Abstract
Despite the social change ambitions of Paralympic governing bodies and National broadcasters, there is still a shortage of evidence of where public social attitudes stand with respect to disabled bodies, and how these respond to the changing nature of Paralympic broadcasting. Based on a large-scale qualitative audience study across England and Wales, we aim to address this empirical gap. Our findings demonstrate how audiences internalise socially progressive ideas towards disability in line with Channel 4’s broadcasting strategy. These include a greater appreciation of Paralympic sport as an elite sporting event, the ‘normalisation’ of the technologically enhanced disabled body and an awareness of emerging cultural citizenship concerning disability rights-based discourses. Yet, at the same time, we evidence new, potentially damaging stigma hierarchies of disability preference framed by ‘ablenational’ sentiments. Findings are discussed within ongoing debates around mega sporting events, media audiences and disability biopolitics.
Highlights
The accelerated commodification of the Paralympic Games has seen it move from pastime to global sporting spectacle marking it as a hyper-visible space of disability representation (Pullen et al, 2018; Silva and Howe, 2012)
This was centred on a way of viewing that shifts the association of the Paralympics with just disability to a general and genuine elite sporting event
The use of this strategy clearly resonated with audiences, with many claiming their reason for watching the Paralympics was to experience another sporting event that delivered national medal success: I look at them the same
Summary
The accelerated commodification of the Paralympic Games has seen it move from pastime to global sporting spectacle marking it as a hyper-visible space of disability representation (Pullen et al, 2018; Silva and Howe, 2012). Despite its media profile, the Paralympics maintains a distinct role compared with other commercial sporting mega events; that is, as a vehicle to achieving a more equitable and inclusive society by breaking down social barriers and regressive disability stereotypes (Howe, 2008) This context creates tensions when it comes to Paralympic media content and disability representation. Studies have focussed on analysis of live broadcasting content (Pullen et al, 2018, 2019), given it continues to remain the dominant medium in which Paralympic sport is delivered and consumed by audiences Despite this important work, there remains an empirical dearth relating to the way audiences perceive, connect and interpret representations of disability through Paralympic sport (Hodges et al, 2015). Our knowledge base in Paralympic media scholarship is concentrated around what is communicated through Paralympic broadcasting and the inherent tensions within, and much less about how such content is perceived and internalised by audiences
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