Vol. 2025 No. 1 (2025)
Articles

Analysis of the self-presentation of marathon 'show-offs'

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  • Yunyi Zhang,
  • George Evans,
  • Julie Martin
Yunyi Zhang
China International E-Commerce Corporation, No. 11, Ronghua Middle Road, Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, Beijing, 102600, China
George Evans
University of Pennsylvania, 3451 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
Julie Martin
University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
cover image

Published 10-01-2025

Keywords

  • Marathon,
  • Show-offs,
  • Self-presentation,
  • Goffman's Dramaturgy Theory

Copyright (c) 2025 Cambridge Sport Science

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

[1]
Y. Zhang, G. Evans, and J. Martin, “Analysis of the self-presentation of marathon ’show-offs’”, Camb. Sport Sci., vol. 2025, no. 1, pp. 5–12, Jan. 2025, doi: 10.62852/css/2025/127.

Abstract

 In recent years, marathon events in China have experienced explosive growth, but numerous issues have also arisen during the organization of these events. The term "marathon show-offs," borrowed from internet slang, is used by the author to describe participants who, driven by a mentality of blind conformity and self-aggrandizement, engage in marathon races to showcase themselves in a "unique" manner ("appearance" and "behavior") on the marathon course. Employing documentary research and logical analysis methods from the perspective of Goffman's "Dramaturgy Theory," the author attempts to interpret the problems emerging in the nationwide "marathon craze" from the viewpoint of participants who are "showing off" their marathon participation. The conclusion reached is that many characteristics of the marathon course align with the display platform of "show-offs"; during the competition, the excessive flaunting and self-presentation by "show-offs" neglect the essence of marathon racing. It is worth reflecting that a significant number of marathon participants with a "show-off" mentality have, to a certain extent, contributed to many of the problems encountered in the process of marathon competitions.

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