News Reporting

7/9/25

   On July 8, 2025, Dr. Brandon Wallace, a first-year assistant professor in cinema and media studies at the Indiana University Media School, spoke to aspiring journalists at the High School Journalism Institute (HSJI) in Ernie Pyle Hall. Wallace’s lecture encouraged students to critically examine the connection between sports, race, and society.

Wallace’s academic journey has long explored this intersection. He earned his master’s degree in 2017 and completed his Ph.D. in 2024 through the Physical Cultural Studies program in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Maryland. Before that, he received his bachelor’s degree in sociology and sports communication from Bradley University.

Speaking to a room of students passionate about media and journalism, Wallace shared how sports serve as a powerful reflection—and amplifier—of cultural and political dynamics.

“I use my method of thinking about how it has changed our experience with the world of sport to think about how this has changed society,” Wallace said.

Wallace, who was born in Chicago and moved to northern Wisconsin at age 13, recalled his early exposure to racial stereotypes in sports. While playing on his high school junior varsity basketball team as a freshman, Wallace noticed how he was treated differently due to the color of his skin.

“I got a little bit of an introduction into racial stereotypes—in this instance, a ‘positive’ one,” he said. “The myth of the natural Black athlete—that Black people were gifted or naturally talented at athletics and basketball.”

Wallace described how this myth shaped his peers’ perceptions. He shared a story of friends in high school who were convinced that Black athletes had a biological advantage.

“They were talking about how Black people were better at football and basketball naturally,” Wallace said. “One of their theories was that Black people had an extra muscle in their leg.”

These types of myths, he explained, reflect broader societal beliefs—and continue to influence how athletes are seen, celebrated, and critiqued today. He asked the HSJI students whether they’d ever heard similar myths, and several raised their hands.

Wallace is currently writing a book titled Beyond a Kneel: How Social Movements Harness the Power—and Problems—of Sport. The book is heavily inspired by former NFL quarterback and civil rights activist Colin Kaepernick.

Kaepernick gained national attention for kneeling during the national anthem in protest of racial injustice and police brutality. Though his protest sparked widespread debate and became a defining cultural moment, Kaepernick was not re-signed by the San Francisco 49ers and became a free agent—leading many to believe he had been blacklisted by the NFL for his activism.

“These spectacles are also a stage for social movements to communicate some of their own messages—to denaturalize these things, to talk about the different causes that are important to them,” Wallace said.

Kaepernick went on to co-found the Know Your Rights Camp (KYRC), a nonprofit organization whose mission, according to its website, is “to advance the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities through education, self-empowerment, mass mobilization, and creation of new systems that elevate the next generation of change leaders.”

Wallace shared a video with HSJI students about KYRC and his experience working with the organization. He emphasized that education and storytelling are powerful tools for change—and encouraged students to think critically about the role of sports, capitalism, and media in shaping public understanding of race and power.

“I wanted to put my position in a place to make the world different,” Wallace said.