Sell-outs or Outsiders?: Co-optation and Resistance in Action Sport Subcultures

Sell-outs or Outsiders?: Co-optation and Resistance in Action Sport Subcultures Review

As consumerism becomes a way of life in contemporary society, cultural forms that hold values in opposition to consumerism and commercial success are pushed to the margins. Nowhere is this process more evident than within the world of sport. Previously alternative sports like skateboarding, snowboarding and BMX (bicycle motocross) that often included an anti-mainstream subcultural component are being rapidly co-opted by corporate culture producers and transformed into commercial entertainment events. This study of action sport participants and their responses to the commercialization of their activities indicates that the dichotomy in the sociological literature between co-optation and resistance may be artificial. While the commercialized forms of these activities reflect the values of mainstream sport, participants have had some success in preserving the original, authentic versions of skateboarding, snowboarding and BMX in a "parallel world" alongside the commercial version, suggesting that the co-optation of subcultural forms does not necessarily result in the death of the original version, nor their associated oppositional values.