Vulnerability and Exposure ― Footballer Scandals, Masculine Identity and Ethics

Vulnerability and Exposure presents a critical investigation of contemporary masculine team sports and football scandals, and their relationship with gendered cultures, institutions, and identity norms. Drawing on reports of 'Australian Rules' football off-field scandals, the book critically examines cases of sexual assault, illicit drug use, binge drinking, homophobia, violence, and other controversial behaviors that have become norms in the reporting of sports players' lives. Using a range of approaches to unpack some of the ways in which these scandals are produced and understood, and how they impact the reputations of players, clubs, and the game itself, the book identifies the cultural factors significant in the production of the contemporary footballer identity, and the ways in which these identities are constructed, performed, and reported. In utilizing scandal to develop ways in which off-field behavior in sport can be re-made as a relatively harmless event for women, bystanders, and players, this study develops an approach to ethics by showing that footballers are well-placed to see the vulnerability of others through their own vulnerability to injury, career breaks, and loss of reputation. (Series: UWAP Scholarly)