“Shut up and dribble!”?Athletes activism in the age of twittersphere: The case of LeBron James

Yair Galily

Technology in Society, 2019, vol. 58, issue C

Abstract: As many sport scholars claimed before, sport does not operate in isolation from broader society. Instead, sport serves as a site where societal inequalities such as racism, sexism, economic stratification, and other forms of oppression are reproduced, exacerbated, and/or ignored. Thus, the aim of the current paper is to look chronologically and conceptually at the way in which LeBron James's activism is altering not only the sporting realm but more importantly, the political discourse. In times of political polarization, when exposure to cross-cutting discourse is missing, people are far less likely to perceive opposing standpoints as legitimate, and less able to provide rational explanation to their own political decisions. LeBron's activism leveraging his position as one the world's most followed sportsperson, to assume awareness is an interesting phenomenon worth reviewing.

Keywords: Eco-chamber; Homophily; Filter bubble; Icon; LeBron James (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:teinso:v:58:y:2019:i:c:s0160791x1830229x

DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2019.01.002

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