Reflect & Write: Gender, Sports, and Advertising
Text: Lucas, Shelley. “Nike’s Commercial Solution: Girls, Sneakers, and Salvation.” International Review for the Sociology of Sports 35.2 (2000) 149-164.
Envision Connection: Use in conjunction with Chapter 11; can also be used in conjunction with Chapter 2’s discussion of advertising.
Background: At the time this article was written, Shelley Lucas was a Ph.D. candidate in cultural studies of sport and leisure at the University of Iowa. Currently, Lucas is an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Boise State University, where she teaches an introductory course on kinesiology, as well as graduate courses in sociology and the philosophy of exercise and sport. Dr. Lucas has served on the BSU’s Women’s Center and Gender Studies advisory boards, and is chair of the Gender Equity Subcommittee for the Intercollegiate Athletics Advisory Committee. Currently, her research work includes a study of the history of Idaho’s Women’s Challenge—the international cycling stage race for women (which ran from 1984-2002), and on sociological issues related to women’s cycling in general.
Reflect & Write:
o According to Lucas, what is “Nike’s commercial solution” and for what purpose is this solution intended? Does she believe it is an effective solution? Cite evidence from the article to support your answer.
o What does Lucas mean when she says she examines the Nike commercials as “text”? How does this rhetorical examination strengthen or weaken her argument? How does it change your own view toward her argument?
o Write: Based on the articles and visuals you’ve read in this chapter so far, do you believe that sports can provide women “valuable and powerful tools” to overcome society’s gender stereotypes? How have the media and typecast women in sports over the years? What evidence can you cite that can prove or disprove your response? Write a research paper, using both primary and secondary evidence, in which you tackle this topic. Use Chapters 4-6 to help you with your research and drafting process.