Brownell focuses on three main assumptions from the beginning and it slowly weaves through the text. These three assumptions basically state: 1) sports are to be analyzed as one set of practices to do with one’s body, 2) power relations are at play, and 3) sporting events make the body a cultural artifact, thus play an important part in the culture of the body (aka body culture). The part I’m going to focus on is the power relations at play for the sports China is doing.

The first chapter described how the people of China in the sporting events would bow to the people viewing. It is interesting about their concept on their individual bodies, playing against each other, are actually having a larger purpose of representing the people of China. Sometimes, they could also be representing the honor China as a whole. This can be seen in the Olympics and any countries participants. Yes, they are striving for their own performance perfection, but they are still representing their particular nation. Honor plays a huge part in sportsmanship. It brings us back to the topic of cheats again, but I digress for now.

Another topic that falls under the power relation concept is the knowledge of gender. Brownell notices that females and males usually stay into the sports to up their standing in society. The competitive sports were seen as a luxury for the upper class. Now, that has changed to farmers using it to gain upward mobility. During the time of gaining a new status, women would use it to wait for marriage and men would “preserve” themselves by not engaging in intercourse. Something tells me this was a way to keep that virtue through sports, maybe unintentionally.

This is something to turn into the larger topic between the class systems and gender that we have talked about in class.

Topic Choice: Influence of video games on people (mentally and physically)

Sources:
Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto
Replay: The History of Video Games

There are plenty of articles tying to this, but I still am in the process of sifting through what is good information and what are horrible information.