Cruising for Olivia: Lesbian Celebrity and the Cultural Politics of Coming Out in Sport

Abstract

This paper explores issues of sport, sponsorship, and consumption by critically interrogating the mass-mediated “coming out” narratives of professional golfer, Rosie Jones, and professional basketball player, Sheryl Swoopes. Both athletes came out publicly as gay in light of endorsements received by Olivia Cruises and Resorts—a company that serves lesbian travelers—thus marking a significant shift in the relationship between lesbian subjectivity, sport, and sponsorship. A concern with a neoliberal-infused GLBT politics underscores our analysis, and a close reading of these narratives raises complex questions about the corporatization of coming out and the existence of lesbian celebrity in sport.

Gender, Millennials, and leisure constraints: exploring golf’s participation decline

“…Rosie Jones stands as a more recent example of a professional golfer coming out before the Dinah in 2004. Jones received endorsements from Olivia Lesbian Cruises, but Chawansky and Francombe (2011) suggest that this represents corporatized need over equal rights and representation. On the male side, the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) Tour is often criticized, too, for not having out gay male players, despite indications players would welcome them (Weinman, 2014).…”

Wanting to be Anna: Examining Lesbian Sporting Celebrity onThe L Word

“…This article builds on our previous work on the notion of the presence of the lesbian celebrity athlete, but we acknowledge that we are now blurring the lines between the "real" and the "hypereal," the mediated and the lived (Chawansky & Francombe, 2011). As a fictional character and a dramatic device rather than an actual athlete, our exploration of Fairbanks brings with it another layer to our theorizing; her coming out narrative is deliberately mediated and culturally crafted.…”

“…Yet, through a close reading of Fairbanks' "corporatized coming out narrative" (she comes out publicly through her Subaru advertisement) we highlight the ways in which Fairbanks' lesbian subjectivity marks an important shift from earlier iconic lesbian sporting figures such as Navratilova (Chawansky & Francombe, 2011). 2 More specifically, we contend that a closer examination of Dana Fairbanks' coming out narrative-and in particular her articulated aspiration to be the "gay Anna Kournikova"-reveals much about the current cultural and political context for certain lesbian bodies in sport.…”

The changing nature of lesbian athletes coming out in competitive organised team sports

“…Sheryl Swoopes, who was the first player to be signed to the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) in America, can be considered one of the most prominent female athletes, having won the most valuable player award on three occasions and featuring in the Hall of Fame. She came out in a magazine article in 2005 while at the height of her career in the WNBA (Chawansky & Francombe, 2011). In order to prevent any potential damage to her career earnings, Swoopes signed a sponsorship deal with a holiday company aimed at the lesbian travel market (Chawansky & Francombe, 2011).…”