Black Identity & Expression Through Sports

Black Identity & Expression Through Sports

Power, Protest, and identity in sports culturePRESENTED BY: PATRICK IRACE & AVa tilford

Index

1. Historical Background

2. Examples

3. CUltural Impact

4. Image

5. Our cultural medium

6. Sources

Historical background

• Black atheletes have shaped both sports and American culture/identity.
• They have faced discrimination and exclusion throughout history.
• They used their talent, visibility, and voices to challenge inequality.
• Sports became a space for resistance, self-experssion, and cultural influence.
• Black athletes have had a major impact on society as a whole.

Guess the sports player

Which sports player...

• Protested racial injustice by kneeling during the national anthem

• Brought national attention to police brutality and systemic racism

• Played football for the San Francisco 49ers

• His protests connects to themes of identity and activism in Creating Black Americans, as he risked his career to stand up for equality and inspire broader conversations in society.

Colin Kapernick

Guess the sports player

• Which sports player..

• Used his platform to speak out against racism and the Vietnam War?

• Was a professional boxer

• Showed that athletes could stand for political and social beliefs, even at personal cost

• Influence culture through confidence, style, and outspoken personality

• Helped shape media by becoming one of the first athletes known as a sports icon and activist.

MUHAMAD ALI

GUESS THE SPORTS PLAYER

• Which sports player..

• Transformed sports into a global cultural phenomenon through his success and image

• He influenced fashion with the rise of Air Jordan sneakers, blending athletics with streetwear culture.

• His partnership with Nike changed how athletes engage in branding and business and also helped shape media by turning athletes into worldwide icons beyond just sports.

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MICHEAL JORDAN

Cultural Impact

• Muhammad Ali redefined athletes as activists, influencing civil rights conversations and inspiring future athlete protests.
• Michael Jordan globalized sports culture, shaped fashion and sneaker trends, and changed branding for athletes forever.
• Colin Kaepernick sparked modern athlete activism, influenced media debates on race, and connected protest with branding and culture.

OUR CULTURAL MEDIUM

For our cultural medium, we created an interactive slide presentation using Genially based on Muhammad Ali, Collin Kaepernick, and Michael Jordan. We designed it as a “Guess Who” activity where users move through slides with clues and then reveal the correct athlete. We chose this format because slides are an engaging and accessible way to learn through visuals and interaction instead of just reading. This connects to Creating Black Americans by highlighting themes of Black identity, activism, and cultural influence, especially through figures like Ali and Kaepernick. This project helped us build research, organization, and digital design skills while better understanding how athletes shape culture and history.

Why this matters

We chose this topic because sports have a major influence on culture and how people understand history today. Athletes like Muhammad Ali, Colin Kaepernick, and Micheal Jordan are more than just players because they represent different ways Black identity and influence show up in society. Their actions and visibility connect to larger themes in Creating Black Americans, especially activism, resistance, and cultural impact. This matters because it shows how history is not just in textbooks, but also in the media and sports we see every day.

How we created this project

We made this project in Genially by creating slides with clues that help you guess each athlete. We researched Muhammad Ali, Colin Kaepernick, and Michael Jordan using our textbook Creating Black Americans and other sources online. We used research and organization skills, and learned how to put everything together in a simple, interactive way that connects sports to history, identity, and culture.

Sources

CNN. (n.d.). Athletes kneeling during national anthem. https://www.cnn.com ESPN. (n.d.). Colin Kaepernick kneeling during national anthem. https://www.espn.com GiveMeSport. (2024). Muhammad Ali collage image. https://www.givemesport.com Library of Congress. (1961). Schulke, F. Muhammad Ali underwater [Photograph]. https://www.loc.gov Nike. (n.d.). Believe in something: Colin Kaepernick campaign. https://www.nike.com Nike. (n.d.). Air Jordan campaign. https://www.nike.com NBA. (n.d.). Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls action photo. https://www.nba.com