How extreme is the extreme? On the multifaceted identity construction in extreme sportsL’ethos ou la construction de l’identité dans le discours

Abstract

This paper analyses the versatile forms of identity constituted and pursued among people engaged in extreme sports. We tend to assume that these sports are very individualistic and that those taking part in them are probably countercultural romantics going against the mainstream. However, engaging in these lifestyles also brings forth a sense of collective identity (in slang, fashion, music, etc.) and accelerated commercialism. The main focus of this paper is to explore the tension emerging as a result of the dialogical relationship between pursuing a distinct identity through engaging in extreme sports and the consumerist and hence, collective aspect of these sports. The paper analyses the different identities represented in action/extreme sports movies on the one hand, the identities that the people who consume these movies and representations associated with the other, and finally, the identity of people engaged in these sports. This brings forth a triangulation of relations; the mainstream, commercialized depiction of extreme sports, the counterculture that it tries to portray, and the identities shaped through the unique experiences of those engaged in these sports.