Space and Place
Aarhus University
Featured The Configuration of a "Brazilian Way": Identity, Nationhood, and Sport in a Transatlantic Perspective
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Tiago J. Fernandes Maranhão
This work contributes to the historiography of physical culture, race, and national identity by understanding the role of modern sports (as a branch of physical culture) in integrating societies and its impact on the debates that sought to construct a “Brazilian nation.” Moreover, this study sheds some light on the web of configuration through which European and Brazilian local elites created ties and strengthened a form of control in order to ‘civilize’ a society with a distinct colonial background. The paper also explains the transition from the British influence to a more singular “Brazilian way" of practicing modern sports. The use of newspapers as primary source material is crucial in this essay given the habitually-overlooked relationship between the industries of modern sport and archival press. This presentation finally analyzes the reasons for the concerns with a possible “mischaracterization of the Brazilian people” and how a British sport in particular became a symbol of Brazilian national identity? This historical, intense cultural combat that took place in Brazil affected the debates on Brazilian national identity throughout the whole twentieth century, reverberating until today.
The Super Bowl Pregame Show - a Celebration of Synergy: The Spectacle within the Spectacle
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session James Killingsworth
Few spectacles can match the Super Bowl in terms of sheer excess. This is an event that embodies American values and consumerism. However, a critical examination of the pregame show on American television networks reveals a subtle but noticeable shift in focus in recent years. Certain elements have long been staples of the pregame show. There are segments devoted to American troops serving abroad, stories that celebrate unlikely heroes overcoming long odds, and the occasional glimpse into the lives of the very wealthy. With the Super Bowl pregame show now a four-hour extravaganza, the host networks are taking full advantage of the huge audiences for a wide variety of promotional opportunities. Exploiting synergies is not a new phenomenon, but instead of using part of the advertising inventory, these promotions now form part of the actual content of the pregame show. Recent examples of this include NBC’s NASCAR announcers interviewing one of the network’s Olympic announcers in an attempt to promote both properties during the Super Bowl LII pregame show. Andres Cantor, a well known soccer announcer for Telemundo even made an appearance to promote the network’s coverage of the upcoming World Cup. Telemundo is owned by NBC’s parent company, Comcast. When CBS aired the Super Bowl, they carried segments involving the game announcers and the cast of Magnum PI enjoying a snack from sponsor Pizza Hut. Synergies on the pregame show are an excellent way to identify how the Super Bowl continually reinvents itself through new methods of spectacularization.
Brave Blossoms, Stonehenge, and Rice Fields: Articulations of Japaneseness and Remnants of Britishness in Japanese Rugby
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Christopher Hayes
2019 was a big year for rugby in Japan as it hosted the Rugby World Cup, the first Asian country to do so. Outside of Japan, the sport had hitherto been commonly associated with the nation, but domestically it enjoys great success. Through a qualitative, case study-based approach, this paper explores how the sport has developed in Japan, has been adapted to the local culture, and has challenged common notions of “Japaneseness”, while at the same time recognising its British origins. Significantly, the paper shows how rugby has confronted the homogenous image of Japan, embraced multiculturalism, while also being imbued with a quality of “Japaneseness” that draws on traditional culture, spiritual belief, and community. The study has implications for the perception of the role of sport in society, not only in Japan, but across the world.
