Where the Action Is
Visual Sociology and Sport
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11325536 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Tim Curry (The Ohio State University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2008 |
| Volume | 71 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 107-108 |
| Publication date | 2008-06-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Psychology Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0190-2725 • E-ISSN: 1939-8999 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/019027250807100201 |
| OpenAlex | W2089316446 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 6 |
s Goffman observed in his classic essay, Where the Action Is, in Western culture seems to belong to the cult of masculinity, and sport is one of the places where is routinized. In Goffman's for mulation, action is to be found wherever the individual knowingly takes consequential chances perceived as avoidable (1967:194). Action provides opportunities to display char acter, character being acquired and evidenced when the chips are down. Strong character may be discriminated by such qualities as courage, gameness, integrity, and composure. Amateur wrestlers have opportunities to display all of these qualities in their careers? courage when faced with a superior opponent, gameness when continuing a match in spite of injury, integrity in making weight, and com posure when maintaining self-control in spite of adverse and painful physical punishment. When I conducted a field study of a college wrestling team, I routinely took photographs during competition as a way to learn about the rules, procedures, techniques, and sites of for this sport (Curry 1986, 1993). The cover image is from a series of pho tographs I made of a wrestler trying to com plete a move that ultimately failed against a strong opponent. By the end of the match, he had jammed his thumb, wrenched his knee, bloodied his nose, and dislocated his shoulder. I think the image embodied the local reputa tion of the wrestler as someone who would
Action (physics · Sociology · Media, Gender, and Advertising · Psychology · Social Psychology · Sport and Mega-Event Impacts · Sports, Gender, and Society
| Citations per year | 0.08 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2014 - 2014 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |