dc.contributor.author	Meeler, Skylar Cameron
dc.coverage.spatial	United States	en_US
dc.date.accessioned	2023-05-25T13:22:14Z
dc.date.available	2023-05-25T13:22:14Z
dc.date.issued	2023-05-04
dc.identifier.other	fc5cf053-778e-40fb-b90a-454661941a5b	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/10428/6730
dc.description.abstract	Gender discrimination has been an issue within the sports industry since the 1870’s (Bell, 2008, p.1). The assumption that there would be a sport which actively opposes gender discrimination and marginalization of women and non-cis gendered people would not be unreasonable. This research aims to evaluate how the community and culture of Roller Derby combats and opposes the basic tenets of Muted Group Theory (MGT) within the sports industry. MGT suggests that women and non-cis gendered people are the subordinate group, which creates gender discrimination and marginalization within the sports realm. Roller Derby directly challenges this notion. This study received 341 surveys from active and former participants in the Roller Derby community. The survey aimed to examine the experiences of participants in regard to their perceived empowerment, acceptance, and inclusion in terms of gender within the sport. Additionally, the survey addressed Roller Derby participants’ perceptions of gender inclusivity in traditional sports (i.e., baseball, football, softball, volleyball, et cetera). By evaluating the responses to the survey, this study determined that the Roller Derby community and its values directly oppose and challenge the tenets of MGT. Notable findings also included that a vast majority of participants believe Roller Derby to be more inclusive than traditional sports and that the sport creates a safe space for transgender and non-binary athletes and that participants believed that Roller Derby’s culture and community can aid in creating a change for women and non-cis gendered people in the sports industry. Keywords: Roller Derby, Muted Group Theory, gender, sports, inclusivity, empowerment, acceptance	en_US
dc.description.tableofcontents	Breaking the Silence: How Roller Derby Combats Muted Group Theory in Sports 1 -- Rationale 3 -- Literature Review 3 -- Foundations: Culture, Gender and Safe Spaces 3 -- Muted Group Theory (MGT) 6 -- Countering Muted Group Theory (MGT) 7 -- Gender Discrimination in Sports 8 -- The History of Roller Derby: Overview 10 -- The History of Roller Derby: The Impact on Gender in Sports 11 -- The History of Roller Derby: Empowerment 12 -- Research Questions 13 -- Methods 14 -- Participants 16 -- Results 16 -- Perceptions of Inclusivity and Acceptance 16 -- Perceptions of Empowerment 18 -- Perceptions of Traditional Sports 20 -- Discussion 21 -- Limitations 24 -- Future Research Recommendations 26 -- Conclusion 27 -- References 28 -- Appendix A 34 -- Survey Questions 34 -- Appendix B 43 -- Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approved Research Form 43	en_US
dc.format.extent	1 electronic record (.pdf), 52 pages, 572,322 bytes.	en_US
dc.format.mimetype	application/pdf	en_US
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US
dc.rights	This dissertation is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553, revised in 1976). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgement. Use of the materials for financial gain with the author's expressed written permissions is not allowed.	en_US
dc.subject	Communication	en_US
dc.subject	Sports administration	en_US
dc.subject	Roller Derby	en_US
dc.subject	Academic theses	en_US
dc.subject	Power (Social sciences)	en_US
dc.subject	Gender identity	en_US
dc.subject	Social integration	en_US
dc.subject	Sports	en_US
dc.title	Breaking the Silence: How Roller Derby Combats Muted Group Theory in Sports	en_US
dc.type	Thesis	en_US
dc.contributor.department	Department of Communication Arts of the College of the Arts	en_US
dc.description.advisor	Faux, William
dc.description.committee	Nelson, David
dc.description.committee	Stoll, Arrington
dc.description.degree	M.A.	en_US
dc.description.major	Communication Arts	en_US