Tuesday, January 8, 7:00 p.m.
Steelworkers’ Hall, 25 Cecil St.

Sports have long been a crucial expression of working-class cultures and experiences. Many workers played sports as a leisure activity after a long week on the job, and sports clubs and teams were often important branches of political, ethnic, or religious organizations. Sports have also been the site of struggle. Working peoples have fought for the right to play sports and access to spaces in which to do so. Immigrant and racialized communities have pushed for inclusion in sporting cultures and to secure a place for their own games within the broader sports landscape. At the same time, sports have sometimes been viewed by bosses and social reformers as an ideal training ground for imbuing working-class people with industrial discipline.

Join us to hear two exciting presentations on the history of workers and sport in Toronto, followed by a Q&A.

Janelle Joseph is the author of Sport in the Black Atlantic: Cricket, Canada and the Caribbean Diaspora (2017) and the co-editor of two books, including Race and Sport in Canada: Intersecting Inequalities (2012)She is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Toronto, where she is also the Director of the Academic Success, Student Life and the Assistant Director of the Transitional Year Program.

Bruce Kidd is a Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education at the University of Toronto. He has authored or edited 12 books and hundreds of articles and other works, including The Struggle for Canadian Sport (1996) and Historicizing the Pan American Games (2017, co-edited with Cesar Torres). He is an Officer of the Order of Canada.

ACCESSIBILITY INFO:

Steelworkers Hall is a wheelchair accessible space. Parking is available in the lot behind the hall on a first-come first-serve basis (enter through laneway east of hall). There is also paid parking available on the street. The closest transit stops are Spadina and Nassau (510 Spadina Streetcar) and College and Beverley/St. George (506 Carlton Streetcar).

For any other accessibility questions or concerns, please contact Ed Dunsworth at edunsworth@gmail.com.

EventWorkers and Sport in Toronto | Jan. 8, 7pm