Theories on the pitch
![Tyrann Mathieu](/uploads/1/3/9/4/139422594/editor/https-specials-images-forbesimg-com-imageserve-6043d790d9e12b615971ae9b-0x0.jpg?1638671905)
Figure 1.0 (source)
Sport and Power
Did you ever hear about the Pandora box? Let me tell you the story. According to the myth, Zeus gave Pandora a jar, warning her not to open it under any circumstances. But Pandora failed to listen, and she opened the jar, thereby releasing all evils upon the world. When I was going to choose this course, I didn’t know what to expect. Like Pandora, it was an irresistible temptation. I didn’t listen and for the first few weeks, I felt like I had released some evil into my world (I was mostly confused in the first 2 weeks of class). I considered dropping the course, but Dr. Bagley’s bubbly demeanor was tempting. So, I chose to remain in the class. I came in as a tabula rasa- without any knowledge about critical cultural studies theory. But I believed that if I can learn Latin and Greek, two languages that drove folks crazy in the ancient world, yet I never went crazy, I sure can deal with this theory class. Week after week, my anxiety increased, but as I began to immerse myself in the readings (fun fact, I don’t get to read them all), I began to see many connections in Classical studies and Critical Cultural Studies. Specifically, my interest in abuse in interpersonal relationships, as I go through this course.
I have had the opportunity to learn about some key concepts that drive research in critical cultural studies. The ones that stand out for me are Namely, cultural studies, rhetoric, ideology, articulation theory, and assemblage. Scholars have tried to understand if cultural studies and rhetorical studies are the same or different. One intersecting quality of these two concepts is that they both involve the study of people and their social, political and historical realities. Cultural studies consider a different pathway from rhetorical studies, but have the same goal of “understanding how discourse places and sustains relationships between people in society and how we might bring about positive changes in those relationships with the end of making the world a more humane place” (Rosteck, 1999, p.23). In order words, through cultural studies and rhetorical studies, we are presented a new perspective to every day events in human lives. When language is used, it is used symbolically, to express an idea, create a new culture, or challenge existing trends.
My interpretation of how cultural and rhetorical studies intersect, is that humans create culture using language, and every language (text, symbols or images) have symbolic connotations. Also, when these meanings are created, they are done with an agenda to propagate ideologies, through a process called orientation. Ahmed (2006) quoting Husserl and Hiedgger, defines orientation, as a process involving the body and the object. The body in this case, when touched or becomes intimate with a certain object, focuses on that object and its perception becomes shaped by that thing, such that it relegates other things in sight to the background. In order words, as humans, “we are oriented toward objects as things we “do things” with.” (Ahmed, 2000, p.550). I find interesting how the process through which humans get oriented is likened to the connection a writer makes with a writing table. In Ahmed’s description, the very use the table serves a body (or a human) determines how the body is “touched” or perceived by the table.
In my interpretation, I will liken the body to culture, and the object, as language or rhetoric. I think as humans, we form new orientations or perceptions (or what we can also refer to as culture) when we come in contact with language, which is often propagated through rhetoric. In order words, culture is touched by language, and as humans, this process shapes our perception or orientation. When this language touches us, we accept them, as long as it serves our need.
To make sense of this rather philosophical line of thought, I will draw two examples from Classical culture and Nigerian political history. When I was working on my master’s thesis at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, I looked at the interaction between the Romans and the Egyptians, through a process called cultural diffusion[1]. I examined how the Isiac mystery cult of the Ptolemaic era, between 323BC and 284 BC, came in contact with the Romans, and it became widespread and even after Christianity became the new religion, the Isiac cult still endured in Roman Christianity. For instance, the Egyptian Isis religion was based on the mystery of dying and rising, and this idea endured in Roman Christianity, through the concepts of resurrection and afterlife. This religious analogy explains how culture is formed through orientation, and how language is at the center of this process. The Romans embraced Isiac cult, and the teaching of this cult were promoted through rhetorical practices (through chanting, singing and use of occultic images) because it served the needs of the political class, who wanted to be associated with Egyptian mystery practices, and religion was the way they maintained control. Politicians in ancient Rome associated themselves with Isis religion, because the goddess represented imperial power and the cult endured till the Golden Age of Rome. The Isis religion then became a cultural orientation (like a table) which the body of the Roman political class turned to, to propagate new ideologies.
Within the Nigerian political dispensation, I find an interesting example. In my undergraduate thesis, I examined speeches of political leaders in Roman Republic and Post-independence Nigeria. For my analogy, I will be referencing a Nigerian military leader, late Odumegwu Ojukwu’s speech. Following the military coups, the Igbos chose to secede from Nigeria, and this led to the breakout of a civil war in May 31, 1967. During this crisis, Ojukwu made a legendary rhetorical address, which led to the Biafran ideology, which after several years, many Igbos still feel connected to. Biafra was and is still a culture that touched, and still touches the Igbo people in the Southeastern Nigeria, because it served their need. For the Igbos, Biafra[2] represented a movement through which they articulated their rights, and combated with the oppressive Nigerian leaders.
As I continued to engage other readings in the theory class, I began to solidify my understanding of how cultures are created when ideas touch people, especially in the world of sport. For ideas to exist, they must be created through a process called articulation, and fostered through ideology. Deluca (1999) in his description of what articulation theory is, relied chiefly on the work of Laclau and Moufee( 1985). Laclau and Mouffe define articulation theory, as “the practice of establishing relationships among meanings, such that their identities are modified”. In order words, articulation is the process through which we use language to create or recreate the image(s) of a person, place or thing. When articulation takes place, a number of concepts help to facilitate this process, and these are, speaking forth or the symbolic use of language (which we already established can be image, object or symbol), the linking of elements, antagonism, and exigence among others.
Articulation has been used in different dispensations or worlds to create ideologies. From the politics of the Classical Rome, and the politics of modern-day sport. For instance, I see how articulation is wielded very interestingly especially in classical history, despite that this concept was not known at that age and time. For instance, Julius Casear after winning a major war, rearticulated his identity in a public address, where he pronounced himself god, and subsequent Roman emperors embraced deification[3] as a way of establishing control over the Roman people.
Following the same process of articulation, the American footballer, Tyrann Mathieu, like other African American footballers, had to re-create his identity by disclaiming and reclaiming the honey badger moniker. He disclaimed this identity to negotiate his entrance into NFL. According to Bower and Hanna (2019) Tyrann had to change his identity. Tyrann’s skillfulness and ferocious nature, which represents black male bodies as “aggressive and hypermasculine than white bodies” (Bower and Hanna, 2019, p117), and the idea that he had been charged with “drug possession and failure to pass drug tests at the university level” (Bower and Hanna, 2019, p. 124). His history in LSU, puts him in a difficult situation- a state of antagonism, and to repair his image, (re)articulation was the tool to reclaim his identity and begin a new career in NFL. Many other footballers took this redemptive approach, to negotiate economic power in the world of sport. For example, Michael Vick had a bad reputation, putting him in a state of antagonism, which called for the repair of his image by attaching him to Tony Dungy, a white and Christian mentor.
The world of sport presents us a cultural setting, where language is used rhetorically, with the intent to create new orientations, and these orientations are carried out through meaning creating or articulation. Even more, the process of articulation does not take place in isolation. That is, it happens with multiple layers of other events occurring at the same time. When multiple meanings are created in a certain context, we refer to them as assemblages. Assemblage theory is another interesting concept. Assemblage[4] has been reintroduced by Delanda, but the principle was first used in the work of Deluze and Guattarri.[5] I understand assemblage as the coming to existence of beings in a social space to form one or more identity(ies). This concept explains how a specific event can be related to a broader idea or concept, in a social space. To put assemblage into perspective, I took out time to watch a video of the 2018 Arthur Ashe Award for Courage and saw race, gender among many other elements expressed differently from the perspectives of the sister survivors. For the white lady who made a speech about her experience with Larry Nassar, it was about sexual abuse, but for the black sister survivor, it was about race- being a black minority. In order words, the ESPY 2018 event presents one setting, but with multiple events, creating different meanings, thereby forming assemblages
Conclusion
Sport brands often reintroduce their presence in the market by recreating new ideologies using people, places or things, and the concepts discussed here are the core of the creation of brand messages. Consider how C Ronaldo, Messi and other players are linked with products or services to create certain ideologies around those brands. An interesting fusion of Classical mythology in the world of modern sport, is how the Nike brand has created an identity by linking their brand with the Greek word, Nike, which stands for Victory or the Greek Goddess of Victory. The ideology that Nike sport brand seeks to promote, is that if you wear Nike brand, you will have victory.
In conclusion, it is fascinating to see how cultural and rhetorical studies will shape interests in domestic abuse and stigmatization. Even more, through my research, I can challenge existing orientations about left-handedness, rearticulate our identities as left-handers, and disclaim the cultural stereotype that we are uncultured and ill-mannered. As we begin to identify prominent people who are left-handed and use these personalities to rearticulate left-handedness, we can create a new ideology. One interesting way to do this, is to create left-handed cartoon characters whom children can model, and propagate this ideology using pop culture. Thus, we create a left-hand ideology and then succeed in changing the cultural narrative, without forcing people to accept left-handedness. Well, I am still a Pandora, but I guess the evil I have released into my world is worth it then. I look forward to more necessary evils! Lol.
References
Ahmed, S. (2006). Queer Phenomenology: Orientations, Objects, Others. Durham; London: Duke University Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctv125jk6wA.
Assemblage. (2021, September 13). In Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assemblage_theory
Biafra. (2021, September, 13). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biafra
Cultural Diffusion (2021, September 13). In Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/cultural-diffusion
Darius Arya (2021, September 13) Becoming a God; the Deification of the Roman Emperor. The American Institute for Roman Culture. Ancientromelive.com https://ancientromelive.org/becoming-a-god-the-deification-of-the-roman-emperor/
DeLuca, K. (1999). Articulation Theory: A Discursive Grounding for Rhetorical Practice. Philosophy & Rhetoric, (4), 334–348. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40238046
Grano, D., & L. Butterworth, M. (Eds.). (2019). Sport, Rhetoric, and Political Struggle. Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang US.
Greek Travel Tellers. (2021, September, 12). 30 of the most famous tales from Greek mythology. greektraveltellers.com https://greektraveltellers.com/blog/30-of-the-most-famous-tales-from-greek-mythology
Herrick, J,A. (2013). History and Theory of Rhetoric. Pearson.
Rosteck, T. (Ed.). (1999). At the intersection: Cultural studies and rhetorical studies. Guilford Press.
News Africa. (2021, September, 13). An Honest explanation of the Nigerian Civil War| Biafran War. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/7JCvIvb8PpY
[1] Cultural Diffusion (2021, September 13). In Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/cultural-diffusion
[2] Biafra. (2021, September, 13). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biafra
[3] Darius Arya (2021, September 13) Becoming a God; the Deification of the Roman Emperor. The American Institute for Roman Culture. Ancientromelive.com https://ancientromelive.org/becoming-a-god-the-deification-of-the-roman-emperor/
[4] Assemblage. (2021, September 13). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assemblage_theory
Sport and Power
Did you ever hear about the Pandora box? Let me tell you the story. According to the myth, Zeus gave Pandora a jar, warning her not to open it under any circumstances. But Pandora failed to listen, and she opened the jar, thereby releasing all evils upon the world. When I was going to choose this course, I didn’t know what to expect. Like Pandora, it was an irresistible temptation. I didn’t listen and for the first few weeks, I felt like I had released some evil into my world (I was mostly confused in the first 2 weeks of class). I considered dropping the course, but Dr. Bagley’s bubbly demeanor was tempting. So, I chose to remain in the class. I came in as a tabula rasa- without any knowledge about critical cultural studies theory. But I believed that if I can learn Latin and Greek, two languages that drove folks crazy in the ancient world, yet I never went crazy, I sure can deal with this theory class. Week after week, my anxiety increased, but as I began to immerse myself in the readings (fun fact, I don’t get to read them all), I began to see many connections in Classical studies and Critical Cultural Studies. Specifically, my interest in abuse in interpersonal relationships, as I go through this course.
I have had the opportunity to learn about some key concepts that drive research in critical cultural studies. The ones that stand out for me are Namely, cultural studies, rhetoric, ideology, articulation theory, and assemblage. Scholars have tried to understand if cultural studies and rhetorical studies are the same or different. One intersecting quality of these two concepts is that they both involve the study of people and their social, political and historical realities. Cultural studies consider a different pathway from rhetorical studies, but have the same goal of “understanding how discourse places and sustains relationships between people in society and how we might bring about positive changes in those relationships with the end of making the world a more humane place” (Rosteck, 1999, p.23). In order words, through cultural studies and rhetorical studies, we are presented a new perspective to every day events in human lives. When language is used, it is used symbolically, to express an idea, create a new culture, or challenge existing trends.
My interpretation of how cultural and rhetorical studies intersect, is that humans create culture using language, and every language (text, symbols or images) have symbolic connotations. Also, when these meanings are created, they are done with an agenda to propagate ideologies, through a process called orientation. Ahmed (2006) quoting Husserl and Hiedgger, defines orientation, as a process involving the body and the object. The body in this case, when touched or becomes intimate with a certain object, focuses on that object and its perception becomes shaped by that thing, such that it relegates other things in sight to the background. In order words, as humans, “we are oriented toward objects as things we “do things” with.” (Ahmed, 2000, p.550). I find interesting how the process through which humans get oriented is likened to the connection a writer makes with a writing table. In Ahmed’s description, the very use the table serves a body (or a human) determines how the body is “touched” or perceived by the table.
In my interpretation, I will liken the body to culture, and the object, as language or rhetoric. I think as humans, we form new orientations or perceptions (or what we can also refer to as culture) when we come in contact with language, which is often propagated through rhetoric. In order words, culture is touched by language, and as humans, this process shapes our perception or orientation. When this language touches us, we accept them, as long as it serves our need.
To make sense of this rather philosophical line of thought, I will draw two examples from Classical culture and Nigerian political history. When I was working on my master’s thesis at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, I looked at the interaction between the Romans and the Egyptians, through a process called cultural diffusion[1]. I examined how the Isiac mystery cult of the Ptolemaic era, between 323BC and 284 BC, came in contact with the Romans, and it became widespread and even after Christianity became the new religion, the Isiac cult still endured in Roman Christianity. For instance, the Egyptian Isis religion was based on the mystery of dying and rising, and this idea endured in Roman Christianity, through the concepts of resurrection and afterlife. This religious analogy explains how culture is formed through orientation, and how language is at the center of this process. The Romans embraced Isiac cult, and the teaching of this cult were promoted through rhetorical practices (through chanting, singing and use of occultic images) because it served the needs of the political class, who wanted to be associated with Egyptian mystery practices, and religion was the way they maintained control. Politicians in ancient Rome associated themselves with Isis religion, because the goddess represented imperial power and the cult endured till the Golden Age of Rome. The Isis religion then became a cultural orientation (like a table) which the body of the Roman political class turned to, to propagate new ideologies.
Within the Nigerian political dispensation, I find an interesting example. In my undergraduate thesis, I examined speeches of political leaders in Roman Republic and Post-independence Nigeria. For my analogy, I will be referencing a Nigerian military leader, late Odumegwu Ojukwu’s speech. Following the military coups, the Igbos chose to secede from Nigeria, and this led to the breakout of a civil war in May 31, 1967. During this crisis, Ojukwu made a legendary rhetorical address, which led to the Biafran ideology, which after several years, many Igbos still feel connected to. Biafra was and is still a culture that touched, and still touches the Igbo people in the Southeastern Nigeria, because it served their need. For the Igbos, Biafra[2] represented a movement through which they articulated their rights, and combated with the oppressive Nigerian leaders.
As I continued to engage other readings in the theory class, I began to solidify my understanding of how cultures are created when ideas touch people, especially in the world of sport. For ideas to exist, they must be created through a process called articulation, and fostered through ideology. Deluca (1999) in his description of what articulation theory is, relied chiefly on the work of Laclau and Moufee( 1985). Laclau and Mouffe define articulation theory, as “the practice of establishing relationships among meanings, such that their identities are modified”. In order words, articulation is the process through which we use language to create or recreate the image(s) of a person, place or thing. When articulation takes place, a number of concepts help to facilitate this process, and these are, speaking forth or the symbolic use of language (which we already established can be image, object or symbol), the linking of elements, antagonism, and exigence among others.
Articulation has been used in different dispensations or worlds to create ideologies. From the politics of the Classical Rome, and the politics of modern-day sport. For instance, I see how articulation is wielded very interestingly especially in classical history, despite that this concept was not known at that age and time. For instance, Julius Casear after winning a major war, rearticulated his identity in a public address, where he pronounced himself god, and subsequent Roman emperors embraced deification[3] as a way of establishing control over the Roman people.
Following the same process of articulation, the American footballer, Tyrann Mathieu, like other African American footballers, had to re-create his identity by disclaiming and reclaiming the honey badger moniker. He disclaimed this identity to negotiate his entrance into NFL. According to Bower and Hanna (2019) Tyrann had to change his identity. Tyrann’s skillfulness and ferocious nature, which represents black male bodies as “aggressive and hypermasculine than white bodies” (Bower and Hanna, 2019, p117), and the idea that he had been charged with “drug possession and failure to pass drug tests at the university level” (Bower and Hanna, 2019, p. 124). His history in LSU, puts him in a difficult situation- a state of antagonism, and to repair his image, (re)articulation was the tool to reclaim his identity and begin a new career in NFL. Many other footballers took this redemptive approach, to negotiate economic power in the world of sport. For example, Michael Vick had a bad reputation, putting him in a state of antagonism, which called for the repair of his image by attaching him to Tony Dungy, a white and Christian mentor.
The world of sport presents us a cultural setting, where language is used rhetorically, with the intent to create new orientations, and these orientations are carried out through meaning creating or articulation. Even more, the process of articulation does not take place in isolation. That is, it happens with multiple layers of other events occurring at the same time. When multiple meanings are created in a certain context, we refer to them as assemblages. Assemblage theory is another interesting concept. Assemblage[4] has been reintroduced by Delanda, but the principle was first used in the work of Deluze and Guattarri.[5] I understand assemblage as the coming to existence of beings in a social space to form one or more identity(ies). This concept explains how a specific event can be related to a broader idea or concept, in a social space. To put assemblage into perspective, I took out time to watch a video of the 2018 Arthur Ashe Award for Courage and saw race, gender among many other elements expressed differently from the perspectives of the sister survivors. For the white lady who made a speech about her experience with Larry Nassar, it was about sexual abuse, but for the black sister survivor, it was about race- being a black minority. In order words, the ESPY 2018 event presents one setting, but with multiple events, creating different meanings, thereby forming assemblages
Conclusion
Sport brands often reintroduce their presence in the market by recreating new ideologies using people, places or things, and the concepts discussed here are the core of the creation of brand messages. Consider how C Ronaldo, Messi and other players are linked with products or services to create certain ideologies around those brands. An interesting fusion of Classical mythology in the world of modern sport, is how the Nike brand has created an identity by linking their brand with the Greek word, Nike, which stands for Victory or the Greek Goddess of Victory. The ideology that Nike sport brand seeks to promote, is that if you wear Nike brand, you will have victory.
In conclusion, it is fascinating to see how cultural and rhetorical studies will shape interests in domestic abuse and stigmatization. Even more, through my research, I can challenge existing orientations about left-handedness, rearticulate our identities as left-handers, and disclaim the cultural stereotype that we are uncultured and ill-mannered. As we begin to identify prominent people who are left-handed and use these personalities to rearticulate left-handedness, we can create a new ideology. One interesting way to do this, is to create left-handed cartoon characters whom children can model, and propagate this ideology using pop culture. Thus, we create a left-hand ideology and then succeed in changing the cultural narrative, without forcing people to accept left-handedness. Well, I am still a Pandora, but I guess the evil I have released into my world is worth it then. I look forward to more necessary evils! Lol.
References
Ahmed, S. (2006). Queer Phenomenology: Orientations, Objects, Others. Durham; London: Duke University Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctv125jk6wA.
Assemblage. (2021, September 13). In Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assemblage_theory
Biafra. (2021, September, 13). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biafra
Cultural Diffusion (2021, September 13). In Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/cultural-diffusion
Darius Arya (2021, September 13) Becoming a God; the Deification of the Roman Emperor. The American Institute for Roman Culture. Ancientromelive.com https://ancientromelive.org/becoming-a-god-the-deification-of-the-roman-emperor/
DeLuca, K. (1999). Articulation Theory: A Discursive Grounding for Rhetorical Practice. Philosophy & Rhetoric, (4), 334–348. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40238046
Grano, D., & L. Butterworth, M. (Eds.). (2019). Sport, Rhetoric, and Political Struggle. Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang US.
Greek Travel Tellers. (2021, September, 12). 30 of the most famous tales from Greek mythology. greektraveltellers.com https://greektraveltellers.com/blog/30-of-the-most-famous-tales-from-greek-mythology
Herrick, J,A. (2013). History and Theory of Rhetoric. Pearson.
Rosteck, T. (Ed.). (1999). At the intersection: Cultural studies and rhetorical studies. Guilford Press.
News Africa. (2021, September, 13). An Honest explanation of the Nigerian Civil War| Biafran War. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/7JCvIvb8PpY
[1] Cultural Diffusion (2021, September 13). In Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/cultural-diffusion
[2] Biafra. (2021, September, 13). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biafra
[3] Darius Arya (2021, September 13) Becoming a God; the Deification of the Roman Emperor. The American Institute for Roman Culture. Ancientromelive.com https://ancientromelive.org/becoming-a-god-the-deification-of-the-roman-emperor/
[4] Assemblage. (2021, September 13). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assemblage_theory