Resumen de Dropping Hierarchies: Toward the Study of a Contemporary Sporting Avant-Garde
In this paper I propose the avant-garde as an as yet undeveloped metaphor for sport studies. I examine the sport-as-drama metaphor that is rampant in popular, personal, and scholarly discourse. I argue that the exclusive use of the sport-as-drama metaphor limits research avenues, recreates unexamined assumptions, and perpetuates scholarly hierarchy and privileging. I suggest that the use of a sport-as-avant-garde metaphor more aptly encompasses the material sport scholars study and that its use may serve to decenter the researcher, allowing her or him entry into dialogue with sport participants. Following this thesis, I demonstrate how the avant-garde may be used as a metaphor for the study of sport, using specific examples from the media.
