A Critical Analysis of The Cultural and Political Aspects of Wrestling
Introduction
Professional Wrestling has been around for centuries; it has become a popular form of entertainment throughout the country. With the advent of television in the 1980s, it found a new resurgence on TV. Great wrestlers like Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Ric Flair, etc. rose to great fame. Its nature changed to fit the aspects of the dramatics of television, enhancing certain storylines or characters. So many wrestlers have become influential and icons in their own right. With it becoming more popular, the expansion of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) grew in support. Still, with this being a cultural activity that many people partake in, one must ask are there any political aspects involved with this. In a new critical analysis, I will observe the cultural and political aspects of professional wrestling.
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In Ronald Barthes novel, Writing Degree Zero, he explores the idea having
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He sees wrestling more as a spectacle and not as the physical sport most fans see it as. Barthes examines wrestling in the context of theater, with wrestling being a theatrical act. Like theatre, wrestling is founded by a sign system; each element of wrestling, the wrestler's body or gestures can indicate clarity since the audience should be able to understand everything they see. Within the context of theatre, the private can, in fact, become public. In wrestling, there is a point in a match where there is almost an exhibition of suffering. Like theatre, the audience watches the match for a spectacle of suffering, defeat, and justice. It amplifies the man’s suffering with its dramatic nature and characters. For Barthes, the audience is not concerned with wrestler’s physical capabilities as a sport, the audience seems to more concerned with what it sees, not what it
In the poem Juggler, Richard Wilbur conveys the routine of a talented entertainer through figurative and imagery, which reveals how the speaker is completely delighted by the act. This poem, while portraying the juggler in colorful hues and the performance to be one full of action, allows the reader to view the captivation the speaker gains from observing the avid
Novelist, Norman Mailer, in his narrative essay, “The Death of Benny Paret,” recounts his experience as he witnesses a first-hand account of the tragic death of the boxer, Benny Paret. Mailer’s purpose is to convince the audience that boxing is inhumane through the use of many rhetorical devices, such as simile, animalistic diction and syntax.
Born in 1956 in Mexico City, Juan Villoro is the author of many well known books such as “El Testigo” which was recognized and was honored with the Herralde Prize, and other books like “La Casa Pierde” and “Efectos Personales”. Juan Villoro stands out with his style of writing using impressive array of topics with insight, dark humor, irony, and the social and cultural functions of spectator sports like boxing and soccer. With his interest in sports, he enjoys writing about the deep passion that is represented in the sport, with his story “Lightweight Champ”, a short story about a professional Mexican boxer and his journalist/drug addicted childhood friend who came from poverty in the early years in Mexico. Juan becomes very interested in investigating why what happens in sports, giving people interest in what their reading, making them think about lets loose superstitions, systems of belief, hopes, disappointments and so on. The story “Lightweight Champ” talks about how guilt was the motivation to Ignacio Barrientos’s success in his career as a professional boxer, yet no one knew his past, that gave me that stride and edge in the ring other than a few people, including the speaker of the story. Guilt is a feeling where can last a moment or a lifetime, leaving an unphysical effect on yourself, and finding a way to deal with it, so it does not eat us up inside.
The details of intense experiences are often times not easily lost to others who acknowledge secondhand wonder when it is conveyed passionately. In other words, there are stimulating occurrences within even the most mundane lifetime that provide incredible sensory and a life changing incentive. Furthermore, this experience has the overwhelming power to convince others to pursue that event’s awe. An example of such an influential event is expertly playing an instrument and marching deliberately within The Pride of the Devils in front of a populous crowd. The primary reveal of The Pride’s strength is portrayed within the time-withstanding moments of the pregame exhibition as well as the enduring image of the half-time show. Because of the precise
In sporting activity participation and televised sports, there is a noticeable difference between male and female interest and involvement. In the article Center of Attention: The Gender of Sports Media Michael A. Messner discusses the issues that involve all aspects of sports strictly being a man’s affair. Messner expresses ideas that men are not only the forefront of sports participation, but sports media as well. A point is made in the article about the leaders in sports being those who are the most aggressive. This point is the reasoning behind why men are the superior figures in sports. The aggressiveness of men causes there to be more interest into male sporting activity which makes men a dominant figure in sports.
The criticism relies on two assumptions. One, that rhetoric creates reality, and two, that convergence occurs. With regards to rhetoric creating reality we are to assume that the symbolic forms that are created from the rhetoric are not imitations but organs of reality. This is because it is through their agency that anything becomes real. We assume to that convergence occurs because symbols not only create reality for individuals but that individual’s meanings can combine to create a shared reality for participants. The shared reality then provides a basis for the community of participants to discuss their common experiences and to achieve a mutual understanding. The consequence of this is that the individuals develop the same attitudes and emotions to the personae of the drama. Within this criticism the audience is seen as the most critical part because the sharing of the message is seen as being so significant.
McMurtry, a former football paper, utilizes comparison, hyperbole, and juxtaposition to effectively develop the idea that American society accepts violence and brutality within sports, which reveals the sadistic side of the world. To repair this attitude, however, all of the violent aspects of sports cannot simply be removed. For example, if the tackling part of football was eradicated, the sport would change completely and, consequently, lose much of what gives the sport its redeeming qualities and entertainment for the audience. Tackling does not make the sport violent; it is the violent characteristics of the players and the coaches combined with the constant encouragement stemming from the audience. Violence is a terrible thing, and it will never be completely removed unless each person works together to suppress their behaviors.
In fact, the introduction of new technological entertainment has served as a gateway for the new generation of athlete culture: video games. As a result of the growth of video games, Esports (short for ‘Electronic Sports’) is slowly being integrated into athlete culture worldwide through its spectacular foundations, overwhelming popularity, vast prize pools, and recognition by official authorities. The birth of Esports can contribute most of its discovery to its original roots from the 19th century era (Bellis). To understand the next generation of athlete culture, Esports, it is necessary for individuals to understand the beginnings of the new breed. During the 19th century era video games were often overlooked due to its funky nature, however, the introduction of new technology that allowed individuals to manipulate and control objects was appealing to some (Bellis).
Wrestling is more than just a sport; it is a way of life. And for those who enjoy its opportunities, it is something that takes the mind off of all of life’s troubling times, and puts one man against another to get their hand raised. Competition makes everything evolve, and there is no other sport that epitomizes what competition truly is. Wrestling spans the entire globe, and although it incorporates several different styles and many National and World events, remains overlooked by most.
yet only light of possible success. Despite the feasibility of fame and wealth, middle and upper class men “don’t mind professional baseball and football, but to be labeled a ‘prizefighter’ is something they can’t quite. swallow”(237). In opposition to my current beliefs, Elliot J. Gorn, the author of The Manly Art, believes that “boxers are victims of racial and class discrimination”. discrimination, that the ring encourages violence, and that pugilism appeals.
Professional wrestling is, and will always be, one the premier social, entertaining spectacles in our society. The masked-luchadore, the 500 pound hairball, even the beautiful valets at ringside. The glitz, the glamour, and the spotlight. Every man that steps in the ring knows their duty; to perform in front of capacity crowds while enveloping each fan in the stands with a passion and characteristic of self-worth. The reassurance that even in a world where entropy seems destined to live, the good shall always prevail. The actors and playwrights in the drama explode through the camera using various different techniques or styles, which present each as having a "unique" quality to them. These artistic styles can be classified into one of the following categories: Technical, Lucha Libre or High-Flying, and Ground Grappling.
When examining the issue of criminal acts in sports it is easy to realize that there are many places where these acts occur. The range of these acts is far more vast than just in the professional arenas. This is, however, what the public sees and hears about most often. While this is one of the major topics of this paper, criminal acts are found in all of sport ranging from professionals, to college, high school, and in youth sports, including the reaction of the fans. This paper will take an in-depth look at the four major points regarding criminal acts in sport: the acts themselves; the consequences of those acts; the possible reasons for the acts occurring; an analysis of a few major events that have occurred and the possible solutions to the problem of criminal acts in sport. In the section about fan reaction to sport, there will be an overall account of the individual acts and not personal cases due to the overload of personal events that occur.
CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, echoes through my head as I walk to the middle of the mat. "At 160lbs Aidan Conner of La Junta vs. Rodney Jones of Hotchkiss." All I can think of is every bead of sweat, every drip of blood, every mile, every push up, every tear. Why? All of this: just to be victorious. All in preparation for one match, six minutes. For some these six minutes may only be a glimpse, and then again for some it may be the biggest six minutes of their life. Many get the chance to experience it more than once. Some may work harder and want it more than others, but they may never get the chance. All they get is a moral victory. Every kid, every man comes into the tournament with a goal. For some is to win, for some is to place, others are just happy to qualify. These six minutes come on a cold frigid night in February at a place called the Pepsi Center. Once a year this gathering takes place when the small and the large, the best of the best, come to compete in front thousands of people. I am at the Colorado State Wrestling Championships.
In The World of Wrestling by Roland Barthes, he takes the sport of wrestling and turns it into a modern day myth. He talks of the French wrestling scene describing the spectacle, the venues, and the wrestlers themselves. It is well known that wrestling itself isn’t real, just acting but it is still fancied by many people. The wrestler personalities are typically categorized the bastards and the good guys often having good fighting evil. The role a particular wrestler plays might also change from time to time as in the case of Hulk Hogan. This man changes faces more often then someone would change their socks, having his alliances and enemies changing from week to week.