GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School

COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening, Language

SEL STANDARDS*: Self Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, Responsible Decision-Making

Antisemitism in Sports

The role of sports and organized athletics is most often considered to benefit society and elevate our shared experience as a culture or nation. Throughout history, sports have been a means of recreation, social interaction, communal and national pride, and recently, a growing economic enterprise. Sports have played an essential role in the construction and reshaping of social identity. While sports have offered the promise of social mobility and opportunity to marginalized groups, sport can also be a vehicle for harmful elements in society like racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination such as antisemitism. Antisemitism in sport follows the same patterns as other areas of society. Historical antisemitic myths and tropes are used to justify exclusion or oppression of Jewish athletes, coaches, and supporters.

About the Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will examine how antisemitism manifests in the context of sport and the impact of this form of oppression.

Learning Objectives:

Students will understand the definition of antisemitism and how it functions as a system of oppression.
Students will explore how antisemitism can manifest in sport.
Students will examine the impact of antisemitism in sport.