Table of Contents Book Description
1st Edition
Edited By Ridvan Askin, Catherine Diederich, Aline BieriCopyright 2018
296 Pages31 B/W Illustrations
byRoutledge
296 Pages
byRoutledge
296 Pages
byRoutledge
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Soccer has long been known as 'the beautiful game'. This multi-disciplinary volume explores soccer, soccer culture, and the representation of soccer in art, film, and literature, using the critical tools of aesthetics, poetics, and rhetoric.
Including international contributions from scholars of philosophy, literary and cultural studies, linguistics, art history, and the creative arts, this book begins by investigating the relationship between beauty and soccer and asks what criteria should be used to judge the sport’s aesthetic value. Covering topics as diverse as humor, national identity, style, celebrity, and social media, its chapters examine the nature of fandom, the role of language, and the significance of soccer in contemporary popular culture. It also discusses what one might call the ‘stylistics’ of soccer, analyzing how players, fans, and commentators communicate on and off the pitch, in the press, on social media, and in wider public discourse.
The Aesthetics, Poetics, and Rhetoric of Soccer makes for fascinating reading for anybody with an interest in sport, culture, literature, philosophy, linguistics, and society.
Pep Talk
Klopp’s Heideggerianism
[Simon Critchley]
Taking the Field
Introduction: Aesthetics, Poetics, Rhetoric, Soccer
[Ridvan Askin, Catherine Diederich, and Aline Bieri]
First Half: Aesthetics
1. Good Games as Athletic Beauty: Why Association Football is Rightly Called the Beautiful Game
[Emily Ryall]
2. Appreciating the Not-Obviously-Beautiful Game
[Adam Kadlac]
3. "England ‘Till I Die": Soccer, National Identity, and Contemporary Art
[Daniel Haxall]
4. The Messianic Manager in Novels by David Peace
[David Kilpatrick]
Half Time: Poetics
5. The Man in the Dugout: Fictional Football Managers and the Politics of Resistance
[Cyprian Piskurek]
6. The Importance of Trivial Oppositions in Football Fandom: The Narcissism of Minor Differences in Derby Games
[Kristof K.P. Vanhoutte]
7. Stupidity in Football
[Philip Schauss]
Second Half: Rhetoric
8. "Caveman stuff": Ireland’s Soccer Struggle with Identity, Style, and Success
[Michael O’Hara and Connell Vaughan]
9. The Beautiful and the Grim: British Cultural Discourses of the Eastern European Game
[Blanka Blagojevic]
10. "Text Sex with Becks": Football Celebrities, Popular Press, and the Spectacle of Language
[Jan Chovanec]
11. Multimodal Construction of Soccer-related Humor on Twitter and Instagram
[Thomas Messerli and Di Yu]
12. Multilingualism in Football Teams
[Eva Lavric and Jasmin Steiner]
Biography
Ridvan Askin is a Postdoctoral Teaching and Research Fellow in American and General Literatures at the University of Basel, Switzerland. He is the author of Narrative and Becoming (2016) and the co-editor of Literature, Ethics, Morality: American Studies Perspectives (2015) and a special issue of the journal Speculations on Aesthetics in the 21st Century (2014). His publications include essays on aesthetics, contemporary North American fiction, narrative theory, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. He supports the German Bundesliga team SC Freiburg.
Catherine Diederich is a Teaching and Research Fellow in Linguistics and Language Didactics at the University of Teacher Education in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Her research focuses on the development of pragmatic competence in the foreign language classroom. Her main research areas include cognitive semantics, intercultural pragmatics, and sensory language. She is the author of the book Sensory Adjectives in the Discourse of Food: A Frame-Semantic Approach to Sensory Language (2015) in which she explores the interrelation between language and sensory perception. Her interest in the senses and embodied cognition is also what fascinates her about language use in the soccer arena—apart from her passion for soccer since early childhood when she played in the American Youth Soccer Organization. In addition, she is interested in multilingualism in soccer team management, particularly from a didactic perspective.
Aline Bieri is a Research Assistant and Instructor for English Linguistics at the University of Basel, Switzerland. She holds an M.A. in English and Biology from the University of Basel and is currently working on her Ph.D. entitled Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in the Swiss Context: The Linguistic Challenges and Implications of Teaching a Subject such as Biology in English. She is especially interested in the interface of biology as a subject and its linguistic requirements for students and for teachers in a CLIL and non-CLIL environment as well as how this then manifests itself in the classroom discourse in a multilingual context such as that of Switzerland. Her academic research interests cover everything from sociolinguistics to cognitive linguistics (with special emphasis on first and second language acquisition and bi- and multilingualism). Other than being a passionate linguist she is also an enthusiastic soccer aficionado and lifelong supporter of the one and only Swiss soccer club FC Basel.
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Regarding the concepts mentioned in this article, let's break them down and discuss each one:
Soccer
Soccer, also known as football, is a popular sport played worldwide. It is often referred to as "the beautiful game" due to its fluidity, skillful play, and aesthetic appeal. The sport involves two teams of eleven players each, who try to score goals by kicking a ball into the opposing team's net. Soccer has a rich cultural and historical significance and is deeply ingrained in many societies. It has inspired various forms of artistic expression, including art, film, and literature.
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty, art, and taste. In the context of soccer, aesthetics refers to the appreciation and evaluation of the sport's visual appeal, skillful play, and overall artistic qualities. Scholars in this field explore the criteria used to judge the aesthetic value of soccer and examine how beauty is perceived and represented in the sport.
Poetics
Poetics refers to the study of literary forms, structures, and techniques. In the context of soccer, poetics explores the ways in which the sport is represented in literature and other forms of creative writing. It examines how fictional narratives, such as novels, depict the role of soccer and its impact on individuals and society. Poetics also delves into the politics and resistance embedded in fictional portrayals of soccer and its managers.
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of effective communication, particularly persuasive and influential speech. In the context of soccer, rhetoric focuses on the language and discourse surrounding the sport. It analyzes how players, fans, commentators, and the media communicate about soccer, both on and off the pitch. Rhetoric also explores the role of language in constructing soccer-related identities, styles, and narratives, as well as the use of social media and other platforms for soccer-related communication.
Fandom
Fandom refers to the state of being a devoted fan or supporter of a particular person, team, or cultural phenomenon. In the context of soccer, fandom encompasses the passionate support and dedication that fans have for their favorite teams. It involves various forms of engagement, such as attending matches, wearing team merchandise, and participating in fan communities. Fandom plays a significant role in shaping the culture and identity surrounding soccer.
National Identity
National identity refers to the sense of belonging and attachment that individuals have towards their nation or country. In the context of soccer, national identity is often intertwined with the sport, as it serves as a source of pride and unity for fans and players representing their respective nations. Soccer can evoke strong emotions and foster a sense of collective identity, especially during international competitions like the FIFA World Cup.
Social Media
Social media refers to online platforms and websites that enable users to create and share content, interact with others, and participate in virtual communities. In the context of soccer, social media has become a significant channel for communication, engagement, and fan interaction. It allows fans, players, clubs, and organizations to share updates, express opinions, and connect with a global audience. Social media has transformed the way soccer is experienced and discussed, providing new avenues for fan engagement and player communication.
These are some of the key concepts discussed in this article. If you have any specific questions or would like more information on any of these topics, feel free to ask!
