| This dissertation examines some of the ways in which presidential rhetoric about sport and athleticism has functioned historically to constitute both our ideals of citizenship and the presidency itself. Because sport and physicality have become rhetorically linked to modern notions of what it means to be "presidential," modern presidents deploy rhetorics of sport and sports fandom to help define civic virtue and the ideal citizen. They also use rhetorics of sport to advance their own political identity and policy agendas. Understanding the different ways in which presidents and presidential candidates have rhetorically engaged sport helps illuminate both the gendered nature of presidential character and our understanding of how ideas about "good citizenship" are constituted. Through four case studies, I illustrate how presidents (or, in one case, a presidential candidate) have used rhetorics of sport and physicality to define or bolster their own image, promote core American values and particular conceptions of citizenship, and advance political or policy agendas. |
