Module 1 Topic C:
The Corporeal Economy of Sport
1. LECTURE
For six slides per page format (for printing) click : HERE
For one slide per page format (for viewing on computer) click: HERE
2. VIDEO CLIPS
These video clips, unless otherwise advised, will be shown during lecture. They are made available here for revision purposes.
Video Clip 1: Adidas Promotion of the London 2012 Games 01
Video Clip 2: “Cristiano Ronaldo: Tested to the Limit”. Promotional programming for Castrol Edge, analysing Ronaldo’s “mortal engine”.
Video Clip 3: Manufacturing the Elite Body. Excerpt from The Olympic Body, The Guardian (2012, July 6).
Video Clip 4: The Finite and Aging Elite Body. Excerpt from The Olympic Body, The Guardian (2012, July 6).
Video Clip 5: Brett Favre Responds to Bountygate (ESPN.com).
Video Clip 6: Football Players at Greater Risk of Alzheimer's (ABC News, 2012, September 5).
Video Clip 7: ESPN’s Keith Olbermann on the head trauma suffered by former NFL players.
Video Clip 8: A short Real Sport segment on the health implications of supersized NFL lineman (2011, January 25.
Video Clip 9: Bodybuilders cutting weight for competitions. (WARNING: Bad Language alert!).
Video Clip 10: Is Crossfit too dangerous for our own health?
3. REQUIRED READINGS
It is expected that you will complete these readings prior to the discussion sections, and that–where appropriate–your engage them within your classroom discussion.
Reading II: Hargrove, Thomas (2006, January 31). Heavy NFL players twice as likely to die before the age of 50. ESPN.com
Reading III: Le Batard (2013, January 13). Jason Taylor’s pain shows NFL’s world of hurt. Miami Herald.
4. THEMATIC REVIEW QUESTIONS
Given the volume of information provided in the classroom, you are strongly advised not to engage the material solely during lectures.
Rather, you are strongly encouraged to review each theme carefully on your own, following which you should test your knowledge and understanding by answering the Thematic Review Questions which can be accessed HERE.
5. KEY CONCEPTS
The following key concepts represent the core knowledge related to this topic, and you should ensure that you develop a thorough knowledge and understanding of them before moving on to the next topic:
The Capitalist Economy and the American Capitalist Hegemony
From Industrial Capitalism to Cultural (Late) Capitalism
Late Capitalism as a Cultural Economy
From Rigid to Flexible Regimes of Accumulation
The Corporatization and Commercialization of American Society and Sport
Sport and the Accumulation of Capital
Corporate/Elite Sport
Corporeal Economy - The Active Body as Object and Instrument of the Sport Economy
Sporting Taylorism and Performance-Based Sport Science
Cyborg Athletes - The Interplay of Sport, the Body, and Technology
The McDonaldization of Elite Sport and Elite Sporting Bodies
Weber’s Iron Cage and Capitalist Rational Productivity
The Elite Sporting Body as Rational and Efficient Machine
Corporeal Specialized Standardization Between and Within Sports
Corporeal Efficiency, Calculability, Predictability, and Control
The Perils of Sporting McDonaldization
The Dehumanized and Disenchanted Athlete
Corporeal Abuses and Elite Sport
The Contexts of Elite Sport Performance
The Rationalization and Normalization of Corporeal Abuse/Sporting Deviance
Health, Longevity, and Elite Sport Performance
6. DISCUSSION QUESTION/TASK #3
This question/task will be discussed in discussion sections on:
Monday, September 29
Wednesday, October 1
According to Bertolt Brecht, “Great sport begins at a point where it has ceased to be healthy.” Discuss this observation within regard to the manufacture of high-performance athletic bodies, as the engines of capital accumulation in the progress and efficiency-driven elite sport economy.
7. ESSAY QUESTION #3 (this is an option for the mandatory Module 1 essay)
As discussed in lecture, sport science is embedded with hegemonic assumptions around improving health and athletic performance. Discuss the paradoxical relationship whereby sport science is tasked with improving health of athletes (ie: rehabilitation and injury prevention), but at the same time further contributing to the dehumanization, disenchantment, and perhaps more critically an even more unhealthy body, in the demand for bigger, faster, and ever more efficient athletes?
This essay should be a minimum of 1,500 words to answer it comprehensively.
You may find the following academic sources useful in completing this assignment. You do not have to use these sources, they are simply provided for you as an introduction to the literature, and you should use them where appropriate and/or relevant. Also, be warned, these readings do not count towards the THREE additional academic sources you are expected to use within your essays (however, they may direct you toward additional academic sources you could use).
If you choose to complete this essay, and in addition to the sources provided on this page, you need to identify and use (either through paraphrasing or direct quotation) interpretations, insights, or information from a MINIMUM OF THREE appropriate academic sources (in addition to those provided for you on this website).
The deadline for submitting your Module 1 Essay is before class on Sunday October 19. In order to receive feedback from your TA, you can submit a draft version of your essay up to and including Sunday October 12.
Important: The ELMS/Canvas website will not accept essays after the due time and date.
Be sure to review the details on the module essay page. On that page you will find the EVALUATION CRITERIA for module essays (which you are strongly encouraged to read), you will also find links to the appropriate academic sources you should use when researching and writing your module essays, and the style and format guidelines you need to follow when completing module essays. All this information needs to be read, understood, and closely followed for you to succeed in this course.
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