We use critical discourse analysis to examine how Black American athletes are discussed and portrayed in nine media sources, and the connections and implications of those portrayals on Black youth in education and sports. Through the lenses of BlackCrit and the Racial Contract, we discuss the history of dehumanization of Black people and the shift to sports, finding that Blackness is often oversimplified and deemed unnatural or deviant in sports media. Through critical discourse analysis methodology, this study not only underscores the responsibility of society and education to understand and respect the humanity of Black athletes, but it also highlights why Black youth who play sports deserve to have their needs met with full humanity.
Chisholm et al. (2026) studied this question.