White, L. (2010) Gender, Race and Nation at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games: Mediated Images of Ian...

Sexual Spol1s Rhetoic

Global and Universal Contexts

EDITED BY Linda K Fuller

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Sexual sports rhetoric global and universal contexts edited by Linda K Fuller pcm

Includes bibliographical references and index 1 Sports for women-Social aspects 2 Sports for women--Cross-cultural studies

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ISBN 978-1-4331-0510-4 (hardcover) ISBN 978-1-4331-0509-8 (paperback)

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Alina Bernstein (College ofManagement Tel Aviv Israel) has chaired the Media and Sport Section of the International Association for Media and

Communication Research (IAMCR) since 1999 coordinating reportage on sport gender and language at global levels

ICONTENTS

7 Watching Women How Spectators Talk about Female Athletes 97 Kelly Nelson

8 Online Conversation Threads on Ice Hockey A Comparison of Swedish Male and Female Participants 107 Anders Svensson

9 The Influence of Anatomical Sex and Gender Role Orientation in the Language of Sport Fans 121 Daniel L Wann and Paula J Waddill

Part III Commercial Representations

o uLook Good Kick Assu An Analysis of Nikes Online Marketing to

U S Women133 Tara M Kachgal

1 Homophobia Heterosexism and Ambivalence in the Premier Issue of Sports Illustrated WomenISport 147 Lisa M Weidman

Part IV Media Representations

Female and Male Sailors Competing in the French Press 161 Monique Trancart Sporting Lolitas Amazons and Freaks British Newspaper Portrayal of

Female Tennis Players at Wimbledon 173 John Vincent

Gender Race and Nation atthe Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Mediated Images of Ian Thorpe and Cathy Freeman 185 Leanne White

Gender and Sport in the German Quality Press The Global and the Domestic in Editorial and Advertising 201 Martha WOrsching

Part V Filmic Representations

Gender Slurs Motivation through Misogyny in Sports Films217 Dayna B Daniels

Absence of Power Sheroes in Sport Films Post-Title IX 233 Demetrius W Pearson

NASCAR Sex Death and the Movies 249 Wanda Ellen Wakefield

-K

-~

I

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Gender Race AND Nation AT

THE Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Mediated Images OF Ian Thorpe AND Cathy Freeman

LEANNE WHITE

A TALE OF TWO AUSTRALIAN ATHLETES

This chapter examines media coverage generated around two Australians Cathy Freeman athletics champion and lighter of the Sydney 2000 Olympic flame and Ian Thorpe gold medal-winning swimmer Representations ofgender race and nation (more specifically nationalism) are explored through media covershyage and sponsorship arrangements surrounding them Carefully pitched m~dia representations and sponsorship choices have shaped the images of these athletes both in Australia and outside

Cathy Freeman had the hopes and aspirations ofa nation resting on her shoulshyders when she ran to victory in her 400-metre race at Stadium Australia at the 2000 Sydney Games Ian Thorpe a young Australian swimmer with size 17 feet was the biggest fish in the pool at the Homebush Aquatic Centre at the Games Freeman and Thorpe became key male and female representatives of Australia The Sporting Nation before during and after the Sydney Games While Ian Thorpe represents a contemporary and sophisticated Australia Cathy Freeman represents Australias possible future-the reconciled nation Australia could one day become However the national image projected by Freeman does not sit comshyfortably with all Australians Prime Minister John Howard who attended many

186 I LEANNE WHITE

of the events during the Games was pointedly absent from Stadium Australia for Freemans historic victory (Day 2001)

Arguably the high point of the sporting careers ofboth athletes was the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games In examining publicity surrounding them it was found that a range of similar issues emerged concerning the two athletes In many ways their journey can be viewed as a microcosm for nationalism in sport Cathy Freeman and Ian Thorpe became representatives of the Australian nation-iconic sporting and cultural ambassadors for their country in addition they have helped influence the way Australians and the rest of the world think about this country its people and its achievements

At first glance it would appear that Australian athletes Cathy Freeman and Ian Thorpe have little in common other than having represented their counshytry at the highest level in their chosen sports however the similarities between the two prominent Australian sporting names are compelling Ian Thorpe was dubbed by the media as the Bradman of the Pool (Brundrett 2002) in honshyour ofAustralian cricketing legend Sir Donald ~radman and billed as Australias greatest ever Olympian while Cathy Freeman has been referred to as the Qyeen of the Track Both athletes have also been frequently compared to animalsshyFreeman to a big cat (panther) Thorpe to a big fish (shark) Melaleuca Park in Qyeensland where Freeman trained as a child is now known as the Cathy Freeman Athletic Park while the Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre Pool in New South Wales honours Australias most famous swimmer

Catherine Astrid Salome Freeman was born in 1973 Ian James Thorpe in 1982 Freeman now prefers to be called Catherine rather than Cathy explaining Catherine has always been my name--the name my friends and family call me lt was just that the public called me Cathy probably because it was easier (cited in Elliot 2005 14) Other similarities between the two athletes are reflected in their choice of racing attire Freeman often runs in a Nike bodysuit known as the Swift Suit while Thorpe is instantly recognised for swimming in the Adidas Jet Concept black bodysuit (dubbed simply the suit) Thorpe~s choice of competition swimwear was considered somewhat controversial as the rest of the Australian Swimming team sported grey bodysuits provided by their sponsor Speedo Freeman and Thorpes respective bodysuits are now displayed on manshynequins alongside each other at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games display at the National Sports Museum in Melbourne

Much has been written about both Freeman and Thorpe The published stoshyries of their respective lives have similar titles The first biography of Freemans life was titled Cathy Freeman A Journey Just Begun (McGregor 2000) while Thorpes first collection of photographs with commentary was titled Ian Thorpe The Journey (Thorpe 2000) In 2003 Cathy Her Own Story (Freeman and

Ii

MEDIATED IMAGES OF IAN THORPE AND CATHY FREEMAN 1187

was published by Viking while Ian Thorpe The Biography (Hunter) was jJ~lIWgtllltOU the following year by Macmillan Thorpe was keen to have his biograshy

published to counter what he saw as the enormous media myth surrounding (Saltau 2002) Thorpe has also written a motivational book for young peoshyLive Your Dreams while Catherine Intimate Portrait ifa Champion was wri tshyabout Freeman Both athletes were honoured with the Young Australian of the Year awardshy

an in 1990 Thorpe in 2000 Freeman was also awarded Australian of the in 1998 and honoured as one of the ten most important Australians in 2003

The Sydney Morning Herald she thus joined famous Australians past and preshyincluding Ned Kelly Donald Bradman and Rupert Murdoch Both also

retelved numerous congratulatory letters and faxes from Prime Minister John who understood the political importance ofbeing seen-and in certain

not seen-at significant sporting events and both have also met Qyeen II Thorpe later said of his experience of meeting the Qyeen she

just like a little old lady who lives down the street and bakes you cookshy(Thorpe 2000 98) In September 2000 besides commemorating other gold

performances of Australian athletes at the Sydney Games Australia Post stamps depicting Freeman and Thorpe with their respective rewards

all the athletes at the Games for Australians it was Freeman and Thorpe captured the nations attention Allen Guttman (2002 190) explains that

two athletes shared the hometown headlines with their record-breaking

While Freeman was the final torch bearer at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Ceremony and lit the cauldron Thorpe was chosen as Australias flag

to lead the athletes of the world onto the arena for the Closing Ceremony weeks later For the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002 Thorpe Freeman were the only two athletes featured in advertisements for a special

ofthe Herald Sun Having performed so well and played such a prominent at the 2000 Olympic Games they became the two identifiable faces of the Commonwealth Games and their images were displayed in all promotional

for the event Both these high-profile athletes have had a significant number of sponshywilling to pay for the privilege and prestige that comes with the association

s sponsors have included Adidas Channel Seven Omega Autore Pearls Tourism Australia while Freeman has had sponsorship dealings with a range

qompanies including Nike ~ntas Australia Post Balarinji Designs Mitre 10 Seven Milo News Corporation Kelloggs Ford Te1stra Optus

pound11lt0- pharmaceuticals First Nations Australian Credit Union PowerBar ndiletics Australia and Oakley sunglasses

-shy

188 I LEANNE WHITE

What follows is an examination of Ian Thorpes role as representative of a young vibrant nation and an analysis of the mediated images of Cathy Freeman as well as the pivotal role that she has played in promoting the case ofAboriginal reconciliation in Australia Representations of gender race and nation are explored through an examination of media coverage surrounding the two promishynent athletes Over many years Cathy Freeman and lan Thorpe have worked diligently to shape their both Australian and international images as a result of these carefully manipulated messages along with publicity generated by the athshyletes Freeman and Thorpe have been overtly identified as key male and female ambassadors of the Australian nation This connection has in turn helped to enhance their sponsorship earnings The companies who choose to associate with these popular Australian athletes have also benefited by their commercial alignshyment with the athletes

IAN THORPE THE THORPEDO

Sports journalists often use superlatives and puns when it comes to describing the talents of swimmer Ian Thorpe He has been described as the greatest swimshymer Australia and possibly the world has ever seen (Reed 2002a 56) He has been named world swimmer of the year a record four times Former Olympian Murray Rose described Thorpe as the most complete swimming package Ive ever seen physically emotionally and mentally male or female (cited in Jeffrey and McGregor 2001 5)

Ian Thorpe was selected for the Australian swimming team in 1997 at the age of 14 He was the youngest person ever to qualifY for an Australian swimming team (Hutchinson 2002 276) Ian Thorpe had grown up admiring the abilities ofAustralias swimmers and according to his autobiography (Thorpe 2000) sent Kieren Perkins a hero fax for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics He often exhibits humble behaviour claiming that he does not take anything for granted yet he also possesses a level of maturity that belies his years Thorpe has an extremely focused approach to training and winning and is philosophical about his media profile He has stated

My belief is that you are really three people There is the person you see yourself as being the person everyone else sees you to be and the person you truly are When those three things come a little bit closer is probably when you feel most fulfilled (cited in Saltau 2002 4)

In the distinctively Australian manner wherein a person with a one-syllable ame is given a two-syllable one and strangely enough vice-versa Ian Thorpe

MEDIATED IMAGES OF IAN THORPE AND CATHY FREEMAN )189

affectionately known to many as Thorpie At one of the Welcome Home after the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games young female

workers shouted Thorpie Thorpie Over here (Hamilton 2002 7) For swimming prowess Thorpe is dubbed The Thorpedo Some of the more

headlines that have likened the swimmer to a self-propelled misshyinclude the following Thorpedo fire sinks US hope (Smith 2002a 66)

dos surf secret revealed (Smith 2002b 94) and Thorpedo proves hes human (Smith 2002e 84)

nting a Contemporary Nation

Ian Thorpe was selected to carry the Australian flag into the stadium for Closing Ceremony of the Sydney Games he described the selection as a

~upreme honour Thorpe explained It was an experience I will cherish forever-shythe flag in front of the world and in particular my family in my city 2000 127) When the Games were staged posters of key Australian

alliClCS such as Thorpe and Freeman decorated city buildings bus shelters and platforms for outdoor advertising and support media

Thorpes gold medal at the Sydney Games was his first as well as Australias gold medal there His significant medal haul at Sydney 2000 (three gold and silver) earned him the role of flag-bearer at the Opening Ceremony of the Manchester Commonwealth Games an event marked by torrential rain of Thorpe patriotically stated I would have stood there all night in the rain

HlJIlumg my countrys flag (Smith 2002d 5) It was also reported that ifThorpe a country he would have finished tenth on the medal tally at the Manchester

uttIlleS just after Scotland (Phillips 2002 5) As a result of Ian Thorpes global media coverage he became something

a household name in many countries particularly in Australia and Japan in 2000 he was chosen to promote Coca-Cola in Japan Within ~ays of

Sydney 2000 wins in the pool Thorpes personal website attracted almost million hits On closer inspection his support team discovered that most of interest in the swimming phenomenon had emanated from Japan Thorpe also made the face of the Fukuoka World Championships in 2001 the fans

l1qating him like a latter-day god and waiting patiently to mob him each at the Australian teams hotel (Jeffrey and McGregor 2001 5) In 2002

was also appointed the first holiday ambassador for Japan (Lunn 2002 the Australian Tourist Commission (ATC) The ATC (now known as

Australia) used the modern face of Thorpe to move away from the stereotyped image of Crocodile Dundee actorcomedian Paul Hogan

argument was that Thorpes young vibrant contemporary and natural

190 I LEANNE WHITE

features would be transferred to the attributes of Australia in the minds of the

Japanese

The Branding and Suiting of Ian Thorpe

Ian Thorpe wore The Suit-a black Adidas bodysuit in his races For the Sydney 2000 Games the suit also displayed the famous triple Adidas stripes in blue On a yellow label at the base of the suit the word equipment was disshyplayed The swimmer explained The suit gives you a completely different feeling in the water You get the cool feeling of the water but not the wet sensation ofit (Thorpe 2000 31) Journalists often suggest that Thorpe is part man part fish by the way they write about him Alexander Wolff (2000 104) described Thorpes appearance at the Sydney Games as looking the part of a frogman with his size 17 feet and black bodysuit and claimed that Thorpes victories brought about a celebration ofAussie amphibianism Out of the pool Thorpe can occasionally be seen wearing a totally white Armani suit thus the Giorgio Armani organisation has ensured that the swimmer is as much well suited and branded out of the water as in it and the chosen fashion colour works in binary opposition to Thorpes

famous aquatic suit The global fashion house is cleverly trading on his popularity for clear commercial advantage

One journalist commented that Thorpe is good looking Built like a brick barshybie and has the Thorpedo nickname He is an image-makers dream (Brundrett 2002 19) Many marketers and their brand(s) want to be associated with him in turn the Ian Thorpe brand is wholesome athletic and appealing to a number of target markets-particularly young females Thorpe is also highly articulate which can be a relatively rare trait amongst elite athletes It then may come as no surprise to discover that in 2002 Ian Thorpe was described as Australias most valuable sports superstar The price on Thorpes appearance was $45000o-the amount an organisation would have to pay in fees for an athlete to endorse its product (Beikoff 2002) Thorpe has had numerous corporate sponsorship and endorsement deals earning around $35 million in 2001 (Sheppard 2002) Greg Hunter has claimed that the Thorpedo brand had the genuine potential to outshystrip even the mammoth earnings of the Great White Shark brand which proshymotes golfer Greg Norman (Hunter 2004 402)

Thorpe has a wide range of sponsors including Autore South Sea Pearls and Omega diving watches (both with overt connections to water) ~ntas Channel Seven Foxtel Sunland Group (property development) Sony Telstra Westpac

V Asahi (a network in Japan) Konami Sports (Japan) Aquarius (a sports drink lin Japan) Giorgio Armani So Natural Foods Tourism Australia and Uncle

obys-all coordinated by David Flaskas his long-standing manager Thorpes


significant sponsor was the Swiss Watch group Omega With Thorpe Vlllcga chose to promote the watches known as Seamaster Professional and

Planet Ocean Autore South Sea Pearls approached the swimmer to conshyceprualise a jewellery collection and Thorpe explained I wanted something with

contemporary feel It had to be urbane and edgy and yet at the same time show the beauty of the pearl But I wanted it to be quite androgynous (cited in

2002 12) The Autore relationship demonstrates Thorpes influence control over how his highly gendered image and public persona are represhy

in the commercial arena Telstra the Australian telecommunications giant claims to be the swimmers

supporter Part of their commitment included development and mainshy~enance of the official Ian Thorpe website To coincide with the Sydney Games

elstra included a hero image of the swimmer in a major integrated marketshycommunications campaign Thorpe has also featured in the ~ntas Spirit of

advertising campaign and regularly participated in the swimming event as the ~ntas Skins

In 2003 in an act that emphasises how Ian Thorpe is very much in control his own publicity and his name came a highly sought after product Thorpe

JCleased his own underwear and T-shirt label known as ITraquo Two years later launched his own branded fragrance which he described as an incredibly

night fragrance developed from the smells of my travels to Asia (cited in 2005 20) Included in the range are the Oxygen Boxer short the Brief the

and the T-Shirt Thorpe also lends his name to an energy drink called horpedo But while he represents one version of the Australian nation and successfully commercialised the image Cathy Freeman has come to embody

s political social and cultural hopes for the future

lighting the cauldron at the Sydney Olympic Games before a global teleshyaudience of around 37 billion along with winning her historic 400-metre

before a crowd of 112524 in Stadium Australia (a record audience for any Jlympic event) Cathy Freeman has become one ofAustralias most admired and

Iroected athletes It was Australias 100th gold medal at an Olympics event and first individual gold medal for an Indigenous Australian The book jacket of her autobiography states that at the euphoric moment

her gold-winning performance at the Sydney Games Cathy Freeman symbshyour best and broadest vision ofourselves a reconciled Australia (Freeman

Gullan 2003) She is considered a symbol of Australian cultural ideals

192 ILEANNE WHITE

(Watts 2002 77) Justin Flynn (2001) claims that many people believe Freeman has done more for reconciliation than the official efforts by politicians and presshysure groups In 2002 opposition leader Kim Beazley articulated the belief that Freemans victory went beyond sport with his analogy that her win represented 400 metres of national reconciliation (Neilson 2002 20) As Toby Miller (1990 92) has argued The successful competitor helps to define the nation and in turn is identified through the concept of nationhood If an individual athlete were to be the embodiment of Millers statement one need look no further than Cathy Freeman however in Australia Freeman appears to go beyond the comshymonplace definition of nation to hold a more sacred position that is both critical and prophetic

Since her impressive win at the Sydney Games many have considered Cathy Freeman the darling of Australian sport and she came to be regarded as an Australian sporting icon (Reed 2002a 56) David Williamson (2000 12) has argued that Freeman has moved beyond icon in this nation Almost beyond adoshyration She is regarded as Our Cathy-in a similar manner to Our Glad referring to Australias famous light opera singer Gladys Moncrief (Hutchinson 2002 210) Crowds cheered with Freeman fever and she was said to possess that mysterious Freeman factor (Reed 2002b 94) An image of Cathy in her hooded Nike bodysuit in which she ran at the Sydney Olympics was featured on the cover of Great Sporting Moments The Best Images oj the Twentieth Century When the Olympic city was bustling with sporting fans and tourists a huge 75-metre poster of the famous runner was displayed on the side of the AON Tower in Kent Street Sydney

Australias Iconic Aboriginal Representative Rises to Fame

In the early 1990s Freeman was identified as an athlete capable of representing the nation when she was chosen as part of the Melbourne bid team that contested for the rights to host the 1996 Olympic Games When Cathy first competed at the Olympic level at the 1992 Barcelona Games she was Australias first Aboriginal representative in track and field Freeman is of course not the first Aboriginal athlete to be considered a role model for her people In Australias sporting history Aboriginal athletes have carved out a special place The countrys first touring cricket team in 1868 was comprised entirely of Indigenous Australians Other famous Aboriginal athletes have included football players Michael Long Gavin Wanganeen Adam Goodes Maurice Rioli Graham Polly Farmer Syd Jackson Jim Krakouer Doug Nicholls and Neil Nicky Winmar boxers Lionel Rose and Anthony Mundine tennis champion Evonne Goolagong-Cawley and hockey player and runner Nova Peris-Kneebone By speaking out about racism


teeman Winmar Long and others have provided an opportunity for nonshyAustralians to gain an insight into some of the human rights injustices

IHmiddot~red by Aboriginal Australians (Gardiner 2003) Cathy Freeman first ran with the Aboriginal flag when she won a 400-metre at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria Canada The red black

yellow flag gained significant media coverage as more than 300 million peoshywatched Freemans celebration of victory (Gwilliam 1998) Her overt disshyof pride for her people was severely reprimanded by a senior official of the

Commonwealth Games team Arthur Tunstall however his objection considered out ofline with public opinion and that of the nations leadersshy

lI~cUding Prime Minister Paul Keating (Day 2001) In many respects this parshyhistoric and significantly defiant sporting act marked the moment in time

Cathy Freeman became much more than just another champion athlete Dfuuacd Cashman (2001 9) has argued that Freemans use of the Australian and tlboriginal flags in her victory laps and her widespread displaying of the boxing

flag at sporting events all helped sport is contributing to the current on flag reform

Freemans Aboriginality is the key to her role as representative of the nations and dreams She has been portrayed as an easy going Aboriginal girl from

north Qyeensland (Gullan 2002a 49) and she embraced this image by statshythat she runs for herself and for my family and friends and for my people my country (cited in Basquali 2000) In writing about the controversial event

displaying the Aboriginal and Australian flags at the 1994 Commonwealth -fames Cathy Freeman explained

I pulled out my Aboriginal flag from the bottom of my suitcase Its time to show the world This was my race and no one was going to stop me telling the world how proud I was to be Aboriginal Somewhere deep inside Id absorbed all the pain and suffering my people had endured and turned it into a source of strength All this pain inspires me I want to be a freedom fighter I want to break down the stereotype of Aboriginal people as alcoholics and criminals I feel this amazing affinity to my people and I carry around what has happened to them in my heart It wasnt until I got home and saw the thousands ofletters and faxes that I began to comprehend the full impact ofhaving carried the Aboriginal flag at the Games (cited in Freeman and Gullan200378-87)

Key Moment for a Unified Nation

Australians remember what they were doing when Cathy Freeman won her hhstOrIC race in 2000 Adrian C~llins (2004 207) explains that he was a spectator

home glued patriotically to the TV for that magic moment Her 400-metre

194 I LEANNE WHITE

run on September 25 2000 was highly symbolic and emblematic Journalists social commentators politicians writers and academics have all commented on the historic Freeman victory David Williamson (2000 12) claims that as a result of the overwhelming expectations placed on Freeman theres never been a day of such intense national tension in our history and that the eventual win was a defining moment in our national history Harry Gordon (2003 221) cannot think of another Australian athlete who has had to carry the expectations of a nation before competing stating that along with the hopes of 19 million people she seemed that night to be carrying the extra load of two hundred years of hisshytory Justin Flynn (2001 90) claims that the Freeman race sent nearly 19 milshylion people into a frenzy of fist-thumping patriotic bliss

Brett Neilson (2002 20) has argued that Freemans gold medal win was imagined to have driven the nation towards an overcoming of its racial divide In a comment that downplays Freemans agency journalist Daniel Williams (2000) has claimed that more than merely representing Australia she hadshythrough forces beyond her control-come to embody it adding that on that night she carried the burden of a nations hopes and insecurities Following the long prelude to the Sydney Games particularly between 1993 when Sydney won the rights to host the Games and 2000 Freeman was deliberately placed by journalists and commentators in the centre of the media spotlight being selected by Games organisers to represent a particular image of a reconciled and unified Australia to placate both Australia and the viewing world

Channel Sevens Bruce McAvaney and former Olympian Raelene Boyle were selected as the commentary team for Freemans race to be broadcast to the Australian television audience McAvaney introduced the race by declaring Its fate of a nation time (cited in Gordon 2003 229) As Freeman was completing the race McAvaney excitedly explained Cathy lifting goes up to Graham Takes the lead Looks the winner Draws away This is a famous victory a magnificent performance What a legend what a champion Reflecting the thoughts ofFreeman and so many Australians Boyle replied What a relief (cited in Hoy and Richardson 2002 5)

After winning the race Freeman was asked by a Channel Seven journalist how she thought her family would celebrate the win and she replied in a live-toshyair comment Theyd probably be drunk already So as not to further alienate the Aboriginal community and cause offence Channel Seven decided not to replay the statement Freeman carefully-collected both the Australian and Aboriginal flags from her support team in the stadium and waved them excitedly in her vicshytory lap Although in 1994 Tunstall reprimanded the use of the flag six years later the Australian public expected Freeman to once again exhibit this powerful symbol of her peoples struggle The Aboriginal flag was of course made even more powerful by her own prior actions By this time Cathy Freeman very much


her flag and the display was read as an inclusive gesture (Cashman 70)

~ Prime Minister John Howard who attended many of the events during the

Ydney Games was conspicuous by his absence from Stadium Australia that vening--speaking volumes about his views on reconciliation and the way he erceived Australias future However Howards uncomfortable reaction to the trident pro-Aboriginal messages at the Closing Ceremony a few days later did

escape the television cameras On the warm September evening when Freeman made Australian and sportshyhistory she chose to wear her sponsors full length Nike bodysuit as it helped

offdistractions ease the burdens and clear her focus (Richardson 2002 20) also wore her Nike runners in the colours of the Aboriginal flag--red black yellow the famous shoes are now on display at the International Olympic

r---ulllmittee (IOC) Museum in Lausanne Switzerland At the previous Summer Olvmpic Games in Atlanta Reebok was the favoured Olympic sponsor while Nike

openly attacked the Olympic ideals in its advertising campaigns (Payne 2006) the time the Sydney Olympics came around the global sporting goods comshy

was advertising its belief in the ideology of Olympism with its high-profile plphrtp Humanity campaign In sponsoring Freeman Nike had successfully

1lgtgtUllaltU itself with the champion runner and leading signifier of a reconciled to promote the brand Within minutes of Freemans win Nike released

advertising campaign featuring her Spectators who travelled home from Australia were exposed to Nikes outdoor campaign featuring Freemans

while television viewers would watch the new Nike commercial that evening the end of the historic race a greatly relieved Freeman slumped down on the

for what seemed like an eternity even though it was only around three minshyshe sat before the worlds television and press soaking in the enormous energy

from the jubilrut crowd Cathy Freeman then slowly and symbolically off her Nike Aboriginal shoes got up from the track and danced barefoot the Australian and Aboriginal flags for Australias most anticipated victory

Of the history-making event Freeman said It was wonderful marvellous the Imllacle of my career But it was also incredibly traumatic More traumatic than I

myself to feel at the time (cited in Magnay 2003 2) Freeman took it upon herself to occasionally speak out on behalf of her peoshyShe criticised Prime Minister John Howard over his governments refusal to

the existence ofthe stolen generation and to say sorry for the ways which Aboriginal people had been treated at the hands of white Australians more than 200 years (Day 2001 339) She too had been personally affected

the draconian policies of former governments as her grandmother was taken from her family Freeman explained She didnt even know her birthday so

196 I LEANNE WHITE

we didnt even know how old she was when she died (Donnan 2000) Because Cathy Freeman has spoken out on political issues some media commentators have speculated that she might eventually enter politics but her response has been unambiguous I am not going into politics (Gullan 2002b 76)

While some argue that Freemans fame and honour represent mere tokenshyism toward Aboriginal people (Holt 2000) Colin Tatz a visiting fellow in Social Sciences at the Australian National University and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies in Canberra has argued that Freemans act of defiance-with the wearing of the flags and her clenched first-had a similar effect to the black-power salute of Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the Mexico Olympic Games medal ceremony in 1968 (Donnan 2000) Freemans proud display of both the Aboriginal and Australian flags in 1994 and again when she won the gold medal for her 400-metre run at the 2000 Games has helped to ignite further discussion about this proud and occasionally provocative Australian symbol

The symbolism of Cathy Freemans lighting the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony ofthe Sydney Games was potent In their choice ofFreeman the Sydney Olympic organisers emphasised the considerable Indigenous themes throughout the Games Janice Forsyth and Kevin Wamsley (2005 238) among others noted that the symbolism ofan Aboriginal Australian lighting the Olympic flame was invoked by organisers to both create a sense of national community for Australians as well as to project images ofunification to the rest ofthe world John Sinclair (2000 45) has noted that the choice of Cathy Freeman as the final runner in the torch relay enabled the torch to fulfil its redemptive mission ofreconciliation and inclusion Harry Gordon (2003 227) claimed that the symbolism of Freemans lighting the flame was drenching while Alan Tomlinson (2004 154) declared that the choice of Cathy Freeman to light the flame rounded off an Opening Ceremony which depicted the history ofAustralia as an Aboriginal meta-narrative

Colin Tatz also has argued that Cathy Freeman is a powerful symbol for her people because of her own experiences-having overcome adversity to become a key athlete on the global stage He said This girl trails a history behind her that is the quintessence of the mistreatment of Aboriginals (cited in Donnan 2000) When supporting a depression awareness initiative Freeman stated Ive achieved my dream but its not easy Its not easy thinking positive but its really important to Ive lived all over the place Im a small country kid-an indigenous one at that-and certainly we had low self-esteem (cited in Keenan 2001 4)

Consuming and Sponsoring Freeman

Cathy Freeman is much too aware of her celebrity status-the commercial reality that she is both a national and an international product-to be exploited When

---shy


running friend Raelene Boyle said Theres a lot of us who just consider a business Freeman agreed saying Oh gosh yeah I am a product (cited

Hiestand 2002) Advertisers know that the right choice ofcelebrity can immeshyconnect and cement a specific meaning to a product (White 2000 9)

2002 Cathy Freeman was Australias fourth most valuable sports superstar being Ian Thorpe second tennis player Pat Rafter third Greg Norman)

independent evaluation was undertaken by the consulting firm Sponsorship and Freeman was valued at $38500o-the estimated outlay an orgashy

would pay her to support the product or service (Beikoff 2002) Many athletes have a number of sponsors and in 2000 the year of the

l1ney Olympics Freeman earned $12 million in sponsorship deals She is manshyby International Management Group (IMG) Australia-the local branch of

global sports management monolith (Stewart 2001) Freeman overtly fosters and maintains her connections with Australias

community Reciprocally indigenous organisations have sought make links with the star athlete The front page of her official website was fsigned to emphasise Aboriginality and the flags and her first sponsor was Aboriginal clothing company Balarinji Design Studio in 1993 Cathy wore

one-piece running outfIt made by the company that featured a dot-painting recognized as integral to Aboriginal art It went well with her Nike

shoes in the Aboriginal colours of black red and yellow In 2002 the union First Nations was launched and Cathy Freemans face was featured

credit cards issued by the organisation to Aboriginal communities Chairman Briggs explained that the company aimed to provide culturally approprishy

financial services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (cited in Jackson 9) In October 2006 Freeman announced her engagement to Melbourne

James Murch The iconic landmark chosen for the marriage proposal Ulum as Freeman was filming a documentary on her life for the ABC at the

Uluru and Kata Tjuta National Park formerly known as Ayers Rock and Olgas were handed back to the traditional owners in 1985 and the area was

listed as a World Heritage site in 1987 a significant step toward reconciliation with native peoples

THORPE AND FREEMAN OUR AUSTRALIAN AMBASSADORS

athy Freeman and Ian Thorpe were transformed at the 2000 Sydney Games into definitive sporting and cultural ambassadors for Australia Both have been directly involved in aligning their images with the nation Their individual and carefully pitched media representations have also shaped national images and

198 I LEANNE WHITE

perceptions both in Australia and on the world stage In very different ways and over a number ofyears Freeman and Thorpe have moulded their image in a wide variety of media outlets

Highly selective media representations have contributed to the way in which these athletes have been consumed and understood in both official and commercial spheres Cathy Freeman and Ian Thorpe have been elevated well above the status ofAustralias greatest Olympians along with Betty Cuthbert Herb Eliot Dawn Fraser Shane Gould Andrew Hoy Kieran Perkins Bill Roycroft and Shirley Strickland Both athletes have played key roles in reflecting varied and complex messages of both official nationalism and commercial nationalism back to their country via the lens of media Freeman and Thorpe have taken on almost iconic status as representatives of Australia While Thorpe in light of his having won five gold medals holds the title ofAustralias most successful Olympian Freeman was unquestionably (Gordon 2003 228) and indisputably (Smith 2000 120) the athlete of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Whereas Cathy Freemans role in the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney Games was central Thorpe played a key role in the Closing Ceremony Images of both Indigenous and contemporary Australia also played a vital part at the closing moments of the Games

REFERENCES

Basquali (2000) Catherine Intimate portrait ofa champion Sydney Pan Macmillan

Beikoff K (2002 June 5) Thorpe footy hit the jackpot Herald Sun 3 Brundrett R (2002 August 6) Bradman ofthe pooL Herald Sun 19 Byrne F (2005 May 1) Thorpe smells win Herald Sun 20 Cashman R (2001) Introduction In Cashman R OHara) and Honey A (Eds) Sportfoderation

nation Petersham Walla Walla

Cashman R (2006) The bitter-sweet awakening The legacy ofthe Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Sydney

Walla Walla

Collins A (2004) The home Olympics Cathy Freeman In Bourbon S (Ed) Olympic spirit Australian rtjlectiom on the Olympic ideal Melbourne Reclink

Day D (2001) Claiming a continent A new history ofAustralia Sydney Harper Collins

Donnan S (2000 September 19) Aboriginal star rises above Aussie history Christian Science Monitor Available (httpwwwcsmonitoroly2000storiesl0919donnanhtrnl)

Elliot T (2005 June 5) Back in business The reinvention of Cathy Freeman The Sunday Age 14-17

Flynn J (2001) A sporting chance In Singh S Andrew D Andy B Choy M Finlay H

Greenway P Kenny K Morrissey P OByrne D and Scott B (Eds)AboriginaIAustralia and the Torres Strait Islands guide to indigenous Australia Footscray Lonely Planet

Forsyth) and Wamsley K (2005) Symbols without substance Aboriginal peoples and the illusions

of Olympic ceremonies In Young K and Wamsley K (Eds) Global Olympics Historical and sociological studies ofthe modern games Oxford Elsevier

shyMEDIATED IMAGES OF IAN THORPE AND CATHY FREEMAN 1199

Freeman C and Gullan S (2003) Cathy Her own story Camberwell Viking

ardiner G (2003) Black bodies-White codes Indigenous footballers racism and the Australian

Football Leagues racial and religious vilification code In Bale J and Cronin M (Eds) Sport andpostcolonialism Oxford Berg

ordon H (2003) The time ofour lives Inside the Sydney Olympics St Lucia University ofQeensland

Press

ullan S (2002a July 17) Run Cathy run Herald Sun 49 ullan S (2oo2b November 14) Get tough Herald Sun 76 uttman A (2002) The Olympics A history ofthe modern games 2nd ed Urbana University ofIllinois

Press

william H (1998) Cathy Freeman Ryadalmere Hodder Headline Australia

amilton J (2002 August 8) Gold guts and glory Herald Sun 7 iestand M (2002) Freeman freeing up her soul Available (httpwwwusatodaycomsports

0Iympicslsummerl2oo2-11-06-coverhtm)

olt O (2000 September 25) Freeman is a symbol of reconciliation The Times oy D and Richardson N (2002 December 5) Best in the box Herald Sun 5

unter G (2004) Ian Thorpe The biography Sydney Macmillan

utchinson G (2002) True blue Camberwell Viking

ackson A (2002 March 21) Olympic runners make a sprint for savings The Age 9

effrey N and McGregor A (2001 July 24) Great as Dawn or our greatest Only time will tell

The Australian 5 eenan A (20Ot August 28) I get the blues too says Golden Girl Freeman The Australian 4

unn S (2002 March 27) PM laps up Thorpe The Australian 5 agnay J (2003 July 17) The queen is dead long live the queen-and her knight The Sydney

Morning Herald 1-2 cCann E (2002 July 10) Rich market on a string The Australian 12

cGregor A (2000) Cathy Freeman Ajourneyjust begun Sydney Random House

iller T (1990) Sport media and masculinity In Rowe D and Lawrence G (Eds) Sport and leisure Trends in Australian popular culture 74-95 Marrickvi1le Harcourt Brace Jovanovich

eilson B (2002) Bodies ofprotest Performing citizenship at the 2000 Olympic Games Continuum Journal ofMedia and Cultural Studies VoL 16 No1 13-25

ayne M (2006) Olympic turnaround How the Olympic games stepped backfrom the brink ofextinction to become the worlds best known brand Westport Praeger

hillips S (2002 August 6) War ofwills rages over 2006 budget Herald Sun 5 eed R (2oo2a July 21) Some headlines you might see from Manchester Shes back Herald

Sun 56 eed R (2002b March 6) Cathy fair dinkum Never question it Herald Sun 94 ichardson N (2002 July 26) Win orlosc shes a champ Herald Sun 20

altau C (2002 July 25) Thorpes triple alliance The Age 4 heppard B (2002) Ian Thorpe Australias outstanding sporting stars Port Melbourne

Heinemann

middotnclair) (2000) More than an old flame National symbolism and the media in the torch ceremony

ofthe Olympics Media International Australia incorporating Culture and Policy No 97 Australian

Key Centre for Culture and Media Policy Nathan 35-46

ith P (2000) Its Cathy well remember In Armstrong D (Ed) The Australian Record ofthe Olympics 120 Surry Hills Nationwide News

ith W (2002a August 29) Thorpedo fires sinks US hope Herald Sun 66

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Smith W (2002b March 21) Thorpedos surf secret revealed Herald Sun 94

Smith W (2002c March 20) Thorpedo proves hes only human Herald Sun 84

Smith W (2002d August 6) Dynamic Thorpe a hard marker Herald Sun 5 Stewart C (2001 September 1) The fame game The Weekend Australian 4 Thorpe (2000) Ian Thorpe Thejourney Sydney Macmillan

Tomlinson A (2004) The Disneyfication of the Olympics Theme parks and freak-shows of the body In Bale J and Christensen M K (Eds) Post-Olympism Questioning sport in the twentyshy

first century New York Berg Watts I (2002) Selling Australia Cathy Freeman and the construction of an Australian identity In

Wamsley K Barney R and Martyn S (Eds) The global nexus engaged Past presentfoture

interdisciplinary Olympic studies 77-84 London University ofWestern Ontario White 1 (2000 November 25) From Aristotle to OJ and Diana The Age 9

Williams D (2000 December 25) Newsmakers of2000 Cathy Freeman Time

Williamson D (2000 October 7) Patriot games The Australian Magazine 10-15 Wolff A (2000) Wild about water A breathtaking night in the pool was a fitting festive occasion

for the amphibious Australians Sports Illustrated Commemorative Edition-2000 Olympics Days

ofGlory New York Time Inc

Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Sexual sports rhetoric global and universal contexts edited by Linda K Fuller pcm

Includes bibliographical references and index 1 Sports for women-Social aspects 2 Sports for women--Cross-cultural studies

3 Gender itlentitv_ 4 Hllrnrugt hllrh=nri~Ct ~--- --rmiddotmiddotmiddot_middotmiddot_middot__middotmiddot

Fuller Linda GV709s49 796082-cic22 2009034445

ISBN 978-1-4331-0510-4 (hardcover) ISBN 978-1-4331-0509-8 (paperback)

Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliotheklists this publication in the Deutsche

Nationalbibliografie detailed bibliographic data is available on the Internet at httpdnbd-nbdel

The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity

of the Council of Library Resources

copy 2010 Peter Lang Publishing Inc New York 29 Broadway 18th floor New York NY 10006

wwwpeterlangcom

All rights reserved Reprint or reproduction even partially in all forms such as microfilm

xerography microfiche microcard and offset strictly prohibited

Printed in the United States ofAmerica

Alina Bernstein (College ofManagement Tel Aviv Israel) has chaired the Media and Sport Section of the International Association for Media and

Communication Research (IAMCR) since 1999 coordinating reportage on sport gender and language at global levels

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---shy



















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REFERENCES





Walla Walla














Press


Press



















Heinemann






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I

CHAPTER FOURTEEN



LEANNE WHITE




186 I LEANNE WHITE






Ii



















-shy

188 I LEANNE WHITE

























190 I LEANNE WHITE


Japanese



























192 ILEANNE WHITE




















194 I LEANNE WHITE























196 I LEANNE WHITE







---shy



















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REFERENCES





Walla Walla














Press


Press



















Heinemann






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186 I LEANNE WHITE






Ii



















-shy

188 I LEANNE WHITE

























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194 I LEANNE WHITE























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Walla Walla














Press


Press



















Heinemann






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-shy

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Walla Walla














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Heinemann






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192 ILEANNE WHITE




















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White, L. (2010) Gender, Race and Nation at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games: Mediated Images of Ian...

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Transcript of White, L. (2010) Gender, Race and Nation at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games: Mediated Images of Ian...