Primacy of performance: superman not superathlete

Although Nazi ideologues saw the well-muscled male body as a symbol of racial vigour, they did not include the high-performance athlete in the pantheon of genuine Nazi heroes. First, the elite athlete was not directly relevant to economic productivity. Second, the collectivistic ethos of this totali...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of the history of sport 1999-06, Vol.16 (2), p.69-85
Main Author: Hoberman, John
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Athletes
Civil Defense - education
Civil Defense - history
Fascism
Germany
Germany - ethnology
Hierarchy, Social - history
History of medicine
History, 20th Century
Human Body
Human Characteristics
Masculinity
Masculinity - history
Men's Health - ethnology
Men's Health - history
National Socialism - history
Nazism
Physical Education and Training - history
Racism
Social Control Policies - history
Sports
Temperament
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Summary:Although Nazi ideologues saw the well-muscled male body as a symbol of racial vigour, they did not include the high-performance athlete in the pantheon of genuine Nazi heroes. First, the elite athlete was not directly relevant to economic productivity. Second, the collectivistic ethos of this totalitarian society discouraged the exaltation of elite athletes except as they reflected indirectly the greater glory of the state. Third, Nazi racial doctrine conceded certain kinds of physical superiority to black athletes, thereby diminishing the importance of this type of human performance in the eyes of convinced racists. Most importantly, the Nazis regarded the warrior as the primary and incomparable male hero and saw athletes as deficient versions of the men who made war on behalf of the Fatherland. (Original abstract)
ISSN:0952-3367
1743-9035
DOI:10.1080/09523369908714071