Sunday 3 January 2010

Task 6- Introduction & First Paragraph

An investigation in whether the media's seemingly 'heroic' portrayal of sports people during the Olympics or other sports seems to offer a more unified and utopic notion of global cohesion. Or is it just constructed imagery?

Historically, athletes have always been represented at sporting events such as the Olympics in a 'heroic' way. This is due to the idea of them representing a nation, and therefore representing a population. However it could be argued that not every sport person is victorious at the Olympics meaning not every athlete is perceived as 'heroic'. "There are heroes and villains, disappointments and triumphs, winners and losers, victory and defeat." Consequently the idea of utopia isn't the case as the media also may provide a 'villain' portrayal for those who flatter to deceive. This links to Propp's theory about how a narrative is set out. By having a protagonist and a villain, it is easier for audiences to recognise who to route for, hence a unified society occurs.


When developing a 'heroic' portrayal of sports people, a crucial stage is the narrative. Two texts which prove this are 'Miracle' (2004) and 'The Mighty Ducks' (1992). Both films are about a hockey team which lacks talent and ability. However they defy the odds by successfully over-achieving as underdogs. "Produce sporting narratives that can emphasise drama, spectacle and significance". This is a key focus for the media when creating the portrayal of sports people as 'heroes', the reason for this is to show audiences that the athlete(s) has accomplished something near impossible. Furthermore both texts have been distributed by Walt Disney which found Disneyworld, this relates to the idea about utopia as it enforces ideological values such as dreaming and believing of success. These values are passed on in the two texts when both teams are seen victorious.

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