Essay The Commodification of Volleyball - 800 Words

The popularity of Volleyball has increased dramatically over past years. This is a result of commodification. Commodification is the process of turning something into a commodity that can be bought and sold. Over the past 20 years, Volleyball has evolved from a simple, fun and recreational sport to a more appealing, more sexualized version, beach volleyball. As a result of this evolution, beach volleyball has received a vast improvement in popularity, especially amongst a male audience. The intent of this essay is to examine the sport of beach volleyball and explain why the individuals, and the sport itself, have evolved throughout the years. Volleyball’s transformation into beach volleyball is a positive step forward for the sport in†¦show more content†¦This is exactly what has happened to the sport. Males are the largest consumers of sport and are therefore the target audience. It is doubted that the stereotypical male watches women’s beach volleyball for t he sport itself, they prefer to ‘watch the players’. Women’s beach volleyball has attracted a great deal of male interest purely because of the fact the women are wearing revealing clothes. The media coverage that beach volleyball has achieved detracts from the main spectacle and focuses on the sexual aspect of the game. This can also be a positive point as it has overthrown the male hegemonic dominance within the sport. The sexual nature of women’s beach volleyball has ceased the male hegemonic dominance of the sport. Now that the ‘sex-ploited’ version of volleyball has grabbed a greater audience, it is mainly focussed on the female players. The male competition is does not draw as much attention as the female one. As much as the uniforms appeal to a greater audience, beach volleyball glorifies a more sexually attractive body, in both males and females, than one that is ‘not’. Beach volleyball requires its players to have a symbolically glorified body type, usually that of an attractive build, in order for them to participate in the sport, this however posses a problem for the women and men that are considered unattractive or do not align with the symbolic body image. Beach volleyball glorifies an attractive body to participate in the game. The aimShow MoreRelatedThe Impact Of Social Status On Sports And Physical Activity1362 Words   |  6 Pagesthat women are able to now have the opportunity to be involved in sports, but on the other hand there are new added pressures and stereotypes that are applied to female athletes that must be faced on a daily basis especially in the sport of beach volleyball. As female sports increases in recognition, large organizations have begun marketing female athletes in a more provocative manner. Some advertisement firms believe that any media attention a female athlete can get will benefit the sport overall