KRLS 304: Sport and Concepts of Power

Who was Michel Foucault?

French philosopher, historian, and social theorist who developed a range of theories related to power and ideology

How did Foucault see power?

Not as something people have, but as something that is exercised

-Power can be repressive but it is also productive

What does power create?

-Knowledge

-Roles

-"Truths" about what's normal

What is disciplinary power?

-One of Foucaults main ideas

-Works through survellience, training, and normalization

What was Foucault's famous metaphor of disciplinary power?

Panopticon

-A circular prision where inmates can always be seen but never know when they're being watched

What is the Panopticon?

-Used to explain disciplinary power

-Prison design created by philosopher Jeremy Bentham in the 18th century

-Not sure when gaurds are watching, prisoners end up self-surveying

How did Foucault use this metaphor?

Metphor for how modern society works

-Schools, hospitals, offices, and gyms all function like miniture panopticons

How does the panopticon function in everyday life?

-People behave properly not because they're forced to, but because they've internalized the gaze of authority - parents, teachers, bosses, coaches.

How does disciplinary power occur?

Exerted through a range of techniques and practices that shape individual behaviour and produce conformity

How does disciplinary power happen in sport?

Constant observation of athletes through coaches, trainers, fitness apps, social media, and performance data leads to them internalizing pressure and self-discipline to meet performance and appearance standards

-Results in a docile body

What is a docile body?

Bodies that are efficient, controlled, and useful

What is discursive power?

-Operates through language, ideas, and knowledge

-Power to shape how people understand and talk about social phenomena including social identities, insititutions and practices.

What is discourse?

Refers to a system of language, ideas, and practices that define how we talk about and understand a topic.

How does discursive power operate?

-Often operates through use of language

-Ex. The media, politicians, educators, and other influential individuals and institutions have discursive power

How is discursive power present in sports?

-The language that is used to describe athletes, teams, and events can shape how they are perceived by the public and how they understand themselves

-Ex. Caster Semenya, Fox news vs City

What does disciplinary power shape?

The body

-Trains, measures, and normalizes physical performance

-More tangible, how we act

What does discursive power shape?

The mind or meaning

-It defines what we think it true, natural, or desirable

-Thoughts and feelings

What do these two types of power do together?

Create powerful systems of control and identity in sport

What is bio-power and regulation?

-How modern societies regulate populations through health, wellness, and productivity, through encouragmenet and normalization

-Operates at the level of populations!

How does bio-power work?

-Uses science, medicine, and data to define what counts as "normal", "healthy", or "fit"

-It encourages people to self-regulate in ways that align with social and economic goals

-Taught to want to be healthy

What are the 5 ways bio power functions in sport and leisure?

1. Public health and fitness campaigns

2. The Quantified self movement

3. Elite Sports Science and regulation

4. Wellness and lifestyle culture

5. National fitness and governance

What are public health and fitness campaigns?

-Governments promote exercise and "active living" as duties of good citizenship

-These campaigns encourage health but also moralize it

What is the quantified self movement?

-Thrives on data and measurement

-Fitness trackers, sleep monitors and calories counting-apps turn health into numbers

-People share stats publicly (making surveillance social and voluntary)

-The body becomes a data project (constantly observed, optimized and compared)

What is elite sports science and regulation?

-Teams and national programs use sports science to control every aspect of athletes' lives

-Anti-doping systems and biological passports

-Athletes bodies are monitored not only for performance, but for compliance and purity

What is welness and lifestyle culture?

-The rise of "wellness culture" encourages people to see health as both personal and moral duty

-The phrase "take care of yourself" sounds positive but also reflects bio-power (society expects individuals to manage themselves efficiently and responsibly)

What is national fitness and governance?

-States using sport to project health and strength of their citizens

-Fitness becomes a political project - a sign of a "discipline" or producetive society

-Ex. USA vs USSR becoming much bigger

What is self-regulation?

Most powerful form of control under bio power

-People willingly manage their behaviour to meet socially accepted standards

What did foucault call this proces?

"Technologies of the self"

-Ways individuals shape and discipline themselves according to cultural expectations

How is resistance and agency shown in sport?

-Athletes speaking out about mental health or body image - rejecting demand for constant optimization

-Leisure spaces that emphasize play, community, or creativity over competition

-Inclusive recreation that challengs the norms of performance.

What is elite sports science and regulation?

-Teams and national programs use sports science to control every aspect of athletes' lives

-Anti-doping systems and biological passports

-Athletes bodies are monitored not only for performance, but for compliance and purity

What is welness and lifestyle culture?

-The rise of "wellness culture" encourages people to see health as both personal and moral duty

-The phrase "take care of yourself" sounds positive but also reflects bio-power (society expects individuals to manage themselves efficiently and responsibly)

What is national fitness and governance?

-States using sport to project health and strength of their citizens

-Fitness becomes a political project - a sign of a "discipline" or producetive society

-Ex. USA vs USSR becoming much bigger

What is self-regulation?

Most powerful form of control under bio power

-People willingly manage their behaviour to meet socially accepted standards

What did foucault call this proces?

"Technologies of the self"

-Ways individuals shape and discipline themselves according to cultural expectations

How is resistance and agency shown in sport?

What is elite sports science and regulation?

-Teams and national programs use sports science to control every aspect of athletes' lives

-Anti-doping systems and biological passports

-Athletes bodies are monitored not only for performance, but for compliance and purity

What is welness and lifestyle culture?