No Room For Racism in the Premier League: Efforts (or Lack Thereof?) to Eradicate Racism in Football

Boykoff, Elijah

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

No Room For Racism in the Premier League: Efforts (or Lack Thereof?) to Eradicate Racism in Football Public Deposited

Analytics

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Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/6w924d699

Abstract

The Premier League is the highest tier of professional English football. It commands a global audience unparalleled by all other professional sports, with broadcasts reaching over 800 million households in 188 countries in 2022. Despite its international reach, the Premier League faces considerable institutional and fan-driven racist treatment directed towards its minority players, and founded the No Room For Racism campaign in 2019 to combat racism in and around the league. The campaign advocates for a presentation of racial equality and harmony to viewers of the league in the UK and abroad. This research thesis leverages the concept of racist stacking to observe how Black players and players of color in the Premier League are represented differently after the implementation of the No Room For Racism campaign. Racist stacking, defined as the underrepresentation of athletes of color in positions to do with intelligence and decision making, replicate stereotypical assumptions of minority athletes' lack of intelligence and responsibility. This research finds that racist stacking has progressed to fairly represent Black players in some historically underrepresented positions, but not all. Additionally, this research uncovers discrepancies that show Black players face further underrepresentation by playing a smaller share of minutes played in their positions compared to their share of representation in those positions. This study sheds light on challenges facing Black players and players of color in professional English football, underscoring the need for continued and concrete efforts to address systemic racism in the Premier League.

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