamont Williams
Sociology of Sport Journal
Critical race theory (CRT) is a powerful framework and methodological tool for sport scholars and... more Critical race theory (CRT) is a powerful framework and methodological tool for sport scholars and practitioners to incorporate into their work. While CRT tenets vary depending on discipline, individuals utilizing the framework understand the permanence of racism and how it is institutionalized within various social structures. In honor of the 40th year of the Sociology of Sport Journal, we conducted a review of the journal to assess how CRT has been used among sport sociologists. After reflecting on the 40-year history of Sociology of Sport Journal, we argue for the continued use of CRT and CRT extensions to fulfill the maximum potential of this foundational framework to achieve its goals of emancipation, social justice, and racial equity. We conclude by discussing the future of CRT in sport sociology research and practice in a post “racial reckoning” society, specifically within the U.S. context.
Writing Through Pain: Ars Spirituality, the Black Atlantic, and the Paradox of Diasporic Belongingness
Qualitative Inquiry
By way of autoethnographic poetry, I reflect on my personal struggles related to racial conscious... more By way of autoethnographic poetry, I reflect on my personal struggles related to racial consciousness as I embarked on a journey—from America, across the Atlantic, and eventually, to the Indian Ocean off the East Coast of (mother) Africa. The story of my apparent racial crisis is viewed through multiple lenses, as I infuse the pivotal readings of The Black Atlantic, Lose Your Mother, The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes, and personal experiences both in autoethnographic and in poetic form.
The Heritage Strikes Back: Athlete Activism, Black Lives Matter, and the Iconic Fifth Wave of Activism in the (W)NBA Bubble
Cultural Studies ↔ Critical Methodologies, 2021
On August 26, 2020, the sporting world experienced a monumental return of athlete activism when N... more On August 26, 2020, the sporting world experienced a monumental return of athlete activism when National Basketball Association (NBA) players executed a boycott of the playoffs as a result of heightened frustration after video evidence of the unjust police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, surfaced on social media on August 23, 2020. NBA players (followed by WNBA players) decided to cease play and enter into discussions with league officials to garner a deal that intertwined the promotion of the Black Lives Matter movement with that of the (W)NBA playoffs; players demanded that the (W)NBA playoffs ground zero for Black Lives Matter promotion and social justice initiatives. As the “fifth wave” of athlete activists stormed the sporting world, their demand for dialogic practices is starkly different than the pioneers of the past, while also aiming to accomplish the general mission of the Heritage—racial equality through athlete activism. This article aims to analyze the ne...
Mamba in the Mirror: Black Masculinity, Celebrity, and the Public Mourning of Kobe Bryant
Sociology of Sport Journal, 2021
In this manuscript, the author describes their unexpected grieving process in dealing with the de... more In this manuscript, the author describes their unexpected grieving process in dealing with the death of Kobe Bryant. In particular, the author focuses on the mourning process on tragic celebrity deaths and the relationship between celebrity, mortality, and the ways in which people make sense of themselves through celebrity figures. The author attempts to highlight the complicated nature of mourning celebrity figures who are not personally known, especially those that have a complicated history in the public eye. The author moves into and through their own personal experiences as a Black man in order to make sense of public mourning, race, and the Black Masculinity of Kobe Bryant.
The (Black) Struggle That Must Be: Black Masculinity, Black College Athletes, and Black Mental Health Through a Looking Glass
Cultural Studies ↔ Critical Methodologies
In this article, the author describes their mental health struggles tied to Black Masculinity as ... more In this article, the author describes their mental health struggles tied to Black Masculinity as a (former) Black athlete. In particular, the author focuses on the stigma surrounding mental health in the Black community and the ways in which Blackness, Black masculinity, and mental health battles emulate the (Black) struggle that must be. The author attempts to highlight the complicated nature of mental health struggles, specifically the ways in which suicide is handled in the world of sport and the ways in which the narrative can have juxtaposed racial frameworks. The author moves into and through their own personal experiences with mental health as a Black man, both in present tense and including personal journal entries, to make sense of “the (Black) struggle that must not be ignored.”
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Papers by A. Lamont Williams