Representations of American Identity and Political Expression in Popular Soccer Discourse
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Authors
Bennett, Christopher
Issue Date
2023-05-20
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Undergraduate research. , Undergraduate thesis.
Alternative Title
Abstract
This thesis addresses the question of how American soccer identity is represented in popular discourse, in order to better understand the intersection of mediated sports, culture, and marketplace conflict. Grant Wahl’s archived digital publications for Sports Illustrated and best selling books The Beckham Experiment and Masters of Modern Soccer were rhetorically analyzed to identify explicit and implicit argumentative language in popular soccer conversations. Sut Jhally's theories of the commodification of sports are employed to understand how argumentative language functions to construct American identity in soccer spaces. This research finds that popular discourse produces, circulates, and consumes "American" as a negative brand in soccer, often associating it with hubris and incompetence and masking larger economic inequities.
Description
137 leaves; illustrations.
Included bibliographical references (leaves 93-137).
Included bibliographical references (leaves 93-137).
Citation
Bennett, Christopher (2023, May 15). Representations of American identity and political expression in popular soccer discourse. Retrieved from:
Publisher
Wheaton College. (Norton, Mass.)