Disability and Sport: Hypermasculinity Explored
Whether you prefer "the Blade Runner", "the Man Without Legs", "the Fastest Man on No Legs" or Oscar Pistorius, this young man 's story will serve as a case study of mainstreaming in 'disability sports ', specifically in the film Murderball. Pistorius is a 21-year-old South African below the knee amputee who won gold in the 100, 200 and 400 meter events at the 2006 Paralympic Athletics World Championships. Pistorius was regarded as being fast enough to earn a spot for the 200- and 400-meter sprints on South Africa’s Olympic team. Pistorius asked to be allowed to run in the Olympics if he would qualify for his country 's Olympic team. The world governing body for track and field (IAAF) ruled on 14 January 2008 – invoking its rule 144.2 which deals with technical aids – “that double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius is ineligible to compete in the Beijing Olympics because his prosthetic racing legs give him a clear competitive advantage” (IAAF, 2008). The story of Pistorius well serve as the example of attempted mainstreaming of disability in sports, on the elite international front. Does the film Muderball make progress in mainstreaming disability through sport? The merits of the film will be analyzed through the lens of the relationship sport and disability, as well as its connotations for mainstreaming in disability. Murderball presents a unique opportunity to reflect on representations of disability in the contemporary North American context. The narrative of the film constructs a rugby wheelchair rivalry between Team U.S.A., captained by Mark Zupan, and Team Canada, coached by Joe Soars. Murderball does exceptionally well in muddling the notions of people with disabilities as fragile and helpless, countering ableist assumptions about what persons with quadriplegia can accomplish. However, based on a close reading of the film, it is suggested that Murderball accomplishes this disruption through the celebration of ableist, sexist and heterosexist tropes. The
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