Embodiment of American Virtue, Embodiment of Corporate Interest? – Michael Jordan’s Public Persona and Its Historical Roots
Embodiment of American Virtue, Embodiment of Corporate Interest? – Michael Jordan’s Public Persona and Its Historical Roots

Summary/Abstract: In professional sports physicality is closely connected to an omnipresent capitalist logic. Therefore, professional sports constitute an arena in which bodies are produced, serve as revenue increasing entities, and are ultimately consumed. By taking a closer look at the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) as well as affiliated companies’ narratological marketing efforts, this paper tries to identify dominant narratives. The NBA constitutes a particularly interesting case, as a racial component highlights the (un)conscious decisions made by corporate leaders. This racial division in fans and athletes could not be bridged for a long time and made the league financially unsuccessful. This changed with David Stern’s tenure as commissioner. Theoretically, this paper draws on Stanley Deetz’s (1992) concept of “corporate colonization” which implies that, in the act of making sense of the world, interpretations which primarily consider efficiency and/or revenue aspects are selected over other possibilities. This paper highlights the selected modes of (re-)presentation by looking at one of the sport’s most recognizable icons, Michael Jordan.

• Details
• Contents