| Abstract | When Colin Kaepernick kneeled during the National Anthem to protest police brutality during National Football League pregame ceremonies, the country erupted. Many were proud of his stand for racial equality, many were disgusted. It then brought about a new topic: to what extent, if any should corporations be involved in social justice and politics? When Kaepernick was frozen out of the NFL, it brought about a new question for Black people: why, in 2019, are Black people still being punished for wanting equality? The two aforementioned questions culminated into this research: the Marketability of the Black Athlete. This research explores racial prejudice, the establishment of racial identity, and how it affects Black athletes as endorsers. By applying critical race theories to marketing materials and the commercialization models of various Black athletes from O.J. Simpson to Colin Kaepernick and analyzing recently released commercials three conclusions were reached. Firstly, strongly-identified Black athletes are marketable and sought out by brands/companies. Secondly, it is uncertain if future and younger Black athletes will choose to publicly and strongly-identify in their blackness because of recent shifts in the marketing industry. Lastly, there is no sufficient evidence to suggest that a strongly-identified Black athlete is more marketable than a weaker-identified Black athlete. |
