Sports Communication Commons^™

‘Passing’ The Baton Of Trauma: Queer Failure Of The Women’S Sport Policy Working Group’S Anti-Trans ‘Position’, Meredith M. Bagley, Mary Anne Taylor, Sarah F. Price

Publications and Research

Engaging in critical rhetorical theory and methodology, we interrogate the contemporary landscape of anti-trans backlash in women’s sport. Specifically, we read the ‘TERF wars’ (Pearce et al.) across critiques of biofeminism (Pape) and whiteness (Fischer) while drawing upon critical social science research into trauma-bonding, bullying, and the structural impacts of gender verification policies. Our analysis focuses on the Women’s Sports Policy Working Group (WSPWG), offering a trauma-informed reading of the WSPWG’s ‘Position’ statement to illuminate how lesbian female athletes who were previously slandered for failing to meet femininity norms in sport are unable to overcome that trauma to recognize and …

Mark Henry's Retirement: Breaking Genres And John Cena, Kayla Stanley

ASPIRE 2026

This project explores Mark Henry’s 2013 “retirement” speech in WWE as an example of how genre expectations can be used, or broken, for rhetorical impact. Professional wrestling blends athletic competition with theatrical storytelling through kayfabe, where scripted storylines are presented as real. When Henry delivered his emotional retirement speech on live television, it closely followed the structure and tone of traditional sports retirement speeches. Because of this, it seemed like many audience members believed the moment was genuine.

The speech included familiar elements found in well-known athletic retirements such as gratitude, reflection on career highlights, acknowledgment of family, and a …