UTSA researchers examine social themes through lens of professional sports controversies

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Christensen, Pérez and Gill.

(April 6, 2015) -- A new collection of research papers by assistant professors with The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) College of Public Policy explores three major professional sports scandals as case studies to understand the ways in which the mainstream media portrays race, gender and violence.

The collection, titled “Teaching Cultural Competence through Case Studies: Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Atlanta Hawks,” was conducted by Candace Christensen, Alfred Pérez and Emmett Gill in UTSA Department of Social Work. The collection was presented at the annual UTSA College of Public Policy Research Symposium last month.

Gill, Christensen and Pérez wrote a series of papers that describe and critique the role that the media plays in crafting notions of race, gender and violence that perpetuate systems of social inequality. They describe how social work professionals can serve to become more culturally sensitive in light of these findings. The researchers study the Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson and Atlanta Hawks professional sports scandals because of their ubiquity in the mainstream news cycles.

In her paper, “The Ray Rice Domestic Violence Case: Construction Black Masculinity through Newspaper Reporters,” Christensen used concepts commonly associated with Black masculinity to analyze the media depictions of the domestic violence allegations against National Football League (NFL) player Ray Rice, particularly depictions of the case by print news journalists. She compared Rice’s depictions in newspaper reports with past scholarship on Black masculinity to explore how Black male athletes are presented in the media. In the course of her research, Christensen states that she found a profound need to end racist and sexist practices within sports organizations and for social work professionals to use a culturally competent approach toward resolving family violence. For more information, contact Candace Christensen.

In his paper, “There is a thin line between discipline and child abuse: Child abuse discourse in the Adrian Peterson child abuse allegation case,” Pérez examined public perceptions, experiences and beliefs about child maltreatment allegations through the lens of the popular discourse surrounding NFL player Adrian Peterson’s child abuse allegation case. Pérez found implications for the prevalence of Black culture being portrayed as deviant from the mainstream, and addressing complex issues in child welfare and culturally competent child welfare policy. For more information, contact Alfred Pérez.

In his paper, “The Sale of Atlanta Hawks: Is it Racism or White Ownership Playing the Race Card,” Gill uses the little-known racial incivility controversy of the recent sale of NBA team the Atlanta Hawks to explore a range of complex issues surrounding modern sports management and inclusivity. He examines the implications of the prevalence of racism in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and why this story did not get broader media attention. For more information, contact Emmett Gill or view a video presentation.

"The UTSA College of Public Policy encourages such collaborative research as a way to bring various perspectives to address particular issues," said Rogelio Saenz, dean of the College of Public Policy. "This research project illustrates such an approach for dealing with racism, the mass media, intimate partner violence, and child abuse."

The researchers will submit their papers to the NBA and NFL for recommendations later this month.

About the Researchers

Candace Christensen is an expert in violence prevention related to gender and sexuality, and an advocate for gender-based violence (GBV) prevention policy, intervention and research. Her research interests primarily concern using feminist research methods to explore gender-based violence prevention and response with youth. In 2013, she was awarded the Feminist Manuscript Scholarship Award from the Council on Social Work Education. Her current research is focused on sexual assault prevention and response on college campuses.

Alfred Pérez is a former child welfare practitioner. His expertise includes child welfare practice and policy, positive youth development, adult function of former foster children, and racial and ethnic disparities of children and families served by public child welfare agencies. He is an affiliate of the Bank of America Child and Adolescent Policy Research Institute at UTSA. Previously, he served in various public policy capacities across the country, such as former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano’s administration and the blue ribbon panel of the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care. In 1999, he spoke at the White House during the signing ceremony for the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999.

Emmett Gill is an expert in athlete substance abuse and mental health as well as scandals among college and professional. He is a national coordinator for the Student-Athletes Human Rights Project, a board member of the Black Women in Sports Foundation, and an affiliate of the North American Society for the Sociology of Sports.

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For more information about the UTSA College of Public Policy, visit www.copp.utsa.edu

Learn more about the UTSA Department of Social Work.

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