Field Notes
PROTECTING ATHLETES AND ENVIRONMENT Margaret MacNeill battles on for justice
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argaret MacNeill says she is not really retiring but “retreading” to pursue other passions. First arriving to the Faculty in 1980 as an undergraduate student in Physical Health and Education, she later returned after completing a Master’s in Sociology of Sport and Film Studies at Queen’s and a Ph.D. in Communication at Simon Fraser.
“I came back to U of T for a contract teaching position in 1991 which led to a tenured position in the social-cultural sciences stream,” says MacNeill, who’s been teaching in FKPE for 32 years, is cross-appointed to the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, and is a founding executive member of the graduate specialization in women’s health. For her, teaching and research about how activity, health and media intersect are her greatest passions. “I’ve investigated the ways the media tells the story of health… and the implications of those stories.” For example, MacNeill says athletes were prominently featured in the news during the pandemic because of their concerns about traveling to Tokyo for the Olympics and becoming vectors for COVID 19. “My research looks at
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the rights of athletes, their relationship with the media, and the shift we saw as athletes turned into advocates,” she says. “We’ve seen many examples of athletes raising their voices on their rights, particularly around the right to their own health instead of ‘pushing through’ an injury or mental illness to not ruin their chances.”
doctoral study: he is now director of KPE’s Centre for Sport Policy Studies. Recently, alumna Sabrina Razack completed her PhD about the Black Girl Hockey Club’s ongoing quest for racial social justice using joy as a form of resistance. Razack is now monitoring children’s rights in cities preparing to host World Cup ’26.
While there are many things that “These are just four examples of students MacNeill looks back on with a sense of who’ve become political voices,” says accomplishment, she is most proud of MacNeill. Eleven have gone on to the graduate students she has mentored become tenured university professors and guided over the years. “I am in or instructors. “Grad researchers in my awe of their work. We mentor them, Media and Motion Collaboratory at the but really they mentor us—in their Goldring Centre all continue to look at research, original theories, methods health and wellness with a social justice and new understandings,” she says. lens, which is important to pursuing the “Students today go into research thinking mission of our Faculty.” about how they can use it to spark transformation during research rather MacNeill’s passion for making a positive than waiting to translate findings after.” impact in society is not changing, “it’s just rerouting,” she says. “I did a lot of Many of her students come to mind, local hiking during the pandemic and including Olympic gold medalist research on trailology. This past year, I Rose MacLennan (trampoline) for saw the devastation of hurricanes in PEI her master’s work focusing on athlete and drove up the east coast of Australia citizenry and advocacy. Another is between floods. It’s inspired me to start a journalist Sally Armstrong who received new adventure that refocuses health the Order of Canada during her time research on environmental issues, investigating international charters movement and reconciliation with affecting girls’ rights to play. Associate Indigenous peoples. And it might Professor Simon Darnell expanded re-route me back to Australia.” sports for development studies with his — Janet Gunn Photo/ Daniel Ehrenworth