Thirteenth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

For three and a half millennia, the symmetry of athletes’ bodies has inspired cultural ideals and simultaneously spurred commercial exploitation. I will trace the progression of the athlete’s body from its cultural and commercial power in the ancient world to our modern concept of exploitation, now more frequently managed by the athletes themselves. Along the way, athletes’ bodies were either vilified (in the Middle Ages) or eroticized (in the early 20th century and beyond) almost always for the benefit of some cause other than the athletes’ pursuit of excellence in their sport. Accomplished athletes such as Annette Kellerman, Johnny Weissmuller and Katarina Witt — among many others — found lucrative post-sports careers in objectified erotic displays of their physical allure. Inevitably, dark-skinned athletes were largely excluded from this. Yet, through their own initiative and determination, athletes such as Muhammad Ali, Arthur Ashe and Paul Robeson translated their athletic prowess into powerful political and cultural presences in the world arena. Racial classification has become more subtle and athlete control more common, yet the commodification continues.