Short Abstract

How can we explain the staying power of capitalism in sport despite widespread discontent, and growing grassroots activism that rejects it? This panel seeks to identify the intricate interactions and mutual nourishments between sport, the logic of capitalism, and human modes of desiring.

Long Abstract

How can we explain the staying power of capitalism in sport despite widespread discontent, and growing grassroots activism that rejects it? Why is it so hard to resist the neoliberalism of sport despite acknowledged evils and warning signs? This panel was inspired by some recent outgrowths of sport capitalism that have made fans concerned about the transformation of their enchanted, poetic passion into a disenchanting, prosaic business. We will seek to identify the intricate interactions and mutual nourishment between sport, the logic of capitalism, and human modes of desiring. Some point at the overpowering hegemony of capitalist stakeholders, in sport as elsewhere, and the essential powerlessness of fans. Others have variously identified the impacts of capitalism in terms of inequality or repression. Following McGowan (2017), we may add that the power of (sport) capitalism is owing to its ability to engage with human modes of desiring. Just like capitalism, elite sport too rests on the idea of accumulation and the promise of satisfaction: a future championship title, elite league playing opportunity, or the signing of a top player or special coach. How does sport capitalism keep us desiring subjects as consumers, fans, players, coaches, industry actors or corporations (etc.)? It appears that the “sport establishment,” or just “the system” have the ultimate power and ability to turn our desires into profit. But we know that power is not one-dimensional, and some struggles are already won, at micro and macro levels, from self-sustainable clubs within competitive environments to the success of supporters to change the legal frameworks regulating elite sports. This panel will seek to fathom sporting capitalism’s hold of our psychic lives, and it will speculate about the ways one might escape, in sport and beyond, the grasp of its Invisible Hand.

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