RHETORIC, SPORT, AND QUEER/THEORY: GENDER AND ATHLETICISM IN QUEER SPORTS A Dissertation by RYAN S. RIGDA Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Chair of Committee, Tasha Dubriwny Committee Members, Kristan Poirot Jennifer Jones Barbour Daniel Humphrey Head of Department, J. Kevin Barge August 2018 Major Subject: Communication Copyright 2018 Ryan S. Rigda ABSTRACT This dissertation examines three case studies that draw on the queer potential of performances of gender and athleticism that challenge the gender binary in sport. For generations, sport has served as a social institution that divides athletes based on social constructions of sex and gender. In doing so, performances of gender in sport have come to be equated with performances of athleticism. This means that male athletes are expected to perform male athleticism and female athletes are expected to perform female athleticism. This dissertation looks for places within sport that represent a queer potential for disruption of the gender binary. By viewing individual performances of gender and athleticism that do not meet socially accepted performances of male and female athleticism as unstable differential relations, we can begin to destabilize the gender binary in sport. Using the case studies of Outsports, the sport of quidditch, and figure skater Johnny Weir, I argue that although there are places in sport that function as antagonisms, which have the potential to destabilize the gender binary, to some extent, they are still bound by normative understandings of sex, gender, and sexuality. Within each case study, I explore the ways in which gender norms are constantly policed by the sport community and work to establish difference as a determinate identity, rather than unstable differential relations. The work in this dissertation reveals the strength of the hegemonic discourses that surround sport, particularly in relation to sex, gender, and sexuality. Despite the queer potential of each case study, the male perspective dominates sports and reinforces the commitment to a gender binary. The commitment to the gender binary in sport will remain the downfall of most ii attempts to queer sport because we are always limited to gendered and sexed categories of male and female. This is further compounded by the addition of sexuality to athletic identity. As the narratives used by Outsports show, coming out as a gay athlete is not novel or even disruptive. The inclusion of gay athletes into mainstream sports confines sexuality to the already gendered structure of sport. By participating in these hegemonic institutions they are further entrenching the negative impacts of the system, privileging those LGBTQ athletes who can serve as token examples of inclusion. With that in mind, I offer three critical implications for this research. First, I argue that these case studies suggest a move towards a queer understanding of athleticism. Second, as I have already eluded to, even in moments of queer resistance, sport still privileges the male identity. Third, I explore the implications of moving sport research into the field. Using the sport of quidditch, I argue that sport research could benefit from expanding the scope of the text by examining identity construction at the level of performance. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to begin by thanking my advisor, Dr. Tasha Dubriwny, for her constant support throughout my time at Texas A&M. I am extremely grateful for her advice and guidance as I completed this project, as well as her enthusiasm for my research interests. I am also thankful for the generous feedback and support from my committee members during the dissertation process. They have helped shape this project from the idea in my head to a dissertation I can be proud of. Second, I would like to say thank you to my family for always encouraging me and having confidence in me even when I doubted myself. Even though I was on the other side of the country, I knew they were always in my corner. Without the constant support of my family, especially my mother, I would not be who I am today. I will be forever grateful for their love and support. Although there are too many to name, I love each and every one of them and this would not be possible without them. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. To my team at Texas A&M – although you may have changed and grown over the years, each one of you has become part of my family. Thank you for joining me on this crazy journey. When I started working with the speech and debate team at Texas A&M I had now idea of how important it would be to me. Many of you had such an impact on my life and I will always be thankful for that. I wish you all the best in life. Finally, thank you to the constant support from my friends and colleagues. Thank you to Katie Hodgdon for being my go-to person. It has been 6 long years and I would not change any moment of it. Thank you to my life-long duo partner Tom Roccotagliata for always answering my phone calls and listening to my rants. Your friendship means the world to me. Rachel iv Whitten and David Munson are the dynamic duo that made writing possible. Thank you for the countless hours of writing at coffee shops, playing Pokémon Go, and meeting up for happy hours. Carrie Murawski and Alex Sousa are two of the most beautiful souls you will ever meet and I am so grateful to have them in my corner. Our friendship will surely continue to grow and I expect great things to come from them. And last but certainly not least, thank you to my roommate, Kyle Colglazier, for a wonderful final year in Texas. You have become such a wonderful friend, and an even better uncle to Fred and George. We all love you. v CONTRIBUTORS AND FUNDING SOURCES This work was supported by a dissertation committee consisting of Professor Tasha Dubriwny [advisor] and Professor Kristan Poirot of the Department of Communication, Professor Daniel Humphrey of the Department of Film Studies, and Professor Jennifer Jones Barbour of the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Data for chapter three was approved through the Institutional Review Board at Texas A&M University in coordination with the United States Quidditch Association and the Wichita Falls Visitors Bureau. Data was obtained during a regional quidditch tournament in the American Southwest. The student completed all other work conducted for this dissertation independently. Graduate study was supported by an assistantship with the Department of Communication at Texas A&M University. No additional funding was received for the completion of this dissertation. vi NOMENCLATURE FIFA Fédération Internationale de Football Association IAAF International Association of Athletics Federation IOC International Olympic Committee IQA International Quidditch Association IWFL Independent Women’s Football League MLB Major League Baseball NBA National Basketball Association NFL National Football League NHL National Hockey League UIL University Interscholastic League USQA United States Quidditch Association WFL Women’s Football League vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iv CONTRIBUTORS AND FUNDING SOURCES ............................................................. vi NOMENCLATURE ......................................................................................................... vii TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................. viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW ................................... 1 Rhetoric, Sport, and Queering Athleticism ............................................................ 1 Sport, Gender, and Queer/Theory .................................................................... 7 Rhetoric, Gender and Sport .............................................................................. 9 Towards a Queer Understanding of Sport ........................................................ 15 Chapter Outlines .................................................................................................... 26 Chapter II: Outsports ........................................................................................ 27 Chapter III: Quidditch ...................................................................................... 28 Chapter IV: Johnny Weir .................................................................................. 31 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 32 CHAPTER II CHALLENGING GENDER IN SPORT JOURNALISM: A NARRATIVE ANALYSIS OF OUTSPORTS TOP 25 MOST-READ ARTICLES OF 2017 ............................................................................................................................. 34 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 34 De/constructing Identity in Sport Media ................................................................ 37 A Narrative Analysis of Outsports ........................................................................ 44 Coming Out as an LGBTQ Athlete, or the Authentic Identity Narrative