Denied: Women, Sports, and the Contradictions of Identity

Product description Review A powerful cautionary tale. Michelle J. Manno shows how women athletes―especially those who are Black, queer, and/or masculine-presenting―are constrained by strict policing of gender and sexuality. Manno paints a rich picture of women’s sports as a microcosm of intersectional struggles for dignity, equality, and social justice. ― Michael A. Messner, co-author of No Slam Dunk: Gender, Sport, and the Unevenness of Social ChangeManno’s work sets a powerful standard for the ways in which the complex identities of women athletes outshine the false boundaries of race, gender, and sexuality. Her thoughtful analysis and compassionate storytelling point the reader to what all of us seeking our place in sport strive for: to bring one’s full self to the world of competition, to find our own authentic belonging there, and ultimately to create a sense of ‘home’ for ourselves and others among teammates and competitors alike. ― Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling, NBA RefereeDenied blends vivid story-telling with incisive theoretical analysis to highlight the persistent racism and sexism that limit women athletes of all races, sexualities, and gender identities. ― Pat Griffin, author of Strong Women, Deep Closets: Lesbians and Homophobia in SportManno takes readers inside a Division I collegiate basketball program. Denied convincingly argues women athletes, specifically Black, queer, and gender non-conforming athletes, are subject to racialized and gendered strategies of containment and control which ultimately impose constraints on who they can be and what they can achieve. ― Cheryl Cooky, co-author of Serving Equality: Feminism, Media, and Women’s SportsAs a former college athlete, Manno evocatively lays bare the challenges women athletes face both on and off the court as they balance the many competing demands placed on them. Her personal approach and deep empathy for this topic offer a necessary lens through which we can understand how women athletes’ identities are policed along the lines of race, gender, and sexuality. ― Chamique Holdsclaw, WNBA All-star and Olympic Gold MedalistFor nine months, Manno was embedded within the Midwest State University women’s basketball team, an elite and competitive DI program. Immersed in that insular yet high-stakes world, she observes firsthand how unyieldingly female athletes―particularly queer, Black, and/or masculine-presenting―are policed both within and without. ― Electric LiteratureMano successfully challenges current research practices while providing evidence of the impact of the stereotyped expectations of women athletes maintaining a white feminine appearance in the sport they represent. ― CHOICE Connect About the Author Michelle J. Manno is a sociologist and the Assistant Provost for Diversity and Inclusion in the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion at Northwestern University.