hickey-bodymindandsoul-2005.pdf (316.68 kB)
The body, mind and soul of AFL footballers: tales of identity from the global sports entertainment industry
conference contribution
posted on 2005-01-01, 00:00 authored by Peter Kelly, Chris HickeyChris HickeyThe paper discusses some of the findings of a research project funded by the Australian Football League (AFL) titled: Getting the Balance Right: Professionalism, Performance, Prudentialism and Playstations in the Life of AFL Footballers. The research explored the emergence and evolution of a professional identity for AFL footballers – an identity that has many facets including the ideas that a professional leads a balanced life, and has a prudent orientation to the future, to life after football. The AFL is a high profile, sports entertainment business in which brand relationships between the industry and its sponsors generate substantial income for the League, for Clubs, and for Coaches and players. In addition the AFL’s equalisation policies tightly regulate the ways in which Clubs can recruit, maintain and develop playing lists. In this context various tools of analysis are used to identify and characterise the particular Body, Mind and Soul elements of the young men who might be recruited to a Club; who might have significant time, money and effort invested in their development (as players, as persons); who might develop an identity as an AFL footballer. Drawing on Foucault’s work on the care of the self we argue that in this situation, narratives of identity necessarily involve a struggle for the Body, Mind and Soul of these young men.
History
Event
Community, place, change: TASA 2005 conferencePagination
1 - 12Publisher
Sociological Association of AustraliaLocation
HobartPlace of publication
Melbourne, Vic.Start date
2005-12-05End date
2005-12-08ISBN-13
9780959846058ISBN-10
0959846050Language
engNotes
Reproduced with the kind permission of the copyright owner.Publication classification
E1 Full written paper - refereedCopyright notice
2005, TASAEditor/Contributor(s)
R Julian, R Rottier, R WhiteTitle of proceedings
2005 TASA CD Proceedings.Usage metrics
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