The Commodification of Volleyball

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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 terms of media attention. To achieve this step the sport has undergone various changes in factors including: voyeurism, hegemony, symbolic glorification, using sport as a product, socialisation and the agents of socialisation. The first ‘sub step’ beach volleyball took to achieve its higher social status was its use as a product.

Beach volleyball would not be where it is today socially, without the implement of commodification or the act of making it a product. Beach volleyball has become subject to the familiar term ‘sex sells’. The women that play beach volleyball have to wear bikinis and they have to posses a level of attractiveness. This is mainly used to attract a greater audience; a high percent of that audience is male. Also, there are specifications in place for the women to have a minimum waist band width. The creators of this game have used exploitation or ‘sex-ploitation’ to enhance the media coverage of volleyball, but do these changes of volleyball for a media spectacle detract from th...

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...nd unpopular sports use this message to promote it’s status and to gain a larger audience; beach volleyball is a prime example.

It has used factors of change such as: voyeurism, hegemony, symbolic glorification, commodification, socialisation and the agents of socialisation to promote a larger audience and excel its status amongst the sporting community. The intent of this essay was to examine the sport of beach volleyball and explain why the individuals, and the sport itself, have evolved throughout the years. This essay has successfully outlined how and why volleyball has undergone a dramatic change into beach volleyball and its positive step forward in the sporting hierarchy. It has overthrown the male hegemonic dominance seen in most sports, gained a much larger media attention and has climbed the ranks in the sporting community; and it's only itself to thank.

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