Not Playing Around

A 2023 Choice Reviews Outstanding Academic TitleThis book provides an accessible space for interdisciplinary scholarship and narrative through an analysis of the power of media and sports, focusing on the intersectionality of identity, politics, social justice, and social movements within this context. Contributors examine how identities coalesce in sports and discuss the ways in which sports provide spaces for marginalized communities and create unique platforms that shift how society defines identity. Athletes' identities and actions-and mass media's representation thereof-can influence both the perceptions of society as a whole and how individuals view themselves, contributors argue. Each chapter delves into how different aspects of identity, including race, gender, disability, and sexuality, have developed and influenced social change, with a strong focus on lived experiences of both scholars and athletes from marginalized communities. Scholars of media studies, communication, sociology, and kinesiology may find this book particularly useful.

Dr. Andrew M. Colombo-Dougovito is assistant professor of sport pedagogy and motor behavior at the University of North Texas.
Dr. Tracy Everbach is professor of digital/print journalism at the Mayborn School of Journalism at the University of North Texas.
Dr. Karen Weiller-Abels is associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology, Health Promotion and Recreation at the University of North Texas.

Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: At the Confluence of Sport and Identity 
Andrew M. Colombo-Dougovito, Tracy Everbach, & Karen Weiller-Abels
SECTION I: Spaces that Define 
1. "Keep it in the Locker Room": How Athletic Departments Stifle Controversy and Dissent
Frank D. LoMonte & Dionne L. Koller 
Response: Restricting Athletes Speech Puts Athletic Programs at Risk
Paula Lavigne
2. On Balls, Players, Tackle Boxes, and Other Footballing Options: The Politics of Being in the NFL Rulebook
Joshua D. Rubin 
Response: Football
Louis Jenkins
3. Shattering the Glass Ceiling Twice: Sports Journalism Framing of Katie Sowers 
William P. Cassidy
Response: Women Succeed in Coaching and Family Life
Lisa Carlsen
4. Queer Recreation: LGBTQ Sporting Spaces, Community, and Impact 
Austin R. Anderson & Eric Knee 
Response: Voices From the Field
Warren Perry
5. A "Permissible Prejudice": An Exploration of the Systemic Ableist Barriers to Sport and Leisure Activities for Disabled People