The Semiotics of Sport Heroism

Pascal Duret (1) , Marion Wolff (1)

1 INSEP - Institut national du sport, de l'expertise et de la performance

Semiological analysis helps to construct a theory of mechanisms by which sports champions are celebrated. The study of correlations between "heroism" and "performance" in marks of 21 champions given by "L'Equipe" readers, shows for narrative organisation: - the champion facing adversity - the champion unfairness - the account of the hero's quest - the champion who shed his blood to become greater. In any case, it is not the result, but the way of winning or losing which makes a hero.

Mots clés: champions; heroes; semiology; spectacle

Domaines: Sciences humaines, politiques et sociales du sport

Pascal Duret, Marion Wolff. The Semiotics of Sport Heroism. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 1994, 29 (2), pp.135-148. ⟨10.1177/101269029402900202⟩. ⟨hal-01758862⟩