A Multidimensional Model of Sport Dramaturgy

• In Event: ICA Plenary Interactive Paper/Poster Session III
  In Paper Session: Sport Communication Interactive Paper Session

Abstract

This paper provides an analysis of the social field of sport within the general frame of social dramaturgy, using three metaphors that are grounded on Goffman's conceptual heritage: sport as play, sport as game and sport as ritual. After discussing ‘how’ and ‘to what extent’ can Goffman's concepts be re-contextualized in understanding the dynamics of the sport acts, I integrate them into a multidimensional analytic model, contributing thus to both a diversification of the analytical approaches of the sport ethos, as well as to a corollary operationalization process. The model of sport dramaturgy that I have built covers: the dramaturgical dimension, the strategic dimension and the ritual dimension of sport acts as complementary elements that can provide an integrative perspective upon the sport dynamics. Every dimension implies a specific definition for the competitive situation, for the sport actor and for his dispositional orientation when faced with a competitive situation.

Author

• Diana Luiza Dumitriu, National U