Gene Jolivet
Gene Jolivet
The Commodification of African American Athletes
This project explores the commodification of African American athletes as a modern extension of a deeply rooted history of racial exploitation in America. From the plantations to the playing fields, Black bodies have long been used as currency—first in chains, and now in jerseys. Today, professional sports leagues present themselves as beacons of opportunity and fame, yet beneath the surface lies a system that continues to reduce Black athletes to marketable assets, statistics, and branding tools.
Through powerful imagery, symbolic design, and storytelling, this thesis aims to peel back the facade of performance and prestige to examine what’s really at stake—the loss of autonomy, the erasure of identity, and the unspoken price of being seen as a product rather than a person. By drawing visual parallels between historical oppression and present-day sports marketing, “Name. Number. Price.” challenges viewers to confront how far we’ve truly come—and how much still remains unchanged.
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