ABSTRACT
The commercialization and commodification of elite level sport has contributed to an increased focus on the celebrity athlete as a site for examining the ways in which the media frame various narratives. This chapter provides an overview of the subject and considers the development of research concerned with the cultural politics of sporting celebrity. In addition to this overview, the analysis is extended to focus on style as a subject that has received little attention to date. Here, we see the celebrity athlete transcending boundaries and moving beyond the sports pages to become increasingly visible in other areas of popular culture. The complex interplay of a range of identity markers shapes the (re)presentation of these individuals as they become symbols of something much more than their performances as athletes.
