When the Personal Is Political: From Feminism to Institutional Politics and Graduate Mentorship in Sport Studies Departments.

In this article, I examine the intersection of feminist values and institutional politics in sport studies, emphasizing the role of mentorship in fostering social justice-oriented scholarship. Through an autoethnographic approach, I reflect on my experiences as a mentee and mentor across academic institutions, advocating for a mentorship approach that supports the personal and professional challenges faced by graduate students. The study highlights the enduring politicization of women's roles in sport, exploring how feminist frameworks--particularly standpoint theory and intersectionality--offer critical tools for navigating these spaces. Key challenges identified include navigating institutional resistance to feminist and decolonial perspectives and balancing emotional labor inherent in social justice research. I argue that creating supportive academic communities grounded in empathy, ethics of care, and reflexivity can empower scholars to address structural inequalities in sport and academia. This article ultimately calls for a mentorship model that integrates feminist ethics to foster resilience, inclusivity, and transformative change in academia. ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR