Gender and genre in sports documentaries : critical essays / edited by Zachary Ingle, David M. Sutera.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Includes filmography.

"A few brief moments": Truth and image in sports documentaries / Cynthia Fuchs -- The wrestling road diaries: the crossroads of bourgeois and popular aesthetics / Shane Toepfer -- Murderball: hyper-capitalism and the ethics of narrative forms in life writing / Soumitra Ghosh -- History and performance in Spike's sports docs: Jim Brown: All-American and Kobe doin' work / Zachary Ingle -- Senna: stylistic and technological developments in documentary filmmaking / Patrick Terry -- "The best storyteller of them all": constructions of masculinity and authenticity in Wrestling with shadows and Beyond the mat / Dan Ward -- Manhood in a bottle: truth and image in sports documentaries / Sanjukta Ghosh -- Out and proud: the brave new world of gay, lesbian, and transsexual sports documentaries / Sarah Boslaugh -- Battle gaming: documentaries, social media, and sports on the margins / Jeffrey A. Sartain -- Role models and regular people: cultures of hegemony in the world of Murderball / Matthew A. McNiece -- The death of Kayfabe: looking behind the curtain in Wrestling with shadows / Keith Corson.

"Nonfiction films about sports have been around for decades, but the previously neglected subgenre of the documentary has become increasingly popular in the last several years. Despite such recent successes as Senna, Undefeated, and ESPN's 30 for 30 series, however, few scholarly articles have been published on these works. In Gender and Genre in Sports Documentaries, editors Zachary Ingle and David M. Sutera have assembled essays that examine the various aspects of this art form. Some address questions of gender and sexuality, specifically how masculinity and homosexuality are represented in sports documentaries. Others focus on the characteristics of these films, exploring aspects of aesthetics and narrative. In addition to chapters on basketball, football, baseball, boxing, tennis, and auto racing, this collection features marginalized sports like quad rugby, pro wrestling, live action role playing (LARPing), and bodybuilding. Some of the films described will be familiar to readers, such as Murderball and Bigger Stronger Faster; others are less well-known yet important works worthy of scrutiny. Questions about gender, sexuality, and masculinity remain hot topics in sports discourse and this collection tackles those subjects, making Gender and Genre in Sports Documentaries an intriguing read for scholars, students, and the general public alike."--Publisher's website.