This is a group presentation about Diversity in Sports for COM 346: Race, Gender and the Media at Syracuse University. We focused on Syracuse University athletics, but added some contemporary examples as well.

1. Diversity in Sports
#CuseDiversity

2. Overview
• We decided to focus on diversity within
sports, specifically using interview subjects
from Syracuse University athletics
• We made a blog to highlight some of our
individual stories and raise awareness about
diversity issues in sports
• We also incorporated social media with a blog
and hashtag#CuseDiversity

3. Goals
• Raise awareness about diversity in sports
• Acknowledge issues athletes face on their
sports teams and how they are perceived
through the media
• Look into stereotypes of college athletes and
why they have formed
• Put an end to diversity issues in sports

4. Issues
• Finding participants- privacy issues with
collegiate athletes/public figures
• Making sure we covered a wide range of
issues & types of athletes (gender, racial,
class)
• Bringing about awareness of our blog &
Twitter pages (getting followers)

5. #37 Drew Jenkins
Syracuse Lacrosse Midfielder
What makes him diverse?
• African American
• Middle class from New Jersey
• Sport has a history of primarily
white, upper class players
“ Sometimes on my club team kids would make
”
comments like ‘oh, you must be fast’ and things
like that. I knew they were just ignorant.

6. @Bushido_Brown37

7. #75 Zack Chibane
Syracuse Football Offensive Guard
What makes him diverse?
• Father is originally from Algeria
• Extended family (father’s side) lives in Algeria
• Father is Muslim
• Zack shares the same faith
“
”
If you look at me you think I’m just a regular, white,
Christian kid who’s Irish or German or something.

8. @Bane_75

9. International athletes at Syracuse
Syracuse volleyball
• Where are they from?
- Canada, Uzbekistan, Poland, Lithuania
and Russia
- Plus a history of Chinese athletes
Syracuse soccer
• Where are they from?
- Canada, New Zealand, Germany and
Switzerland

10. Why is this?

11. Contemporary Media Examples
#NinjaPlease racial hashtag by Warrior Lacrosse

12. VCU women’s volleyball coach believes
he was fired because he is ‘gay’

13. Colorado football coach believes race could
play a part in the reason for his dismissal

14. How We Can Help
• Raise awareness
• Get others talking
• Form an outlet for athletes to discuss issues
• What we did:
• Diversity in sports blog
• Diversity in SU athletics Twitter account/hashtag

15. Diversity in Sports Blog
• http://diversityinsports.wordpress.com/
– Profiles on athletes (specifically at SU)
– Post about contemporary media examples
– Allows users to comment on our posts/engage
with us
– Linked to our Twitter

16. Cuse Diversity Twitter Page
• https://twitter.com/CuseDiversity
– Updates our followers on blog/links to blog
– Allows followers to discuss our topics via the
hashtag #cusediversity
– Allows Cuse Diversity to interact with other
diversity in sports organizations

17. Any Questions??