“Eight Pounds of Air”: Centering Democracy and Citizenship Through Sport in Social Studies

In this article, the author employs Black storytelling to highlight the narratives of four Black teacher-coaches’ use sport to teach principles of democracy and global citizenship for Black youth at an International Baccalaureate high school. Using critical race theory and BlackCrit as theoretical frameworks for analysis, findings reveal that (1) sports offer culturally relevant pathways for teaching citizenship and civic values; (2) connecting sport to social struggle builds students’ critical consciousness; and (3) fostering critical consciousness through sport-based pedagogy cultivates informed, empowered citizens. These findings contribute to broader academic discussions on democracy, citizenship, and culturally responsive teaching by demonstrating how interdisciplinary approaches, grounded in the lived experiences of Black educators, can meaningfully center sport as a transformative pedagogical practice. Ultimately, this article argues that both the classroom and the playing field are arenas where democratic ideals are not only taught but embodied.