'For your ears only!' Donald Sterling and backstage racism in sport. Issue 15 (7th December 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hylton, Kevin; Lawrence, Stefan
• Is Part Of: Ethnic and racial studies. Volume 39:Issue 15(2016)
• Page Start: 2740
• Page End: 2757
• Publication Date: 2016-12-07
• Subjects: Racism -- backstage -- frontstage -- sport -- Donald Sterling -- whiteness; Race -- Periodicals; Race relations -- Periodicals; Ethnic groups -- Periodicals; 305.805
• DOI: 10.1080/01419870.2016.1177193
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0141-9870

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this paper is to elucidate how racism manifests 'behind closed doors' in the backstage private domain. We do this with reference to recent high-profile controversies in the US and UK. In particular, we use the concepts of frontstage (public) and backstage (private) racism to unpack the extraordinary case in point of the ex-National Basketball Association franchise owner Donald Sterling. The paper concludes that though it is important for frontstage racism to be disrupted, activist scholars must be mindful of the lesser-known, and lesser-researched, clandestine backstage racism that, we argue, galvanizes more public manifestations. The Donald Sterling case is an example of how backstage racism functions and, potentially, how it can be resisted.