Spectacular Nike - a global commodity

I am pretty proud of this essay, got an A+ grade!

Essay Question: In the 20^th century sport undergoes three major developments: it becomes a global activity; it is increasingly oriented towards spectatorship and entertainment; and it moves away from the ideals of Greek athletics, and is integrated into the contemporary, media-driven culture of the spectacle. Using this clip as the basis of your analysis and argument, explain and show how these developments have influenced and changed contemporary sport.

In the late nineteenth century, sport was a communal exercise.  People, on a local scale, would participate in sporting activities where spectators were frowned upon and there was little involvement from the fields of media or business (Schirato 97). However, the twentieth century saw sport make a transition away from these ideals. This essay will examine a video advertisement – “NIKEFOOTBALL WRITE THE FUTURE - FULLLENGTH VERSION” (Nike’s Write the Future) – to argue that it is a perfect embodiment of how sport, in particular football, has significantly moved away from its amateur days. This argument will be reinforced through an analysis of the video, where sport is portrayed as a global enterprise that has been inserted into the logics of the media and professionalism. The video also contains numerous examples of fans’ reactions and fast-paced montages that reflect the attention-seeking qualities of the spectacle.

Globalization is essentially the “growing interconnectedness” of the world where the physical boundaries of nation-states are becoming increasingly insignificant (Held and McGrew 1). In Write the Future, Nike is able to connect the world and attract a global audience because the video features footballers from various countries and continents such as Africa, South America and Europe. All the featured players have competed in previous FIFA World Cups and Europe’s top football leagues. Because these competitions are televised around the world, this video successfully appeals to a wide demographic of potential consumers.

Ronaldinho

The process of globalization has been aided by technological advances that have led to the compression of time and space (Eitzen and Baca Zinn 1). This has resulted in what Marshall McLuhan defines as a “global village” where everyone can experience the same events simultaneously (Kellner 118). In the sequence of shots involving Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho, he tricks his opponents with some fancy footwork. This event continues in the very next shot, but Ronaldinho is now being mediated through the video sharing website YouTube and millions of viewers “Like” the video. Relating to this is Anderson’s idea of “imagined communities” where geographical boundaries are overcome as people “act as members of a community” through cultural representations (Schirato 88). Following Ronaldinho’s performance is a montage of user-generated videos where different people in different locations all copy Ronaldinho. The internet allows us to overcome physical distance, share our own imitations of an event, and interact over a common occurrence. Ronaldinho is shown to have a global fan base that, although they have never met before, is bounded together by the same attachment to a player, or consumption of the same product. 

Globalization can be thought of as a process of “Westernization” where Western countries impose their ideologies on the rest of the world (Houlihan 347; Giddens 19). Guy Debord, in “Society of the Spectacle,” argues that the spectacle “epitomizes the prevailing model of social life” (75). In other words, the spectacle exemplifies the dominant ideas and beliefs that circulate in society. Nike is an American based multi-national corporation that operates under a capitalist model, and Kellner argues that corporations are willing to pay “top dollars” to get their products associated with sports “heroes” who function as “embodiments … of the good life,” (6). Nike’s choice of footballers is also due to the fact that the players in question have all had success at the highest level, either for their club or country, and at the time of production were among the world’s highest paid footballers. By selecting multi-million dollar earners, Nike reinforces what Kellner refers to as the “capitalist ethic” (65). That is, success and money go hand in hand.

A globalization of culture also takes place as all players adhere to the same style of football. The recognitions explained above depend on cultural literacy, that is, the ability to understand the so called “meaning systems” within cultural fields (Schirato et al. 190). Viewers who are unaware that the sponsored players featured in this video are global football icons will not be swayed by Nike to consume their products. Right from the beginning Nike, in order to get the attention of these viewers, presents a fast-paced and attack-orientated style of football. Côte d'Ivoire’s Didier Drogba is the first footballer featured in this video and he demonstrates this energetic style of football in the process of outwitting his opponents.

Drogba

In the early twentieth century, the “sport-media nexus” was established where individuals could get closer to sporting events, for example, through accounts in the news media (Schirato 84; Guttmann 85). In other words, contemporary sport differs from earlier sport because it has become immersed into the logics of the media. The Drogba sequence illustrates this connection. Nowadays, sport stadiums are designed to support the demands of advertisers, cameras and spectators, with the purpose of encouraging consumption (Schirato 122). Nike’s fictional football event takes place inside a multi-million dollar stadium and as Drogba controls the ball, Nike advertising billboards surround a crowd of thousands of fans. Photographers and cameramen track Drogba’s movements and, in their purpose-built environments, commentators scream into their microphones and journalists wait at their laptops, getting ready to write their reports on the action that unfolds.

Contemporary sport also has a strong emphasis on spectators. Schirato observes that the media treats fans as commodities, in that their “passionate” attachment can help encourage consumption (90). Some of the fans within the stadium display banners in order to signal their attachment to Drogba. In a swift montage of shots, Côte d'Ivoire fans line the streets and while a fireworks display takes place they respond emotionally by cheering, dancing, playing drums and waving flags. Essentially, Nike associates its brand with a passionate fan base by creating a party-like atmosphere in the hope of selling its products. This rapid sequence of images also gives us very little time to contemplate what we are seeing.

Cannavaro

Attention management is “all-important” in the spectacle and this is achieved by making each successive event “more dramatic and intense” than previous ones (Schirato et al. 150). After Drogba chips the ball over the goalkeeper, we start to assume that a goal will be scored. In other words, the spectacle is coming to an end and our attention begins to wander. However, Italy’s Fabio Cannavaro performs a bicycle kick in slow motion to successfully defend Drogba’s shot. The viewer is then taken away from the football pitch to a theatrical celebration in honour of Cannavaro. Ladies dance in sparkling blue outfits and countless, multi-coloured stage lights accompany upbeat music. Write the Future is sustaining its dramatic element in order to hold our attention. Furthermore, sport has undergone a transition over time. It is not necessarily valued by the action that takes place on the field but is more judged by the entertainment factor that it brings to spectators. 

The significance of spectators in contemporary sport is further portrayed through England’s Wayne Rooney. A close-up camera shot reveals a fearful look in Rooney’s eyes after his pass is intercepted. It would go against the logic of the spectacle if he was shown chasing after the ball. This would not be very exciting compared to the earlier examples of Cannavaro and Drogba. Instead, a hysterical collection of premonitions is given from Rooney’s perspective. Hysteria is another quality of the spectacle, and can be defined as an “uncontrollable state of mind brought about by panic and/or an overreaction to events” (Schirato et al. 151). Within Rooney’s mind, street riots take place and newspapers are published with headlines implying his demise. In essence, Rooney is deeply concerned about how his life will eventuate. Although Rooney wants to perform for himself and his team, at the forefront of his mind is how the English news media and football fans will react unless he gets the ball back. 

Rooney

When Rooney does regain control of the football, a fast-paced montage exemplifies Debord’s notion that, in the world of the spectacle, “truth is a moment of falsehood” (76). In other words, the spectacle involves constant hyperbole in creating extraordinary scenarios. Rooney has just performed a standardized action on the football field, but he constructs a world where numerous newborn babies are named after him, the financial markets climb, and he is knighted by the British Queen. Put simply, Rooney creates a more positive outlook and exaggerates how English society will react. This example embodies the idea that the spectacle involves a saturation of exaggerated images with the hope of encouraging consumption.

In conclusion, Nike’s Write the Future is a great example of how sport has become immersed into the logics of the media and the spectacle. Technological advances have led to a process of globalization where culture is being homogenized, multinational corporations impose capitalist ideologies, and people from disparate locations experience the same events at the same time. Actual action on the football pitch makes up less than half of this video’s running time, therefore emphasizing the spectator and entertainment orientated nature of present-day sports events. Nike has also given its footballers exaggerated examples of success and, fittingly, the video concludes with another fast-paced montage featuring another global football icon, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who has just taken a penalty kick. However we are left uncertain as to if Ronaldo scores. Instead, the video ends with the phrase “Write the Future,” implying that if we consume Nike’s commodities – whether it is their sponsored footballers, the fans’ passion, or physical sports gear and equipment – we can control our own destiny. 

 References

Debord, Guy. “Separation Perfected.” The Society of the Spectacle. Trans. Donald Nicholson Smith. New York: Zone Books, 1995. 11-24. Rpt. in MDIA 203: Visual Culture Course Reader. Comp. Minette Hillyer. Wellington: Victoria University, 2011. 74-81. Print.

Eitzen, Stanley and Bacca Zinn, Maxine. “Introduction.” Globalization: The Transformation of Social Worlds. Eds. Stanley Eitzen and Maxine Bacca Zinn. California: Thompson Wadsworth, 2008. 1-14. Print.

Guttmann, Allan. Sports Spectators. New York: Columbia University Press, 1986. Print.

Held, David and McGrew, Anthony. Globalization/Anti-Globalization. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2002. Print.

Houlihan, Barrie. “Sport and Globalisation.” Sport and Society: A Student Introduction. Ed. Barrie Houlihan. London: SAGE Publications Ltd, 2003. 345-363. Print.

Keller, Douglas. Media Spectacle. London: Routledge, 2003. Print.

Kellner, Douglas. “Media Spectacle, Presidential Politics, and the Transformation of Journalism.” The Routledge Companion to News and Journalism. Ed. Stuart Allan. Abingdon: Routledge, 2012. 116-126. Print.

NikeFootball. “NIKE FOOTBALL WRITE THE FUTURE - FULL LENGTH VERSION” 21 Dec. 2010. YouTube. Web Video. 17 Sep. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBZtHAVvslQ>

Schirato, Tony, Angi Buettner, Thierry Jutel and Geoff Stahl. Understanding Media Studies. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print.

Schirato, Tony. Understanding Sports Culture. London: SAGE Publications, 2007. Print.

 

Fair play, teamwork and a history of football/soccer

 Here is my latest essay on football:

In late nineteenth-century Britain, headmasters of various public schools were recognizing the importance of physical activity and the role it could play in developing strong, young men with healthy morals. Boys were encouraged to transfer their playful, violent and wasteful actions into an arena of life with its own rules, limits, and character building qualities. This essay will examine two videos, a sequence from the 2001 film Lagaan and “Football is Fair Play” (Fair Play), to argue that the range of beliefs and discourses that were inaugurated in late nineteenth-century Britain are still effective in modern sport. Fair play, discipline, and teamwork are illustrated in both videos, and although the early stages of Fair Play contradict these notions, there is a clear transition to the values that were initiated in the British public schools.

Schirato et al. define discourse as “language in action” and explain that the process involves using certain words and phrases related to a specific field or institution (39). In this case the field is sport and the discourses outlined above coincide with its beginnings. During the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century, the educators at British public schools did not approve of their students taking part in physical games. According to Holt, boys would enjoy testing their strength in unorganized combat and brutal games of football (78). Regardless of whether these games occurred in the school grounds or on the streets, they would often lead to injury (Holt 78).

Rugby School in England.

School headmasters soon decided to put an end to this violent culture in what Schirato describes as the “civilizing process” (51). Figures such as Thomas Arnold, headmaster of Rugby School in the 1830s, argued that creating moral young men was of more importance than academic success (McDevitt 10). Many headmasters began to recognize that discipline could be taught through organized physical activity. Discipline refers to a process whereby people would be behave in line with what the state and its various institutions considered to be normal, healthy and productive (Schirato et al. 191). By participating in codified sport with its own rules, boys could become disciplined and exemplify the values of teamwork and fair play which were “synonymous” with British national character (Schirato 51).

This is not the case early on in Fair Play. Schirato et al. point out that discourse provides “categories of subjectivity” and divides people into typologies where they then “accept and comply” with authority (40). The player-referee relationship in football embodies this idea because players are expected to respect the referee and his decisions, even in disagreement. However the footballers in Fair Play lack respect because they argue with referees after a decision has been made. Hence, they are ill-disciplined individuals, not abiding by the power relations that discourse sets up. They are wrongly acknowledging their position and the extent to which they can influence outcomes within the field of sport.

The way that players conduct themselves on the football pitch relates to Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of habitus. According to Schirato et al., habitus is “history naturalised … the values and dispositions gained from our cultural history are part of who we are … and how we do things” (193). The games of ancient Rome involved gladiatorial battles in the Colosseum and chariot races with riots and bribery (Guttmann 28; Mandell 81). These activities are related to what Arnold describes as the “antithesis” of sport where players adopt a “win at all costs” attitude in wanting to “take out” the opposition (23). Fair Play contains many examples from Italian football matches, where players intentionally slide-tackle, elbow, and spit at their opposition. Put simply, actions in contemporary Italian football can be traced back to ancient Rome. Those values have become engrained in Italian culture and are expressed on the football field through seemingly natural actions of foul play. Foreign players entering into Italian football leagues can potentially learn these dispositions because of their immersion into that culture.

Nevertheless, forty seconds into Fair Play the following message appears: “Questo non e’ calcio” (This is not football). The tone of the video changes and we are now shown how football should be played. Players pleasantly shake hands with the opposition team and a montage of friendly exchanges between players and referees reinforces the respect the players have for their superiors. A mutual acknowledgment of ability occurs when Michel Platini embraces the opposition goalkeeper after having his header saved. Rivalry is put aside when, after Juventus’ Gianluigi Buffon saves a free kick, players from Inter Milan tap him on the head. It is fitting that the video concludes with the message “Questo e’ calcio” (This is football). We have just been told that this is how football ought to be played while also shown the positive qualities that football can offer and bring out of people.

West Ham's Paolo Di Canio

Holt argues that fair play meant “not only respecting the written rules of the game, but abiding by what was generally understood to be the spirit of the game” (98). Leading on from this, Schirato points out that participants in late nineteenth-century British sport were expected to demonstrate that winning was not the most important aspect of competition (50). Fair Play contains one of the most acclaimed acts of sportsmanship in contemporary football. During an English Premier League match Paolo Di Canio, while the opposition goalkeeper was lying injured on the pitch, decided to pick up the football and stop play. Schirato describes this as a prime example of “sporting behaviour” where Di Canio refused to “take advantage of an injured opponent” (135). There are no rules stating that players must act this way, but Di Canio decided that this was the moral thing to do. Di Canio received praise from the opposition team because he essentially abandoned a winning mindset to reinforce the spirit of football.

The discourse of teamwork in sport was also established in the Victorian public schools. In the context of rowing, headmaster of Eton in the late nineteenth-century, Edmond Warre, adored the “sight of his crew” pulling together on the Thames (Holt 76). Holt argues that team sports, such as cricket, “created [a] powerful focus for group loyalty,” and were “perceived as [ways] of imparting the values of team spirit and cooperation” (80). Essentially, there was something special about watching people work together in unity. Team sports were seen as an ideal setting for young men to learn the importance and effectiveness of collaboration and forgetting about individual desires.

These are the core values put forward in a sequence from the film Lagaan. From Schirato’s observation, cricket allowed a “hybrid collection of Indians … to overcome their differences … to believe in themselves as a team/community” (51). In addition, Holt states that cricket “merges the individual into eleven” and a key component of the sport is the reliance on other people to perform their task (80). In this video fieldsmen take catches, the wicketkeeper makes a stumping, and bowlers take wickets.  Cricket relies heavily on the integration of people and these examples illustrate this assertion.

Kachra's unique ability allows him to be accepted by his team

Therefore, marginalizing people is perceived as counterproductive to teamwork. In this particular sequence one of the main characters, Kachra, is classified as an “untouchable” in the Indian caste system. In other words, Kachra’s extremely low position in Indian society means he is rejected and avoided by the other castes. However, because of his amazing ability to spin the ball, he is accepted into the team when the others realise his talent. In the cricket match against the British opposition, Kachra plays a crucial role in helping his team to victory by taking a hat-trick, that is, three consecutive wickets. He is embraced by his teammates who come from various social and cultural backgrounds. In essence, the hatred for Kachra is abandoned as the team forget their personal differences and strive towards a common goal which, in this case, is to defeat the British team. According to Schirato, a “hero” embodies the strengths and virtues of the community (48-49). Kachra’s performance allows him to become a hero for the Indian people and a symbol for overcoming obstacles and conquering discrimination.

Schirato points out that team sports encourage involvement at a spectatorial level (44). Even though they are not actually participating in the game of cricket, the Indian crowd also depict teamwork and loyalty. After Kachra takes his hat-trick, the crowd show their enjoyment by shouting and dancing. In doing so, they recognize their position in the field of sport and the role they play in supporting a team who represent their values. Even though there is a diverse range of dress standards in the crowd, signalling their differences, they are all pledging their allegiance to a unified cause. They want to reject the British rule, support their team, and build a sense of identity.

In conclusion, a transition from violent, playful acts towards codified and consequential forms of physical activity in late nineteenth-century British public schools resulted in the initiation and appraisal of discourses such as teamwork, discipline, community building, and fair play. These ideas produced moral and healthy men who understood the importance of participation and representing a group with pride. Examples of these values are evident in contemporary fictional and factual sports events. Lagaan proves how team sports serve as a gateway to defeating prejudice and forging identity, while the Fair Play video, in particular footballer Paolo Di Canio, shows us how sport has the power to teach discipline and provide an opportunity to perform honourable acts that can potentially result in widespread approval.

Bibliography

Arnold, Peter. Sport, Ethics and Education. London: Cassell, 1997. Print.

“Football is Fair Play” 7 Sep. 2011. YouTube. Web Video. 15 Aug. 2012. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMOMRAEzndM>

Guttmann, Allan. Sports Spectators. New York: Columbia University Press, 1986. Print

Holt, Richard. Sport and the British: A Modern History. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989.Print

“Lagaan Bowling” 6 Jun. 2009. YouTube. Web Video. 15 Aug. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEcHmbyWdTs>

Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India. Dir. Ashutosh Gowariker. Aamir Khan Productions, 2001. Film.

Mandell, R. Sport, a Cultural History. New York: Columbia University Press, 1984. Print.

McDevitt, Patrick F. May the Best Man Win”: Sport, Masculinity, and nationalism in Great Britain and the Empire, 1880-1935. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2004. Print.

Murray, Bill. Football: A History of the World Game. Aldershot: Scolar Press, 1994. Print.

Schirato, Tony, Angi Buettner, Thierry Jutel, and Geoff Stahl. Understanding Media Studies. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print.

Schirato, Tony. Understanding Sports Culture. London: SAGE Publications, 2007. Print.