One David Beckham? Celebrity, Masculinity, and the Soccerati

Abstract

Sporting celebrities are not regularly discussed within the broader realms of sociological debate. Yet that is not to say that their identities cannot offer insight into wider patterns of cultural change. Indeed, it is our contention within this paper that the reverse is true: that analyses of the autobiographical details of contemporary sports figures represent key sites through which cultural change can be viewed. To this end, we take one sporting icon of the present time, soccer star David Beckham, and assess his popular cultural image in terms of its contribution to debates surrounding identity, consumption, and the social construction of masculinities. Our central thesis is that while Beckham affords all the hallmarks of celebrity status, his identity remains both fluid and negotiable in accordance with the role and audience he seeks to address and the ends he seeks to achieve.

Search for the hero: an investigation into the sports heroes of British sports fans

“…Ingham et al [20] go on to offer two possible justifications for elevation to hero status, either as reward for civic services or recognition as a public figure (both over a number of years). Cashmore and Parker [21] have identified that to be raised up to hero status people are converted into objects to be worshiped and idolised. This lack of clarity regarding the meaning of a hero is picked up by Ingham et al [22], who discuss the need for an in-depth investigation into sports heroes.…”

“…That there is a link between sports and entertainment is perhaps not surprising as Holt [27] describes how sporting heroes are now "performer and celebrity, an ostensibly classless product of market values and the media." Athletes such as American Basketball star Michael Jordan have crossed over into the realm of entertainment by appearing in Hollywood films [28] and the British Footballer David Beckham was the subject of a 2002 film title, Bend It Like Beckham [29]. This tie between sport and entertainment is not a modern phenomenon.…”

‘An outsider in our midst’: narratives of Neil Lennon, soccer & ethno‐religious bigotry in the Scottish press1

“…Players like Beckham, Ronaldinho or Zidane are celebrated as creative players and prolific goal-scorers who have graced some of world soccer's most engaging clubs and national sides. In contrast Lennon is a less glamorous figure who does not rank amongst the 'the soccerati' [11] of this global sport. Lennon is reported to have secured wealth and a comfortable lifestyle from his career in professional soccer, but his path to the top has been gradual, not meteoric.…”

“…Much of the research has concentrated on a constellation of ideologies concerning masculinities, moralities, sporting ethics and nationhood but representations of racism, celebrity and consumption have also featured. [7] Three points arising from these studies are relevant here. First, the popular media (television, newspapers, magazines, biographies) narrativize the achievements of individual sports figures and specific events in their lives, often in ways that cast them in the role of villain, fool or hero.…”

Footballers’ Image Rights in the New Media Age

“…We also understand that they can afford specialist legal support that will seek to use existing laws to their In his dissection of the celebrity status of Beckham, Cashmore (2002) remarks that athletes were once admired for their status as heroes, bestowed because of their deeds. Today, the cult of celebrity seems to operate outside of the talent on display.…”