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Selling the Dream: The Darker Side of the “Superman” Athlete

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Handbook of Theory and Research in Cultural Studies and Education

Part of the book series: Springer International Handbooks of Education ((SIHE))

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Abstract

With humans being the architects of meaning, Nietzsche’s superman (übermensch) was representative of a system of values and a way of life of a society in need of a heroic narrative. Although this narrative is not unique to any era or culture, societal psychological and social values, beliefs, and attitudes are forged from its ever-changing needs and motivations. Within this chapter, we expound how this heroic narrative, at one time symbolic of the highest aims of mankind, mirroring the ideal morals of a community, has been abducted, coerced, and exploited by media to serve its own selfish commercial needs, a dark side in guise of the preservation of a heroic tale. With the use of numerous techniques (i.e., public relations, propaganda, strategic communications), media capitalized on the enormous influence celebrated athletes and sports has in both industrial societies and developing nations. Through the use of symbols and signs, the advertisements created and disseminated onto the public carried with them invisible messages with the sole intent or goal of persuading the consumer to purchase product. To achieve this, they manipulated the individual’s perception of reality, engineered to create a symbolon, itself inspiring loyalty by the consumer to an athlete, a team, or a brand.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Nikos C. Apostolopoulos

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  1. Nikos C. Apostolopoulos
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Correspondence to Nikos C. Apostolopoulos .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ontario Inst for Studies in Education, University of Toronto Ontario Inst for Studies in Education, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Peter Pericles Trifonas

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Apostolopoulos, N.C. (2020). Selling the Dream: The Darker Side of the “Superman” Athlete. In: Trifonas, P. (eds) Handbook of Theory and Research in Cultural Studies and Education. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01426-1_39-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01426-1_39-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-01426-1

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