‘I just want to be left alone’: novel sociological insights into dramaturgical demands on professional athletes

Roderick, M.J.; Allen Collinson, J.

Abstract

To date, no sociological studies of professional athletes have investigated the lived experiences of sportspeople in highly publicly-visible occupations that provide relatively few opportunities for back-stage relaxation from role demands. Drawing on findings from a British Academy-funded project examining high-profile sports workers, and employing Goffman’s dramaturgical insights, this article provides a novel examination of high-profile athletes who work in highly publicly visible contexts. This working context can render them ‘open’ persons in interactional situations. To explore this sociologically significant occupational domain, interviews were conducted with 26 UK-based professional athletes (female and male) from seven different sports. For these athletes, dramaturgical demands were found to be relentless and unremitting, as back-stage regions proved so challenging to access.

Citation

Roderick, M., & Allen Collinson, J. (2020). ‘I just want to be left alone’: novel sociological insights into dramaturgical demands on professional athletes. Sociology of Sport Journal, 37(2), 108-116. https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.2019-0135

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 14, 2019
• Publication Date: Jun 30, 2020
• Deposit Date: Dec 18, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 6, 2020
• Journal: Sociology of Sport Journal
• Print ISSN: 0741-1235
• Electronic ISSN: 1543-2785
• Publisher: Human Kinetics
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 37
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 108-116
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.2019-0135
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1311437