Sports and American Identity

The early years of the twenty-first century encompassed trauma and turmoil as Americans contended with a devastating terrorist attack, a worldwide pandemic, a renewed focus on racial injustice, ongoing conflict over immigrants and immigration, and new attention to gender and sexuality. Sports influenced and interacted with these cultural currents in multiple ways, embodying values and priorities as well as serving as a focus for often-heated debate. Many athletes used their cultural visibility to champion the ideals they believed in, and to point out problems that they saw in U.S. society. Some were celebrated; others faced harsh criticism. Their experiences offered vivid insights into wrenching cultural transformations.