Teaching Critical Media Literacy through Sports Stories

1. Teaching Critical Media Literacythrough Sports Stories Dr. Mark A. Fabrizi Eastern CT State University Mr. Robert D. Ford North Branford High School

2. Sports Stories • Sports Stories class • Seniors • One semester • One choice among a variety of options • Benefits of the class • Motivation • Students pursue a personal interest (i.e., sports) • Flexibility • Teach a variety of skills: critical media literacy, rhetorical analysis, contemporary cultural history, the impact of sports on our culture

3. Sports Stories • Critical media literacy • Analysis of the involvement of boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter in a 1966 triple-homicide using multimedia inquiry • Rhetorical analysis • Style analysis of the works of contemporary and classic sports writers

4. Presentation documents Go to: www.nbhsenglish.com Click on: “Sports Stories” Tab (under Electives)

5. Critical Media Literacy • Rubin “Hurricane” Carter • Mid-Twentieth Century boxer • Highest ranking: 3rd (5/20/65) • Arrested multiple times, starting at age twelve • Punched a horse once • Served in the army; received an “Undesirable” discharge • Arrested for a triple homicide (Oct. 1966) and convicted (twice) • Served eighteen years before being released • Carter always protested his innocence, yet he was never found “not guilty” of the crime Picture source: www.totalsports.com

6. Critical Media Literacy • Listen to Bob Dylan’s “Hurricane” • Song sympathizes with Carter • Students identify major events and significant details, annotating a lyrics page • Class discussion • What emotions does Dylan elicit? • Which side is he on, and how do you know? • Should singers use their celebrity to promote their political agenda? Picture source: www.berkshirefinearts.com

7. Critical Media Literacy • Watch film “The Hurricane” by Norm Jewison • Identify major events, important characters, and significant details • Compare notes with Dylan’s song • Record major arguments supporting Carter’s innocence • Racism • Police harassment • Unethical detective work • Incompetent legal representation

8. Critical Media Literacy • Internet research • Explore alternative perspectives • www.graphicwitness.com • http://members.shaw.ca/cartermyths/ (Top Ten Myths about Rubin Hurricane Carter) • www.biography.com • Nonfiction books • Several, including two autobiographies • Chaiton & Swindon (1991) Lazarus and the Hurricane (the movie is based upon this account)

9. Critical Media Literacy • Analysis • Scorecard for student “judges” • What was Carter’s highest ranking as a boxer? Was he ever a “Number One contender” as he alleges? • Is there any record of violent behavior outside the ring, or is boxing simply a job, as Dylan’s song contends? • What evidence exists that the jury in Carter’s second conviction was motivated by racism? • Was Lt. Vince DeSimone a racist police officer who was out to get Carter? Identify evidence. • Had Carter been arrested before the triple-homicide occurred? If so, how many times?

10. Critical Media Literacy • Analysis (cont’d) • The film suggests that the judge in the third trial threw out the verdicts of the first two due to racism and exonerated Carter of the crime. Was that the reason given in the official court transcript? • Questions derived from discrepancies among sources and major arguments from Carter’s defense

11. Critical Media Literacy • Socratic seminar • Is Rubin “Hurricane” Carter guilty of the triple-murder? • Why hasn’t Carter sued for wrongful imprisonment as so many others have done? • If a singer can write songs to promote a political agenda, does he/she have a responsibility to get the facts right? • What responsibility does the consumer bear? Take the singer at face value? Do the research ourselves? • A lot of evidence of his innocence is provided by Carter himself. Is he a credible source? Explain.

12. Critical Media Literacy • Final essay • Is Rubin “Hurricane” Carter guilty of the crimes for which he was accused? • Students must provide at least three arguments for/against Carter’s conviction • Must use documentary evidence to support conclusions

13. Critical Media Literacy • CCSS connections • Reading Informational Text • 11-12.1; 11-12.3; 11-12.6; 11-12.7 • Writing • 11-12.1; 11-12.4; 11-12.7; 11-12.8; 11-12.9 • Speaking & Listening • 11-12.1; 11-12.2; 11-12.3 • Language • 11-12.1; 11-12.2; 11-12.3

14. Critical Media Literacy • Competencies addressed: • Evaluating evidence • Documentary evidence vs. hearsay • Primary and secondary sources • Evaluating author ethos and bias • Inquiry and research • Multimedia perspectives • Critical thinking • Artistic freedom vs. consumer responsibilities

15. The Style of Sports Writing Analyzing style and rhetorical choices is essential to any English class. Contemporary sports writing is an underutilized space for such analyses. This unit asks students to analyze the style and rhetoric of sports writers.

16. Unit Progression The teacher models the analytic process with at least one sports writer. Teacher and students identify trends in this writer’s style. During the modeling and scaffolding process, students learn 18 figures of speech that are grouped into 6 categories. A trend emerges if one of the six categories recurs frequently. Students ultimately select a sports writer to analyze independently, and present their findings through a formal paper or presentation.

17. The Figures of Speech

18. The Modeling Process Sally Jenkins, the long-time and celebrated columnist of The Washington Post and author of many bestsellers, works well as a model for students.

19. “Seeing Manning in a Different Light” Maybe it was an illusion, but did Eli Manning's face get leaner, and his back straighter overnight? On the morning after the Super Bowl, he stood at a podium to accept his most valuable player award, somehow older in a dark suit with a white handkerchief peeking from his pocket. When Manning won the game of his life over the New England Patriots, he lost something else: his baby fat. In the fourth quarter Sunday night, Manning went from sensitive kid brother to an icon with his own unique place in NFL history. There will be no more questioning comparisons with his father Archie and older brother Peyton, no more wondering if he has what it takes. The Giants' 17-14 victory transformed our perceptions of Manning; the qualities that he was once criticized for are suddenly assets. Just a few games ago, he was said to lack competitive fire. Now his absence of temperament looks like an unshakeable calm. That gangly, ambling ease of movement? Previously, it seemed passive, maybe even careless. Now it's the nonchalance of a smooth improviser. Lastly, there is his manner, so still and self-effacing. Once it was mistaken for timidity. Today, call it poise.

20. Additional Examples Of course, Manning didn't become a different person overnight. He's still the same puppyish player who struggles to be a big presence on the field, and who threw 20 interceptions in the regular season. Manning hasn't changed -- rather, he has developed, right before our eyes, sort of like an emerging photograph. But Manning wrenched his shoulders around, tore free, and scrambled like a man frantically climbing out of his own freshly dug grave. He stumbled, regained his feet. He gathered himself, squared up, and found Tyree in the middle of the field.

21. What trends emerge? Inverting Phrases/Mirror Images • Antithesis Comparisons • Similes Repeating Words and/or Repeating Sounds • Parallelism • Alliteration

22. The Final Assignment Students select a sports writer to independently analyze and evaluate. Students read several columns from their selected author and go through a similar process of identification and analysis. Students present their findings through a presentation or formal paper.

23. CCSS Connections • Reading Informational Text • 11-12.1; 11-12.6 • Writing • 11-12.1; 11-12.2; 11-12.4; 11-12.7; 11-12.9 • Speaking & Listening • 11-12.4; 11-12.5 • Language • 11-12.1; 11-12.2; 11-12.3; 11-12.5