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Judging Jack: Rethinking Historical Agency and the Sport Hero

Kohe, Geoff (2014) Judging Jack: Rethinking Historical Agency and the Sport Hero. Sport History Review, 45 (2). pp. 200-219. ISSN 1543-2947. (doi:10.1123/shr.2012-0022) (KAR id:66754)

Abstract

One aspect of the dizzying (aesthetic, cultural, linguistic, visual, and post-modern) "turns" Sport history has taken in recent times has been the revision/deconstruction of sporting heroes and demystification of historical narratives. This, in turn, has attended to larger historical concerns about the centrality of agents and agency in narrative making. Encouraged by these directions, this paper reconsiders the primacy afforded agents and their agency within national Olympic history creation. I examine revered 1930s track athlete Jack Lovelock who features predominantly within New Zealand's Olympic history. The paper aims to prompt contemplation about sport heroes. In particular, I argue sport historians should continue to decentre sport figures and bring alternate meanings, interpretations, and renderings of agents to the fore.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1123/shr.2012-0022
Uncontrolled keywords: sporting heroes, sport history, Jack Lovelock, New Zealand, Olympics, Olympic history
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Natural Sciences > Sport and Exercise Sciences
Depositing User: Geoffery Kohe
Date Deposited: 18 Apr 2018 09:30 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Feb 2021 13:54 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/66754 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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