GLS 546: Suicidal Alcoholics, Metrosexual Family Men, and Other Heroes?
(Short Title: The Sociology of Athletic Heroes)
Instructor: Mika Elovaara
As the history of mankind shows, sports in more or less organized form have been part of human communities and societies for millennia. The tradition of glorifying athletic success goes as far back in history as the presence of sports itself. Since the beginning of written history, accounts of heroic tales and deeds have been written all over the world. The first known "biographers" resided in Ancient Greece, the home of the Olympic Games where poets praised the winners of various games in odes that not only spoke of their heroic character, but of their family and country. In modern society, sports heroes often represent the ideals of individual success as well as desirable status in a community or society as a whole. As a result, athletes are idols and often heroes to millions of people worldwide.
Since the 1960s, together with the dramatically increased role of the media and consumer culture in people's lives, the culturally celebrated status of athletic heroes has enabled the athletes' progression from the traditional working class to the bourgeoisie of the 21st century. With the globalization of sports entertainment, the previously local heroes have become international superstars. This development has led to a new form of hero worship; the lives of superstar athletes are under constant scrutiny and they are looked upon as role models because of their influential position in contemporary mediated society. The global presence and pervasive nature of the media ensures that athletic heroes always get a lion's share of publicity, both through their athletic achievements and their off-the field/court activities. The double visibility heroic athletes enjoy – through success on the field/court and through the promotional campaigns of their endorsement deals – means that they directly and indirectly influence the images the public learns to consider admirable. Due to the omnipresence of TV and the extensive daily media coverage of sports worldwide, superstar athletes are unavoidably international media characters, and their idolization would be nowhere near the extent of their current idolization without the contemporary global nature of the media.
This course is an in-depth study of the various qualities of modern athletic hero. Its primary objective is to explore contemporary heroism as represented by athletes with regard to the criteria for both traditional and modern heroes. We will begin with a case study of the lives of four sports heroes – Dennis Rodman, George Best, David Beckham and Michael Jordan – and then move on to consider the heroism of other contemporary athletes, as presented by the students’ individual research. In other words, in addition to studying the characteristics and qualities of some pre-selected athletic heroes, the students will have an opportunity to research and analyze the life of any individual athlete who might be considered a hero in contemporary society. By examining the lives of individual athletes, we will gain a better understanding of the diversity of the concept of athletic heroism in contemporary society. With each respective athlete, we will study the individual characteristics and biographical facts as well as sociological factors that make an athlete a hero in the eyes of the public. More specifically, we will discuss why the athlete could or could not be considered a traditional hero, and draw conclusions as to what type of modern hero, if any, each athlete represents. The general objective we have is to search the answer to the question: “What is it that makes an athlete a hero in the eyes of the public?” In trying to answer the proposed question, we will dig deeper into the answers than just stating the obvious reasons, e.g. “winning championships and/or glory for the nation” or “demonstrating exceptional skill in a sport,” and (hopefully) arrive at our own, refined conclusions of the criteria for a modern hero.
The class structure is based on in-class discussions of assigned readings, student presentations, and relevant in-class and homework writing assignments.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
Presentation 25%
In-class participation 20 %
Mid-term paper 30 %
Final paper 25 %
Tentative Reading List:
- Rodman, Dennis & Keown, Tim: Bad as I Wanna Be – Dell Publishing, ISBN 0-440-22266-4
- Rodman, D. with Isenhour, J.: I Should Be Dead by Now. – Champaign: Sports Publishing Sports Publishing ltd, ISBN 13 978-1-59670-152-6
- Best, George: Blessed; The Autobiography – Arrow, ISBN-13: 978-0091884703 OR ISBN 0-091-88470-5
- Halberstam, David: Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan and the World He Made – Broadway Books, ISBN 0-7679-0444-3
- Jordan, M. with Vancil, M. (editor). (2005). Driven from Within – Atria Books, ISBN-13: 978-0743284516 OR ISBN 13 978-0-7432-8400-4
- Beckham, David: Both Feet on the Ground – The autobiography – Harper, ISBN-13: 978-0060570941 ISBN 13 978-0-7432-8400-4
Last Update: October 19, 2009
