• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

AN INTERSECTIONAL AND DIALECTICAL ANALYSIS AND CRITIQUE OF NBA COMMISSIONER ADAM SILVER AND NFL COMMISSIONER ROGER GOODELL'S AMBIVALENT DISCOURSES IN THE NEW RACISM Linsay M. Cramer A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY May 2017 Committee: Alberto González, Committee Co-Chair Lisa Hanasono, Committee Co-Chair Christina Lunceford Graduate Faculty Representative Ellen Gorsevski ii ABSTRACT Alberto González and Lisa Hanasono, Committee Co-Chairs In 2014, the leadership performances of National Basketball Association (NBA) Commissioner Adam Silver and National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell (both men who occupy White positionality), in response to two critical moments in their respective leagues, offered insight into prevailing racial and gender ideologies between United States (U.S.) professional men’s sport, and ultimately, U.S. society. In the NFL, a domestic abuse incident between NFL star Ray Rice and his then-fiancé Janay Palmer, two individuals who do not occupy whiteness, and in the NBA, racist comments made by then-owner of the Los Angeles Clippers Donald Sterling, a man who occupies whiteness, required responses and disciplinary action from the commissioners. Utilizing critical rhetorical analysis as a method of textual analysis (McKerrow, 1989), this dissertation examines and critiques Commissioners Silver and Goodell’s rhetorical performances as leaders in response to these incidents as well as the surrounding global news and sports media reactions to their decisions. Informed by concepts within critical whiteness studies (e.g., Nakayama & Krizek, 1995), intersectionality (e.g., Crenshaw, 1989; 1991), Black Feminist Thought (BFT) (e.g., Collins 1991; 2004; Griffin, 2012b; hooks, 2004), hegemonic masculinity (e.g,., Trujillo, 1991), and dialogism (Bakhtin, 1981; Baxter, 2011), this dissertation examines the intersection of whiteness and hegemonic masculinity within the commissioners’ performances to explore how whiteness functions dialectically and intersectionally to secure its persuasive power as a strategic rhetoric. The analyses within the two case studies revealed two distinct dialectics: (1) rhetorics of postracism vs. critical rhetorics, and (2) rhetorics of honor vs. rhetorics of shame. Overall, this project iii extends understanding of how the rhetorics of whiteness work dialectically and intersect with the rhetorics of masculinity within the NBA and NFL via the rhetorical performance of those in leadership to maintain and protect White masculinity as central, thereby marginalizing racial and gender “Others” within the NBA and NFL. The dissertation closes with a call for future scholarship within the emerging study of communication and sport to function as scholarship of resistance and to examine race and gender intersectionally. iv Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Even a superficial look at history reveals that no social advance rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals. Without persistent effort, time itself becomes an ally of the insurgent and primitive forces of irrational emotionalism and social destruction. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action. – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1958, p. 197) v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Writing this dissertation has been one of my most meaningful experiences. This dissertation process, while grueling at times, has sparked within me a desire to continue writing, reading, talking, and thinking about the significance of the National Basketball Association and National Football League’s influence on societal understandings of race, racism, gender inequities, and domestic violence. It has also spurred me to continue to resist whiteness through critical scholarship. Much of the reason I have developed such a desire to tackle these specific issues through critical rhetorical scholarship is largely due to the mentorship I have received from Alberto González. Dr. González encouraged me to “be about something” as he once put it. I will always remember Dr. González telling me at my preliminary exam defense that I needed to decide what kind of scholar I wanted to be. I knew immediately that he was giving me a gentle nudge to “be about something.” At that moment, I admit, I was very scared. What did I, a woman who occupies White positionality from a working class (and even a rural and farming) background have to offer critical whiteness studies? Through Dr. González’s never ending support, encouragement, and especially his patience, he helped me to realize that, in fact, I have much to say and much to offer the struggle for social justice. I even have it in me to take on the daunting task of challenging the leadership decisions within two of society’s most powerful organizations, the NBA and NFL. I wish to express a special thank you to Dr. González for reading countless drafts of both my dissertation chapters and other papers, answering my ridiculous questions about research, writing, and all things related to rhetorical analysis, intercultural communication, and whiteness studies, and providing invaluable suggestions and meticulous corrections to my work. Most importantly, I thank him for always valuing my thoughts and research, for guiding me, for treating me like a colleague, and for seeing my potential that I was completely blind to. Dr. G., thank you a thousand times for your mentorship. vi I also wish to extend an equally sincere thank you to Lisa Hanasono, my co-advisor, mentor, and role-model. I have truly been inspired by Dr. Hanasono’s energy, work ethic, unwavering research agenda, passion for teaching, professionalism, and overall teaching and research innovation. To say that she has been a role-model is an understatement. Dr. Hanasono has modeled what it means to be an active scholar, a student-centered teacher, and through it all, a caring person. I sincerely appreciated our meetings, which were always organized and on-task, in which she repeatedly saw potential in me that I didn’t always see. Every time I walked out of her office after one of our meetings, I felt a renewed strength. She encouraged my writing, my ideas, and my work ethic. Her kind and encouraging words and her patience, which were unwavering, have energized me and kept me going through the four years of this program. It has been a true honor to work so closely with Dr. Hanasono as her student, research assistant, and co-advisee. I wish to extend a whole-hearted thank you to Dr. Hanasono for her close readings of numerous drafts of my dissertation chapters, conference papers, and publication submissions. Her detailed feedback has made me a better researcher and writer. I wish to express my most sincere appreciation for her encouragement that has helped me through the research process, writing, and developing unique ideas. Dr. Hanasono, thank you for your guidance, your example, and your mentorship. I wish to also extend a thank you to my husband and partner in life Steve for his love and support over the past four years, and really, since we were two sixteen-year-old kids from the country with no idea what laid ahead for us. Shortly after giving me the opportunity of a lifetime to live and work in Germany and Slovakia with him while her pursued his dream of playing professional basketball, he (reluctantly) agreed to move with me to Bowling Green so that I could pursue my crazy dream of earning a PhD and eventually begin a career as a professor. During the summer between my first and second year in the program, we welcomed our bright vii and energetic daughter Jada into the world. It has not been easy, and in fact has been full of physical and mental exhaustion, sleep deprivation, and stress. However, these past four years have also been full of the greatest joy, fun, peace, and love that I have ever known. Without his sacrifices in time, and sometimes sacrifices in his own career, I could not have both successfully completed this program and parented Jada with him without failing one of the two, and for that I am forever thankful. I also wish to express my true gratitude to him for always seeing the good in me, for helping me to find and express my voice, and for always putting Jada and my needs before his own. Steve, thank you with my whole heart for standing with me and helping me to achieve this goal. She may only be two years old, but my bright, beautiful, spunky daughter Jada deserves all my thanks for getting me through this PhD program. Because I was always trying to leave campus to get back home to her as soon as possible- to feed her, to play with her, or to hold her when she cried- Jada kept me on a strict schedule that allowed me to meet my writing goals on time. Each day, she made me squeeze every ounce of productivity out of my time away from her. She provided and continues to provide an outlet from my (mostly) difficult and disheartening research topics that renews my heart and soul. I hope that one day she will read my work and understand that she was right there with me when this journey began, and that her very presence has lit a fire within me to work and struggle for social justice and equality. Jada, I love you and I hope that one day you light up the world equal to the profound way that you light up my heart and my life. I wish to also thank my family and in-laws for the many ways in which they have kept me sane, loved me, and offered unwavering support as I pursued a PhD.

Load more

  262

Copy Link