Athletes Speak | The World of Sport:

Highlighting Marginalized Athlete Stories

This section aims to provide a platform for individuals of color, women, and LGBTQ+ current and retired athletes. Here, readers will learn about both negative and positive aspects of sport from their perspectives as marginalized athletes.

Written by each showcased athlete, they share their stories, perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds of what it was like and is currently like for athletes who are marginalized, as well as what sports means to them. Thank you to all who shared, participated, and allowed me to share their stories and experiences.

Isaiah Jeannot on Life as a Black Athlete

In this video, 20 year old Chapman University men's basketball player, Isaiah Jeannot shares his experiences growing up as a black athlete in predominately white populated areas. He shares his perspective on what basketball means to him, as well as explaining what it is like for marginalized groups. He presents the significance of racial inequality and where it exists in sports. Isaiah breaks down several challenges of what it is like to be an athlete of color, as well as shares valuable insight on commonly expressed rhetoric toward black athletes in the sports world.

Annie Fan

Being Chinese and playing a sport is weird. Asians are not known to be athletic, and there aren’t really a lot of us in the sports world. Largely due to our “model minority” label, Asian-Americans aren’t a group of people who come to mind when you consider prospect athletes. My parents are immigrants, so I was raised under very traditional values, including the one where women don’t play sports or get dirty. I come from a basketball family but wasn’t allowed to play because my parents feared I would grow too tall and become undesirable. For reference, my brothers are both over 6 ft.

I started playing volleyball when I was 13. I wasn’t really good, but I had a lot of fun and my parents let me play because they didn’t really know what the sport was. I wasn’t allowed to play travel club volleyball because we couldn’t afford it and my parents didn’t think it was worth the investment. I slowly got better, but I always felt one step behind the curve. It didn’t help that I was usually the only, or perhaps one of two, Asian people on the team. On one hand it made me proud, but on the other hand it terrified me.

There’s this weird, invisible pressure to perform well when you don’t see anyone who looks like you succeeding. Because you’re not just doing it for you, you’re doing it for everyone like you.

Every time I put my kneepads on, every time I stepped on the court, every time I touched the ball, I felt the need to prove myself, and the stereotype that Asians aren’t athletic, wrong.

Eventually, I got to the point where I was able to separate my self-worth with my success in volleyball. It took work, but it was freeing to know that my presence alone was breaking the stereotype. Every pass I made, every set I put up, was my way of saying “I’m here."

Anyone can be good at sports. If talent doesn’t discriminate, why should we?

Kristen Immel

My name is Kristen Immel, I am 23 years old and I’m part of the LBGTQIA+ community. I have played many sports throughout my life but the one that has impacted me the most has been rugby.

I joined the women’s rugby team at WSU my first year. I had never played before in my life and I knew one person on the team from my high school. When arriving at college I was recovering from my first heart break. She left me for a guy and I was devastated and felt very inadequate. Joining the rugby team was tough because I had no knowledge of the sport whatsoever and I was struggling with my own identity.

Once I understood the basics of how to play safely I started to feel strong. After a lot of practice I started to get really good at playing and my coaches were impressed how naturally athletic I was. Hearing them say that made me feel less insecure. At the same time I was meeting a lot of cool people who accepted me for who I am, no one judged me for being gay or felt uncomfortable around me. Being in this environment I started to bloom into who I am. I walked around with more confidence and I had a group of friends who didn’t care what I wore to class or that I love lifting weights. I was starting to accept myself because of the positive environment I was in.

One of my favorite things about team sports, and specifically my rugby team, is that no matter what is going on in our personal lives we have each other’s backs no matter what. We step on the field and all of the petty drama going on doesn’t exist. We are there to support each other and work cohesively. In high school when i would travel for sports I always stuck out because I looked or acted different than my teammates but when I traveled for rugby I felt like I fit in. Not only traveling but in the world in general, I felt like I finally found my niche. I remember coming home from matches with bruises everywhere and mud or turf all over but I always had the biggest smile because I had found my place. Unfortunately, at the end of the season I suffered a severe concussion. I temporarily lost movement in my legs and right arm, I had to do physical therapy for my eyes and finish my first year as a student. I still tried to stay part of the team but it was hard for me to just sit on the sidelines and watch.

After the injury being part of the team was doing more harm then good so I had to walk away. I still have good connections with my teammates but I hurt inside wanting to play again. That whole experience shaped me into who I am today. It helped me accept that I can’t hide parts of myself because of those around me and that to be honest it’s pretty cool to be gay. I dated a few more people, I made new friendships, I got to travel, and felt truly accepted. People often asked me if it was worth playing because of how bad my concussion was, and I reply “yes it was worth it because I was able to experience being my true self and realize that it was so much more than just a sport, it was my life for a period and I would do it again if I could”.

Maximillian Obasiolu

My name is Maximillian Obasiolu, I am 22 years old and from Chicago, specifically the Rogers Park neighborhood. While growing up, my favorite superheroes were Sonic the Hedgehog and Flash, so the idea of super-speed was always attractive to me. Due to this, I joined my middle school’s track team in 6th grade and the rest was history. I ran competitively throughout high school, specifically as a long sprinter and made the decision to move up to middle distance racing my senior year. These days, I still try to run every day and compete in all-comers races throughout spring and summer.

I never explicitly realized while growing up but track & field teams at my respective schools were always comprised of the more members than any other team. Furthermore, most of the people in my social and professional network were related to running. Now I realize that was because running is the most accessible sport; Everyone can run, the only barrier of entry is a pair of shoes, and the sport personifies the phrase “you get out what you put in”.

Without track & field, I likely would not have the empathy, work ethic, and leadership skills I have today. As a low-income black male from the city’s north side, I’m thankful for the long-lasting friendship’s I’ve forged through the sport. To this day, I still keep up with most of the people I’ve ran with or against; Some of them are professional athletes, social workers, architects, writers and much more. In my case, I’m an aspiring electrical engineer, but the thing that is still common between all of us is that we still love running and the opportunities that the sport has opened up for us.

Kera Green

My experience as a boxing instructor has help me grow in confidence and leadership. In the beginning, it was not easy because I had to make sure that I had a plan for my classes. However, during my journey as a boxing instructor, I’ve learned how to make class fun while the patrons had a great workout.

Boxing is very intimidating and some women will not think about joining the class. I was one of those women who tried to avoid boxing. However, when I participated a boxing class—I fell in love. Pink gloves boxing will make sure that women know that they are capable of participating in any physical activity—despite what society tells them.

A couple of pros about our boxing class is seeing the patrons’ confidence grow. We can tell in their smile and form. The way the patrons challenge themselves and continue to come to my class—makes me feel like I am doing a great job of being a instructor. Lastly, boxing helps with mental health. It will help with releasing stress, motivates you to become stronger and healthier and helps you learn more about yourself. Boxing is about challenging yourself and becoming a stronger and more confident person. It will make you feel more powerful mentally and gives you encouragement when you face any life challenges.

Emelē Chaddock

My name is Emelē Chaddock, and I was a former Division 1 soccer player for Washington State University’s Women’s soccer team. I grew up playing all kinds of sports, but ended up sticking with soccer for about 9 years. The one thing I will always remember about my experiences playing team sports growing up is the amount of diversity there was. Though minorities were still subgroups in the larger scale of the predominantly white/Caucasian team, there was still always a decent balance of ethnicities and cultures in my team settings.

As a female athlete in high school and middle school I was at times definitely marginalized by the other male athletes and coaches in the school. I remember in weight training class the boys wouldn’t let the girls use certain machines in the weight room because they ‘knew we couldn’t do it or do it right’. Some guys used to call me ling-ling and would tell me to go study some soccer plays or homework just because I was Asian. I think as time progressed, as people started to realize how competitive of a level I was playing at outside of school, I started to gain the respect from my peers and coaches.

I remember my high school’s girls soccer poster was predominantly white, and I stuck out like a sore brown thumb. It made me a little self-conscious, but never embarrassed or afraid. I liked the fact that I stood out, it made me want to become even better in order to gain recognition for being different. The distress of simply being aware that I was a minority was small, but always made me uncomfortable when joining a new team or program.

There weren’t a lot of Asian or Pacific Islander athletes specifically who grew up around me, so I suppose I was always acutely aware of the fact that I was diverse. I can recall on one of the most upsetting experiences with racial ignorance when I got to college. My coach would call me “Hawaii 5-0” like the TV show, he thought it was funny and relative to me somehow because I am Hawaiian. It definitely made me feel uncomfortable and upset, but the environment of college sports (at least the one I was in) made me feel unsafe in voicing my discomfort over things like that.

My coach was very rigid, totalitarian, and oppressive which is one of the reasons I decided to leave WSU’s soccer program. I didn’t feel comfortable voicing my feelings to him in fear of getting punished or yelled at even more than I already do. We had a recruit who flew in from Hawaii my sophomore year, and my coach automatically assigned me to her which I didn’t mind, until he threw in the “we might have two Hawaii 5-O’s now” like we were classified as some Hawaii 5-O characters and not actual biracial Hawaiian people. The ignorance just always struck me the wrong way.

I started seeing a sport psychologist when I was about 11 years old, which has absolutely helped me to combat the trauma and stress that is associated with being a female BIPOC in athletics. My coaches were never really aware or cared about aspects of my mental health in college. When my roommates’ boyfriend and WSU’s quarterback took his life, they didn’t come to check on me once or asked if I needed any kind of mental health support. I already had the tools and resources to get me through that and everything else I experienced in school, but the fact that it was never a priority for them was disappointing.

I know my experiences are not nearly as comparable to some of my female BIPOC friends in athletics, I’ve heard horror stories from them. I am grateful that I never had to experience the degrees of ignorance, racism, and discrimination they did. However they made me very aware that things like that are very much alive in college athletics in today’s society.

Katie Petterson

Growing up I was always involved in sports, this has helped me grow into the person I am today. Sports played a huge role in my life, first it started off with basketball, softball and soccer when I was young. I played with all of my best friends and that really helped me enjoy sports because it was something I got to do with all my friends. As I got older, I narrowed it down to soccer and was placed on a premier team with none of my friends. This really challenged me mentally to go outside my comfort zone and make new friends with my teammates instead of just being comfortable playing with those I already knew.

I had to push myself mentally and physically, I had to practice so hard and improve my game to keep up with those around me, this pushed me physically because I knew I wanted to be better for my team. I played select soccer for about 4 years, never really feeling like I fit in. Then in 8th grade I realized I wasn’t really having fun with it anymore. My best friend, at the time, had asked me if I wanted to play Boys and Girls club volleyball on a team with her and some other school friends. I said yes and that was when I found my true passion in sports.

I played on the entry level team with all of them, which is where I started learning all the basic skills about volleyball. A few weeks into the season, my coach asked me to come play on the team with the older girls, and I had only been playing for about a month! I was so nervous, but my parents pushed me and supported me and eventually I did it. That was such a scary time for me, first of all going to play with older girls, none of which I knew, and I really didn’t feel confident in my skills for the game. All the girls ended up being very nice, which helped me feel comfortable to improve my skills and learn from them.

Once 8th grade was done, next was high school. I went from playing boys and girls club volleyball to making the varsity team as a freshman, who hadn’t even been playing a full year yet. This was the most mentally challenging time in volleyball for me, I was playing with girls 4 years older than me, none of which I knew. I didn’t know any of the drill, plays or strategies they used and had to learn all of them, all while trying to learn everyone’s name and try to make friends at this new school. I pushed myself outside my comfort zone once again in order to better myself in the sport. It eventually payed off because I made it onto the starting line up my sophomore year and ended up being captain my junior and senior year.

I once again I went outside my comfort zone when I came to Western Washington University and tried out for the club team, not knowing anyone. I made the team and made more amazing friends. My junior year of college I got the opportunity to play at Whatcom Community College, where I could really embrace how far I had come over the years and was rewarded for all my hard work. In the sports world, I have learned that pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and feeling uncomfortable, is only making you stronger and helping you improve in the sport that you love.

Emily Christner

My name is Emily, and I am an alumni from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo. My sports include pole vault, three-event water skiing, and soccer.

In High School, I was highly involved with the track team and trained year round to be successful in my sport. My first few years on the team I was highly supported by our Girl’s Head Coach. I trained outside of the high school practice and had a team of coaches working with me. The head coach allowed me to follow my own workout regimen. I showed up to every practice but didn’t necessarily do all the team workouts to prevent over training during season.

The girls head coach ended up leaving my senior year and was replaced by our cross country coach. He required me to do sprint workouts and participate in all team practices. I ended up early in the season developing a hamstring injury causing me to sit out of any and all practices/training for three weeks. I was given a rehab program by my outside coaches and that’s all I did at practice. This gave reason to my head coach to doubt my intentions and to believe that I was just trying to get out of workouts.

Ultimately, it was very hard to communicate with someone who doesn’t understand my sport and my needs as an athlete. My coach and many other coaches fail to communicate and listen to their athlete’s needs. Coaches are meant to support and advise their athletes so that they have the tools to be successful, but at the end of the day, they aren’t the ones working out, they aren’t pushing their bodies to the limit, and they aren’t the ones competing. From my experience, I believe that some coaches need to keep in mind that their athletes are people, not machines.