Winning and losing: the dynamics of pride and shame in the narratives of men who play competitive country football
RIS ID
100050
Abstract
Football is an important site in the construction and performance of masculinity. In this paper we focus on rugby league and/or Australian Rules Football in the Bega Valley District, News South Wales, Australia. This paper investigates 17 football life narratives of men who play in the competitive rural sports leagues of the Bega Valley. Drawing on the theoretical work of Elspeth Probyn, a visceral approach is used to critically attend to the ambiguities and tensions surrounding the bodies of men who play football. We argue that the affective and emotional relationships of the dynamics of pride and shame are found within spaces sustained by football. We argue that a feminist geographical perspective of the dynamics of pride and shame open up possibilities to challenge normative understandings of football bodies and spaces.
Publication Details
Waitt , G. & Clifton, D. (2015). Winning and losing: the dynamics of pride and shame in the narratives of men who play competitive country football. Leisure Studies, 34 (3), 259-281.