Digital Black Feminism in the Global Sports Arena: Black Girl Hockey Club, Joy and Racial Justice

This book examines the intersections of sport, race, gender, social networks and social movements with a case study of the North-American nonprofit organization ’Black Girl Hockey Club’ (BGHC). The landscape of sport and social movements has dramatically shifted through the advent of the internet and social media. A case in point is the transformation of the BGHC, a racial justice movement which morphed from an online sports fan collective to an anti-racism union, combining political action with the joy of sport.

In the context of these shifting digital realities, Digital Black Feminism in the Global Sports Arena offers a unique perspective of social movements. The book posits that BGHC was thrust into anti-racism work because of political openings connected to racial reckonings resulting from the murder of George Floyd and ongoing efforts of #BlackLivesMatter activism. Integrating in-depth content discourse analysis and qualitative interviews with affiliated members of the BGHC, the author explores how digital networks influenced sports-based racial justice movements.

While being particularly relevant to Black academics formally colonised by European countries, this book will appeal globally to students and scholars interested in the intersections of sociology, sports, race and ethnicity, feminist theory and gender studies, social movements, fandoms and digital sociology.

Sabrina Razack is Assistant Professor of Kinesiology and Physical Education at the University of Toronto, Canada. She is an award-winning curriculum writer and has worked with Canadian Women & Sport, the Pan/Parapan American Games, and the Toronto District School Board. As the senior project lead for Canada at the Centre for Sport and Human Rights, Sabrina is spearheading initiatives for the upcoming FIFA Men’s World Cup in 2026 in collaboration with the other host countries in the United States and Mexico.