TY - JOUR
T1 - Taegeuk Warriors with Blue Eyes
T2 - A Media Discourse Analysis of the South Korean Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey Team and Its Naturalized Athletes
AU - Shin, Na Ri
AU - Park, Doo Jae
AU - Peachey, Jon Welty
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2020.
PY - 2022/12
Y1 - 2022/12
N2 - This study examines media discourses of the naturalized athletes of the South Korean men’s national ice hockey team. Building on the conceptual frameworks of imagined community, ethnic nationalism, and previous studies on athlete migration and naturalization, we further an understanding of the process of deconstruction and reconstruction of South Korean ethnic and national identity. We use Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis to explore how South Korean media legitimized the naturalization of foreign athletes without Korean ancestry and suggest three themes found from the discourses. First, the discourses highlighted the significance of the South Korean team’s Olympic success, which provided a legitimate reason for the recruitment of foreign athletes. Second, the naturalized athletes were described as “saviors” who possessed superior careers, physicality, and playing skills. Lastly, the media complimented the naturalized athletes’ acculturation to Korean culture by emphasizing their commitment to the nation. We argue that by forming and distributing discourses that favored the naturalization of athletes, Koreans have expanded the boundary of Koreanness. We discuss, then, the expansion of Koreanness in relation to the notion of flexible citizenship in the era of neoliberal globalization.
AB - This study examines media discourses of the naturalized athletes of the South Korean men’s national ice hockey team. Building on the conceptual frameworks of imagined community, ethnic nationalism, and previous studies on athlete migration and naturalization, we further an understanding of the process of deconstruction and reconstruction of South Korean ethnic and national identity. We use Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis to explore how South Korean media legitimized the naturalization of foreign athletes without Korean ancestry and suggest three themes found from the discourses. First, the discourses highlighted the significance of the South Korean team’s Olympic success, which provided a legitimate reason for the recruitment of foreign athletes. Second, the naturalized athletes were described as “saviors” who possessed superior careers, physicality, and playing skills. Lastly, the media complimented the naturalized athletes’ acculturation to Korean culture by emphasizing their commitment to the nation. We argue that by forming and distributing discourses that favored the naturalization of athletes, Koreans have expanded the boundary of Koreanness. We discuss, then, the expansion of Koreanness in relation to the notion of flexible citizenship in the era of neoliberal globalization.
KW - South Korea
KW - athlete migration
KW - athlete naturalization
KW - ethnic nationalism
KW - media discourse analysis
KW - sporting nationalism
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85090823177&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/2167479520958402
DO - 10.1177/2167479520958402
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85090823177
SN - 2167-4795
VL - 10
SP - 1134
EP - 1164
JO - Communication and Sport
JF - Communication and Sport
IS - 6
ER -