Deakin University
Browse

File(s) under permanent embargo

The life cycle of the AFL footballer : If you sell your body, mind and soul what is left when the cheering stops?

conference contribution
posted on 2006-01-01, 00:00 authored by Peter Kelly, Chris HickeyChris Hickey
In this paper we will draw on research conducted for the AFL which, in part, illuminated aspects of the Faustian pact that many young men enter into in order to become an elite level, professional footballer in what is increasingly a global sports entertainment industry. In order to develop an identity as an AFL footballer these young men willingly sell their body, mind and soul to one club, or to many. For varying lengths of time these pacts can have significant payoffs - in terms of a sense of self, and in monetary terms. For many though, these payoffs are limited and must be accounted for sometime in the future - an accounting that in Faustian terms, can carry significant costs to the body, mind and soul long after the cheering has stopped, and when the benefits come mainly in the form of memories. In this paper we argue that elements of these pacts can be identified and analysed via the following: understanding AFL as a sports entertainment business; using Foucault's work on the care of the self to explore what it means to be an elite level professional and the demands made by others on the body, mind and soul of players; and the idea that a career as an elite level professional footballer has a number of phases (early, mid and late) in which the nature of a professional identity - shaped by different demands on the body, mind and soul- changes.

History

Event

Annual conference of the Australian Sociological Association (2006 : Perth, Western Australia)

Pagination

1 - 11

Publisher

TASA

Location

Perth, Western Australia

Place of publication

Perth, W.A.

Start date

2006-12-04

End date

2006-12-07

ISBN-13

9781740521390

ISBN-10

1740521390

Language

eng

Notes

Reproduced with the specific permission of the copyright owner.

Publication classification

E1 Full written paper - refereed; E Conference publication

Copyright notice

2006, The Author

Title of proceedings

TASA 2006 : Proceedings of the annual conference of the Australian Sociological Association : Sociology for a mobile world

Usage metrics

    Research Publications

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Keywords

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC