Although it may seem that the recent highly publicized occurrences of athlete activism regarding issues of racial inequality is somewhat new to sports, the incidents are part of a much longer history where some athletes have used their platform as a well-known member of the public to comment upon issues of racial inequality in society. Clearly the racial inequalities that are found in society will be reflected in various ways within sports and even though most athlete activism is directed toward broader issues in society, there are numerous ways in which issues of race (and class and gender/sex) are embedded in the everyday practice of sport historically and currently. This course will focus upon how race has been and remains a contentious issue in so many aspects of sports including overt expressions of racism from fans, team owners, intentional acts of segregation historically and the more recent efforts to change potentially offensive representations of Native Americans in caricatures used as team mascots. We will also consider more subtle ways in which ideas about race have been institutionalized in considering access to leadership positions in major sports organizations in both college and professional leagues, “position stacking,” media portrayals of athletes, demographics of sports participation, the increasing reliance upon a pay-to-play model of youth sports, and other ways in which race remains an unresolved issue in sports and society.