Reels and Refections
Becoming One in German Soccer: Globalization and the Stadium Experience View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jinseo Hong, Arne Koch
How does the evolution of German soccer clubs from regional anchors into global commodities leave room for all their supporters to become a full part of a community beyond the imagined? Both clubs at the very top, like Borussia Dortmund, and others struggling for recognition in lower levels, like Hertha BSC Berlin, have seen their international following grow exponentially over recent years. And supporters’ club allegiances as well as their takes on the previous weekend’s fixtures are relived and shared virtually 24/7 in online environments around the globe. Against this globalizing dynamic, local supporters often express certain resistance and stake claims of involvement that exclude remote fans. By focusing on the notion that participation in game day performances by fans (tifos; blason populaire; fan marches; etc.), led above all by Ultra groups, is seen as requisite by both local and global fans for attaining full status as ‘one of us,’ this paper focuses on the theatricality of stadium experiences as passionately performed and choreographed 90-minute ‘operas’ and, more importantly, as lived moments of (regional) history. Through analysis of fan online discourse (at once an extension of what Tim Crabbe (2006) calls the vernacular culture and a part of the cultural industry) alongside consideration of in-stadium dynamics driven by chants and choreo, this paper argues that supporters of teams that are becoming global commodities (i.e. fans consume them everywhere) accept and promote that only through local participation being a part of the fabric of true fans is seen as possible.
Featured Introducing Heroines of Sports: Making Sense of Difference and Identity through Indian Female Sportspersons Films View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Manisha Poonia
This paper employs a feminist theoretical framework to explore the intersection of gender representation and identity politics in Indian female sports films. It critically examines how sports films like Mary Kom (2012) and Panga (2022) subvert patriarchal norms and challenge conventional notions of femininity, reframing female heroism through narratives of strength, resilience, and self-determination. Drawing on Laura Mulvey’s male gaze theory, the study interrogates how these films deconstruct traditional cinematic practices that often objectify women. By foregrounding female athleticism and corporeal labor, the narratives resist commoditization, focusing instead on women's agency and empowerment. The study also incorporates Judith Butler’s concept of gender performativity to analyze how the protagonists navigate and redefine gender roles within the traditionally masculinized domains of wrestling and boxing. The methodology adopts a qualitative approach, utilizing textual analysis to deconstruct cinematic elements such as character development, narrative structure, and visual aesthetics. Special attention is given to the portrayal of physicality and how it intersects with socio-cultural constructs like caste, class, and regional identity. Additionally, the paper examines the broader socio-political implications of these films within a globalized cultural context, exploring how they contribute to the discourse on gender equity and female empowerment. By blending feminist theories with cinematic analysis, this study seeks to demonstrate how Indian female sports films serve as both cultural artifacts and catalysts for societal change, redefining the boundaries of heroism and creating a nuanced representation of women in sports.
Judo as Embodied Curriculum: A Situated Inquiry into Practice-Based Learning and Strategic Development View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ruth Neubauer, Clemens Kerschbaum, Ksenija Kuzmina
This paper investigates Judo as a curricular framework for embodied and performance-oriented learning. Based on an ongoing situated study at the intersection of competitive training environments, cross-national learning contexts, and developmental coaching practices, the contribution explores how Judo functions not only as a sport, but as an epistemic structure. The analysis identifies five core dimensions of Judo as curriculum: embodied knowing, critical inquiry, strategy, aesthetics, and resilience. These dimensions are examined through the lens of practice-based knowledge development, drawing from longitudinal engagement with athletes and coaches across systems. The study proposes a curricular model in which reflection and action, sensory experience, and performative understanding are central to learning. Rather than treating these experiential forms of knowledge as extracurricular, the paper argues for their generative role in fostering autonomy, adaptability, and integrative intelligence. The findings contribute to current discourse on learning architectures that challenge and reimagine the structure of traditional school curricula.
American Media Representations of Jiu-Jitsu, 1900-1906: How Cross-Cultural Martial Arts Transmission Affects Identity Formation and Access to Sport View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jeff Shaw
The Japanese martial art known as jiu-jitsu came to America at the turn of the 20th century. In a short period of time, it grew from an exoticized entertainment to front-page news across the United States. The evolution of news coverage in these earliest years, from jiu-jitsu’s arrival until the departure of the first wave of instructors, shows how the jiu-jitsu fad affected culture, from sport to health to politics, in a lasting, significant way. This examination of media reports reveal the motivations, meanings, and purposes held by people training and teaching jiu-jitsu, from average Americans to U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. Two prominent categories of media coverage include prizefighting for public entertainment and people using jiu-jitsu for personal self defense. The author analyzed more than 2,400 articles that included references to “jiu-jitsu” or “jujutsu” between 1900 (when the first instructor in the art came to America) and 1906. This research assesses the public's use of jiu-jitsu to form both collective individual identities, and how media representations of jiu-jitsu informed ideas on race, class, and gender. The paper takes an intersectional approach to examining representations of gender and ethnic identity in sport and society. The transmission of jiu-jitsu to America from Japan, and subsequently to South America, shows the impact of cultural traditions and cultural differences on sport. The research also suggests future work that would compare media representations across eras, laying the groundwork for a longitudinal study analyzing equity in access to sport.
