Who Can Represent the Nation? Elite Athletes, Global Mega Events and the Contested Boundaries of National Belonging

Abstract

For those studying national belonging, elite athletes competing in international mega events offer particularly compelling case studies as they represent the nation during periods of sustained media attention and heightened emotional registers. But when compared with other types of representatives – such as heads of state, ambassadors, political leaders – they have received much less scholarly attention. This article analyses reporting of the ‘Plastic Brits’ debate, where elite athletes brought in to represent Britain at the Olympics were subject to ongoing scrutiny and critique. Developing an analytical framework that uses insights from Elias, Goffman and Hage, we focus on three key issues. First, how a taken-for-granted ‘logic of nationalism’ underlies discussions about which athletes should (not) represent Britain. Second, how the nation’s boundaries are discursively marked with reference to a range of everyday features. Third, the use of different ‘destigmatisation strategies’ by athletes caught up in the ‘Plastic Brits’ debate.

The art of nationalism: Artists' perspectives on the Latvian Centenary film programme

“…As scholars associated with the everyday nationhood approach have been keen to remind, however, nationalism has never really gone away (Antonsich, 2020; Jansen & Skey, 2020). Everyday nationhood approach helps recognise nationalism as never only or chiefly a top‐down ideology but rather as a wide range of ‘quotidian practices, modalities, and habits that reproduce the nation in daily life’ (Fox & Van Ginderachter, 2018, p. 546).…”

Media representations of naturalized athletes: Sentiment variations and trends in Turkish media

“…Poulton and Maguire (2012) qualitatively analyzed the narratives of socalled "plastic Brit" athletes in the English daily newspapers before and during the 2012 Olympic Games, using the established-outsider theory of Elias and Scotson (1994). On a broader timespan, national belonging contestations of so-called "plastic Brits" in British newspapers from 2011 to 2017 were examined by Jansen and Skey (2020), covering 441 newspaper articles. Their findings showed that the "plastic Brits" debate in the media has criticized, scrutinized, and marginalized these athletes.…”

“…Such events carry a symbolic weight for all aspiring nations worldwide and provide a stage on which each nation can present themselves to the world and to their own domestic audience. Significantly, however, when this representation is perceived to be conveyed by "outsiders" (Elias and Scotson, 1994;Jansen and Skey, 2020;Poulton and Maguire, 2012), some degree of discontent may arise. The absence of a "genuine" link (Jansen, 2019;Shachar, 2011) between the athlete and the State can make the representation controversial, sparking debates both nationally and internationally.…”

“…The absence of a “genuine” link (Jansen, 2019; Shachar, 2011) between the athlete and the State can make the representation controversial, sparking debates both nationally and internationally. Not only in sport studies, naturalized athletes have also captured the attention of various research areas such as citizenship (Jansen et al, 2018; Oonk, 2020, 2021; Reiche and Tinaz, 2019), law and migration (Shachar, 2011; Shachar and Hirschl, 2013; van Campenhout et al, 2019; Wollmann et al, 2015), and media studies and sociology (Chiba et al, 2001; Chiu, 2021; Jansen, 2019; Jansen and Skey, 2020; Shin et al, 2022; Shor and Yonay, 2010; Yung et al, 2021). Crucially, this interaction has inspired more interdisciplinary approaches to the phenomenon.…”

Nationalism and Media

“…Similarly, the literature on place branding has pointed to the ways in which nations are also being aggressively marketed on a global scale in order to attract inward investment and build political alliances (Kaneva 2011; Anholt 2016). Hosting and participating in mega events is a key plank within many of these campaigns, and, while such events are often global in nature, they are also generally framed in terms of competing nations operating within a taken-for-granted inter national framework (Grix and Lee 2013; Jansen and Skey 2020).…”