1 janv. 2011 - A Skate Park in the Pentagon's Likeness: Militarism, Hegemony, and Skateboarding on the Web.

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By Lawrence Nichols
In International Journal of Sport & Society, Vol. 2, Issue 1, pages 17-28

Abstract: The alternative sport of skateboarding has its roots in southern California, but since the 1960s it has spread across the U.S. The act of skateboarding carries certain connotations, namely that it is creative, individual, underground and rebellious; it also shirks the rules and routines of traditional sport. The popular skate website theberrics.com reflects a different set of values, however. Since 2007, the site has espoused a dominant ideology that calls for skateboarding to be competitive and organized like the rest of sport culture. The website is composed of vignettes that feature skateboarders performing tricks or besting each other in a segment known as "Battle at the Berrics." Instead of reflecting a bottomup understanding of skateboarding, which is nonconformist, the owners decided to play up elements seen more commonly in contests like the X-Games. While these values are imposed, the website also allows fans around the world to submit text messages and videos of themselves skating. Because these messages sometimes clash with the rule-laden interpretation of skateboarding, theberrics.com represents a space of negotiation between two interests. I argue that the Berrics represents a dominant force, and I use textual analysis to explain how its militarist messages conflict with a grassroots understanding of skateboarding.

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