Fallen Sports Heroes, Media, & Celebrity Culture

Lawrence A. Wenner (PhD, University of Iowa) is Von der Ahe Professor of Communication and Ethics in the College of Communication & Fine Arts and the School of Film & Television at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He is editor of the journals International Review for the Sociology of Sport and Communication and Sport. His books on sport include Media, Sports, and Society; MediaSport; and Sport, Beer, and Gender: Promotional Culture and Contemporary Social Life (with Steven J. Jackson).

«The stars of sport become figures in public discourses about moralities, lifestyles and values. [...] This impressive collection, comprising contributors who have been central to analysis of these processes over many years, is an indispensible guide to the place of the sport hero, celebrated or reviled, in contemporary culture.» (Garry Whannel, Professor of Media Cultures and Director of the Research Institute for Media Art and Design at the University of Bedfordshire, UK and author of ‘Culture, Politics, and Sport’)«Unlike celebs from other spheres of culture, athletes are also expected to be heroes and role models. This increases the likelihood that they will disappoint fans and fall from favor. The insightful articles in this collection explain the dynamics and consequences of this rise and fall process and help us better understand celebrity culture and the role of sport in society.» (Jay Coakley, Professor Emeritus, University of Coloradp. Colorado Springs and author of ‘Sports in Society: Issues and Controversies’)«The breadth, depth and global reach of these essays compel us to say to our fallen heroes, ‘Our nations turn our cynical and forever disappointed eyes from you.’ But they also make clear that we will engage in a perpetual quest to create new heroes as we worship one of the most powerful institutions on this planet – sport.» (Mary Jo Kane, Professor of Sport Sociology and Director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, University of Minnesota)«This collection is a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes stories of many of the world’s most famous athletes, their rise and especially their fall. A diverse set of lively scholars examine the underside of sport celebrities, those stories that seem «more than we wanted to know” about a star but can't put down. The result is a garden of earthly disasters and delights that will captivate any close observer of sports. [...] Game on!» (Michael Real, Professor of Communication and Culture, Royal Roads University, Canada and author of Super Media and Exploring Media Culture)

• Contents: Lawrence A. Wenner: The Fallen Sports Hero in the Age of Mediated Celebrityhood – Toby Miller: Exposing Celebrity Sports – William J. Morgan: Athletic Heroic Acts and Living on the Moral Edge – Bryan E. Denham: From Coverage to Recovery: Mediating the Fallen Sports Celebrity – Andrew C. Billings: Tiger Woods Lands in the Rough: Golf, Apologia, and the Heroic Limits of Privacy – C. Lee Harrington/Kimberly S. Schimmel: Andre Agassi and the Tides of Tennis Celebrity: Image, Reconstruction, and Confession – Lindsey J. Meân: On Track, off Track, on Oprah: The Framing of Marion Jones as Golden Girl and American Fraud – Becky Beal: The Ups and Downs of Skating Vertical: Christian Hosoi, Crystal Meth, and Christianity – James L. Cherney/Kurt Lindemann: Wrestling with Extremes: Steroids, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Chris Benoit – Pirkko Markula/Zoe Avner: Bad Landing: Charting the Gold and Criminal Records of Finnish Ski Jumper, Matti Nykänen – Alistair John/Toni Bruce/Steven J. Jackson: Traitor on High Seas: Russell Coutts, Kiwi Loyalty, and Opportunism in International Yachting – Cheryl Cooky/Shari L. Dworkin: Running Down What Comes Naturally: Gender Verification and South Africa’s Caster Semenya – Michael D. Giardina/Mar Magnusen: Dog Bites Man? The Criminalization and Rehabilitation of Michael Vick – Katherine L. Lavelle: Guns Are No Joke: Framing Plaxico Burress, Gilbert Arenas, and Gunplay in Professional Sports – Mary G. McDonald/Cheryl Cooky: Interrogating Discourses About the WNBA’s «Bad Girls»: Intersectionality and the Politics of Representation – Oliver Rick/Michael L. Silk/David L. Andrews: Liquid Beckham: Inoculating a Star Against Falls from Grace – Bill Grantham: No Gagging Matter: John Terry Plays Centre Back from Dad of the Year to (Alleged) Debauchery – Jim McKay/Karen Brooks: «Wayne’s World»: Media Narratives of Downfall and Redemption About Australian Football «King», Wayne Carey – David Rowe: Spinning out of Control: Harbhajan Singh, Postcolonial Cricket Celebrity, and the «Revenge Narrative» – Marie Hardin/Nicole M. LaVoi: The «Bully» and the «Girl Who Did What She Did»: Neo-Homophobia in Coverage of Two Women’s College Basketball Coaches – Michael L. Butterworth: Coaches Gone Wild: Media, Masculinity, and Morality in Big-Time College Football – Kevin Young/Michael Atkinson: Faking It: Dean Richards, Rugby Union, and Harlequins at the Bloodgate – Heather L. Hundley: Who’s Sorry Now? Sportscasters Falling from Grace, Saving Face – Jay Scherer/Lisa McDermott: Don Cherry and the Cultural Politics of Rock’Em Sock’Em Nationalism: Complicating the Hero-Villain Binary in Canada – Scott Tinley: Beyond the Failed Sports Hero: Where We All Fall Down.