University of Louisville ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository Electronic Theses and Dissertations 5-2018 A qualitative case study examination of athlete ally using social movement theory. Samuel H. Schmidt University of Louisville Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd Part of the Sports Studies Commons Recommended Citation Schmidt, Samuel H., "A qualitative case study examination of athlete ally using social movement theory." (2018). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 2967. https://doi.org/10.18297/etd/2967 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository. This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has retained all other copyrights. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY EXAMINATION OF ATHLETE ALLY USING SOCIAL MOVEMENT THEORY By Samuel H. Schmidt B.A. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, 2013 M.S. University of Louisville, 2014 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the College of Education of the University of Louisville in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership and Organizational Development Department of Leadership, Foundations, and Human Resource Education University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky May 2018 Copyright 2018 by Samuel Harold Schmidt All rights reserved A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY EXAMINATION OF ATHLETE ALLY USING SOCIAL MOVEMENT THEORY By Samuel H. Schmidt B.A. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, 2009 M.S. University of Louisville, 2014 A Dissertation Approved on April 20, 2018 By the following Dissertation Committee: Meg G. Hancock, Chair ________________________________________________________________________ Mary A. Hums Evan Frederick Meera Alagaraja ii DEDICATION To my family: Christine, Paul, Ryan, Kate, Kellie, Muriel, (Little) Harold, Ruth, (Grandpa) Harold, Anthony, and Geraldine iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I want to express my deepest gratitude to all those around me who have guided me throughout my doctoral process. Dr. Meg Hancock – You have been a great mentor and even better friend over the past five years. Your leadership and mentorship have helped me grow as a person and a professional immensely. Words cannot express my appreciation for everything you have provided me. Dr. Mary Hums – You have always been a great mentor to me, ever since I entered the Master’s program. The number of times I visited you in your office and we engaged in a lengthy conversation about politics, sport’s platform, and our Midwest background are too many to count. Dr. Meera Alagaraja – You helped open the world of qualitative inquiry to me. It was in your class that I was allowed to explore my positionality in research and understand that research can be used to empower. Truly, that is a welcomed gift. Dr. Evan Frederick – Your guidance over the past two years are invaluable. You’ve helped me with tremendous mentorship in all aspects of my professional career. Dr. Megan Shreffler – Your role in my career/life has been invaluable. You provided me with a chance, encouraged me to engage in research, and sent me down a path that I find great joy and purpose in. “Choose a job you love, and you will never work a day in your iv life” is a cliché quote that I believe in. You provided that opportunity in my life and I cannot say thank you enough. Dr. Hambrick – You are someone that everyone should look up to. Your work habits inspire all around you, while simultaneously having some of the work-life balance of anyone I know. Engaging in the community and with my passions are two lessons that I have learned from witnessing you. Dr. Chris Greenwell – Thank you for everything over the past few years. You provide a strong mentor to all doctoral students. The WWE events, trivia, and movie nights show us the passion and love you have for the doctoral students. Dr. Anita Moorman – You once said, “Hope is a terrible strategy.” This is a quote that I use more often than you imagine. I always stop myself when I “hope” something will work out and enact change to ensure something will work out. Ms. Gin Presley – Without a doubt the best teacher in our department. You have served as a great mentor as I have learned to navigate the classroom. The dedication to your students is bar none at this university. I want to thank you a thousand times for your mentorship, but that would truly not be enough. Linh – Someone who has been by me throughout my entire doctoral process. I cannot be more in awe of the love and support you provide me every day. You push and inspire me to be a better person, something I hold very dear to my heart. Thank you so much. I would also like to thank the other mentors in my life. Dr. Brian Gordon provided my initial interest sport’s impact on society. Had it not been for his Sport and Sociology class, I do not believe I would be where I am today. Dr. Matt Huml has served as a tremendous mentor and friend over the past few years. He provides a bright light for all v of the doctoral students to follow. In addition, my family members have provided me with all the love in the world. They have guided me and molded me every day of my life. I carry the lessons and teachings you have provided me so that I can help make this world a better place. Finally, I wanted to acknowledge Athlete Ally. The organization helped me achieve a dream project for my dissertation. The organizational staff is comprised of amazing people who work endlessly to actually create social change in and out of sport. The work you do is inspiring and immensely underappreciated. Thank you. vi ABSTRACT A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY EXAMINATION OF ATHLETE ALLY USING SOCIAL MOVEMENT THEORY Samuel H. Schmidt April 25, 2018 The following study answered the call for more social movement related studies in sport (Davis-Delano & Crosset, 2008) and lessened the paucity of literature on athlete activism. The purpose of this study was to examine a sport specific social movement organization, Athlete Ally, using Social Movement Theory. Social Movement Theory is guided by three tenets: Resource Mobilization Theory (Edwards & McCarthy, 2004), Political Process Theory (Kriesi, 2004), and Cultural Theory/Frame Analysis (Williams, 2004). Each of these tenets was used to examine the resources exchanged between Athlete Ally and their athlete constituents, determine the strategies for engaging with various sport (i.e. NCAA and NBA) and non-sport governing bodies (i.e. U.S. Government), and understand the tactics for ensuring frame resonance by Athlete Ally. The following qualitative case study was conducted through seven employee or board member interviews with Athlete Ally and an examination of salient organizational documents. Findings indicate that a SMO can provide resources to minimize the impact of negative consequences for engaging in activism. For instance, providing a safe space and vii access to other athlete activists can allow an athlete to engage in activism knowing a SMO is supporting the athlete. On the other side, athletes also provide SMOs with resources, most notably a vast social-network of other constituents. From recruitment of other athlete ambassadors, like teammates, or raising awareness for the organization, athletes can be proficient resources that few other celebrities can match. Those resources can then be utilized to engage with various governing bodies. Typically, when Athlete Ally engages with a protagonist entity, they employ strategies of collaboration. Conversely, Athlete Ally utilizes combative strategies when faced with an antagonistic entity. Despite these strategies, Athlete Ally has to ensure their frames resonate with the intended audience to actually enact change. Athlete Ally accomplishes this by utilizing athletes’ stories, objective statistics, and a diverse staff to increase the salience of their messages. Further findings and results are discussed. Overall, the study’s findings speak to the mutually beneficial relationships sport specific SMOs and athletes can develop to further the goals of a social movement organization viii TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iv ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... vii INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 Activism in the United States ............................................................................................. 2 Celebrity Activism .......................................................................................................... 2 The Athlete Activist ........................................................................................................ 3 Silence of the 1990-2000s Athlete Activist .................................................................... 5 Return of the Athlete Activist ......................................................................................... 6 Social Movement Theory ...................................................................................................