The following task was set by Mr Rainsford to complete as part of our home learning and assessment grade for this half-term. I have been working on this task in some of my lessons where I have been time-tabled to work in the OLC, and I was spending time working on a question at a time here-and-there during my free periods. Whatever I didn't manage to finish off, I completed at home:
[1] How are English football and England fans represented in the image?
In the image, the England football player 'Wayne Rooney' is standing in a 'Christ-like' pose, topless, with blood-red paint drenched across his body in the shape of a cross. His facial expression is of an angry nature, and he looks as though he could be screaming out to a crowd. This display of aggression suggests that he acts in this manner when playing football, possibly towards his team-mates, the officials, or the crowd - an act that could make individuals feel uncomfortable, and may even seem startling to some. This sense of anger and fury being shown in the image is representing English football in a similar way, as it is suggesting that the players of the England football team act in a hostile way when they take part, perhaps reflecting the behaviour of the England fans also. What I mean by this, is that the way Wayne Rooney is positioned in the image implies that he is screaming out to the fans in the crowd, possibly in victory, and it suggests that the fans thrive off this energy and aggression, and that they too act in this way. However, some people could interpret this in a different way, and actually feel that a message of 'passion' is coming across here; they may feel as though the expression in Rooney's face is actually one of great emotion and a sense of 'fight' for the game, rather than signs of aggression and anger.
[2] Why do you think this advert was banned?
I believe that the image was banned due to the offensive messages that come across in it. First of all, Wayne Rooney is drenched in red paint, which some people could interpret as looking like 'blood', over his body. This could make many people feel uncomfortable, because blood has a connection with pain and suffering, suggesting this to be a part of the football world, and something that the England team brings to their opponents. I also think it was banned due to the religious messages that it displays, for example, Rooney is standing in a position that many would associate with the crucifixion of Christ, and this message of Christ's suffering and pain would cause a lot of hurt to Christian's. Another reason why I think this advert was banned is because of the offense in Rooney's body language and facial expression; he is positioned with his arms thrown out to the side, fists clenched, and looking as though he is screaming. This clearly suggests a sense of aggression, tension and fury, such things that are bound to make people feel very uncomfortable or even alarmed at this display. The England football team is supposed to bring joy, pride and honour to the nation, not a show of aggression and rage in the players. Not only does this set a bad example to perhaps a younger audience, who could start to follow this example, but it also represents the country in a bad light, perhaps suggesting that we condone this kind of behaviour.
[3] What ideologies are represented in this text? [consider issues surrounding masculinity; Englishness; footballers]
In the text, Rooney is displaying signs of aggression in his facial expressions and body language; this could represent footballers in a similar way, suggesting that they choose to behave aggressively during play. Furthermore, a sense of male dominance is shown through this, showing males to be authoritive and masculine figures; a sense of masculinity is illustrated through Rooney being topless, with a toned body, implying that men are fit and strong. Also, the aggression shown in Rooney's face could be seen to reflect the behaviour of a stereotypical English person, in the eyes of some. The reason I think this is because, Rooney is a role-model to many; a hero; the face of our England football team... Representing our country being part of his job title, he is seen to be an example of us all - he is supposed to show the world what English people act like and behave like. So when people across the world see this image of him in advertisement, many will wrongly assume that Rooney is mirroring the behaviour of stereotypical English man; hostile, aggressive, irresponsible, thug-like,
[4] Why did Nike select this image – what was their intention?
I think the primary intention of Nike in this advert, was to promote the England football team to the public and to get the team into people's thoughts and conversations; by doing this, people will be more likely to go into Nike stores and buy merchandise, because all of sudden, the thought of the England team becomes significant and interesting. Nike intended on motivating the public to support the England team, (either for an upcoming game or a tournament around that time), and their focus was to generate high levels of excitement and enthusiasm amongst the public; not only does this benefit the England team by gaining a sense of encouragement from fans, but the use of advertisement here benefits Nike also, as their company will be in people's thoughts too. By use of an England sporting hero, Wayne Rooney, Nike were able to catch many people's attention, drawing them towards the campaign, and raising numbers of interest and curiosity as to exactly what message the advert was trying to put across. The image was certainly controversial, which I believe Nike was using to its advantage, because anything that is controversial - especially advertisements - will get people talking, meaning that their advert becomes significant and meaningful.
