Question 11- Two texts + Ad

My topic for the semester was about how sports stars are portrayed in advertisements, and the cultural meaning behind that. I found another advertisement that features Quarterback Brett Favre, which displays him as an ”everyman”, a topic I discussed heavily in my papers. Brett is shown sitting on a pickup truck with Wrangler jeans along with other “redneck” sort of imagery around him, including the setting and other textual elements.

One reading that I believe relates to this particular advertisement is the Schor reading “The New Politics of Consumption.” Schor describes how “new consumerism” is jeopardizing the quality of American life (186). In the image, Favre appears to be content with his imagined signifiers of social status. The only reference to his football career is his jersey number by his signature. It portrays him as this everyday man with a pickup truck and Labrador retriever which appears to go against the concepts Schor describes. This is important because it creates a valid argument to the ideas that Schor presents. The ad signifies that there are people who are not aspiring to be this millionaire who lives in a big city and goes shopping at expensive places, and that directly responds to Schor’s article.

Another reading by Stabile, “Nike, Social Responsibility, and the Hidden Abode,” also presents another interesting look at the Brett Favre advertisement. Stabile describes how a sports company creates this “just do it” campaign, and that any aspiring athlete can be just like an NBA player (200). The ad with Favre could be seen as signifying that any white male living in the “country” can be a superstar quarterback, granted they know Favre is an NFL quarterback. Just like the imagery that Stabile talks about regarding NBA players.

The two articles combine in the idea that you do not need to be a certain social class or setting to make it big. The ad goes against consumerism but promotes the fact that an average Joe is capable of social class leaps through sport.