Olympic Effort

Abstract

Disability scholars have long argued that the hegemonic constructions of “normal” bodies segregate, regulate, and demean people whose bodies are deemed disabled. Given that athletic competition stands as a public measure of ability, situations like those embedded in the 2012 London Olympic Games could create spaces to question the social construction of disability. This monograph asks, “Does the athletic competition within the 2012 London Olympic Games provide space to successfully challenge hegemonic constructions of disability?” To help answer that question, this work engages in a critical, cultural, and rhetorical analysis of the mediated messages of the Summer Games through the coverage of athletes involved in Olympic qualification and competition, as well as media reports and commercials aired during and after the Games. The case studies selected focus on athletes whose representation is based on their non-normative bodies during athletic competition as compared with those with normative bodies. Using three case studies that examine mediated representations of the body in sport, how disability is framed by traditional media will be examined.