Dr Nik Dickerson, HART researcher and Lecturer in Sport Sociology in the School of Sport & Exercise Science, presented his research on mediated representations of ‘race’, gender, marijuana use, and sport, at the recent European Association for American Studies (EAAS) conference. The conference was held in Constanta, Romania, at Ovidius University. Nik’s talk used queer theory to analyse mediated narratives of the marijuana use, and early retirement of former National Football League (NFL) player, Ricky Williams. It offered a way to think about the humanisation of black men, set against the backdrop of changing marijuana laws in the USA, issues of mental health, and racial inequality within the War on Drugs.
