Episode 45: Racialized Nationalism and Hegemonic Masculinity in Swimming with Matt Hodler

In the third instalment of swimming week here on the pod, Johanna and Derek are joined by Matt Hodler, Assistant Professor of Sports Media & Communications at the University of Rhode Island and former D1 swimmer at the University of Miami (Ohio), to discuss racialized nationalism in swimming, representations of hegemonic masculinity in cultural images and discourses surrounding Michael Phelps, and, as always, even a little bit of “amateurism” in college athletics. The first part of this wide-ranging interview focuses on Matt’s recent work on racialized nationalism within the sport before we shift our attention to his work on representations of Michael Phelps. Then we get Matt’s thoughts on amateurism in swimming and how the sport may be an important part of the brilliant labor mobilization taking place in the athletic world.

Matt Hodler is an Assistant Professor of Sports Media & Communications in the Harrington School of Communication and Media at the University of Rhode Island. As a sport scholar, his wide-ranging research interests include racialized nationalism, gender, the Olympics and international sport structures, mediated representations of sport, internet memes, and swimming. He was also a D1 swimmer at the University of Miami (Ohio).  

You can follow Matt on Twitter and check out Matt’s work here:

“Real Men Stand for Our Nation”: Constructions of an American Nation and Anti-Kaepernick Memes in the Journal of Sport and Social Issues

The $100-Million Dollar Man: Michael Phelps, the Olympic System, and USA Swimming’s Shifts in “Eligibility” in Sports History Review

“The Mother of All Comebacks”: A Critical Analysis of the Fitspirational Comeback Narrative of Dara Torres in Communication & Sport

For a transcription of this episode, please click here. (Credit @punkademic)

After listening to the episode, check out our most recent pieces:

“Red-Scare Rhetoric Isn’t Gone From Histories of American Sport” in Jacobin Magazine

"Canceling the College-Football Season Isn't Enough" published in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

“'We are being gaslit': College football and Covid-19 are imperiling athletes” in The Guardian

“Canceling the college football season is about union busting, not health” also in The Guardian

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@Derekcrim

@JohannaMellis

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@EndofSportPod