Summary

Week 1 Summary Dr. Johnson

This week’s readings provided a theoretical foundation for sports, leisure, and recreation. Holland offers a literature review that highlighted some of the major definitions and debates within the field. His ultimate concern is identifying “Black recreational habits.” To do so, he begins with a brief overview of race and racial discrimination in the United States. From there, he presents definitions of play, leisure, and recreation. He defines Leisure as follows:

1. Leisure, in the classical view, is a state of being in which activity is performed for its own sake.

2. Leisure is a social-class attribute.

3. Leisure is free or unobligated time.

4. Leisure activity is carried on in free time.

5. Leisure is a state of being indicated by perceived freedom.

(Holland, 20).

While Holland does not explicitly state it, leisure is ridden with power dynamics. In other words, certain people are afforded leisure time because others are not, as implied through its characteristic as a social-class attribute. Instead of pursuing this, Holland conflates leisure with recreation, or that “which is pleasurable and has socially redeeming qualities” (19).

Holland presents three major theories that explain the varying recreational habits among different racial, ethnic, and socio-economic groups. The first is Marginality Theory, which states “persons with homogeneous socioeconomic status are more likely to participate in similar recreation activities” (24). For proponents of this theory, recreation is determined more by social status than race. Ethnicity Theory, on the other hand, argues “an individual’s subculture determines differences in interest and participation” (26). The implication herein is that ethnic identification encourages different norms.

The final theory that Holland discusses is Racial Discrimination, which uses “intentional institutional racial discrimination to understand and explain participation differences” (29). This is, perhaps, best exemplified in the historical exclusion of Black and Latino people from private golf courses.

While each of these theories has an implicit acknowledgement of power, their emphasis on marginalized communities of color does not account for the full picture. McDonald further complicates theories of leisure by calling attention to whiteness as an overarching cultural standard. While we currently see large numbers of Black athletes in professional sports, “whiteness” continues to serve as a moral governing force. When Serena Williams wore a black cat suit during a match, it became a scandal. The NBA imposed a strict dress code whereby athletes had to dress as “business professionals” on their way to and from games. Richard Sherman was painted as a “thug” after yelling with excitement for making a game-changing play. “Decorum” becomes a white cultural value disguised as “universal.”

Davis provides an historical reading of this phenomenon. Beginning with the era of slavery, he highlights the historical trajectory of Black athletes in the United States. As he moves into the twentieth century, we see a slow integration of the professional and collegiate playing field. He points out, however, that we don’t see the same level of integration within the ranks of leadership. While the playing field may change, the power holders remain the same.