Non-Western Sport: The Battle Between Cultural Values and Commodification

Abstract

The anthropology of sport is a topic that typically focuses on the cultural value that sport takes in a respective society. As an athlete in a low-budget but high cost sport, I have always found the concept of commodifying sport to be an unfamiliar one. I have never played on a basketball or football team. I could never imagine what it was like to receive the kind of funding and attention that comes with being a part of that team either. To me, as an American student-athlete, that lifestyle is the dream. I have been bred to think that I should want to be that person. In this thesis, I explore the other side of that coin. The thought process of non-Western societies as they push back against this idea of a commodified sport. The value that they see in sport is more deeply rooted, they see cultural value in the activity itself and not dollar signs and fame that may accompany it. This paper analyzes the parallels that exist amongst these non-Western countries engaging in Western sports, and the commonalities that might help to explain what differentiates the thought process and value system of non-Western societies from their Western counterparts.