Asian sporting masculinities in figure skating: media representations of Nathan Chen and Yuzuru Hanyu as rivals

In sport and media, figure skating is often perceived as ‘feminine’ male skaters frequently occupy an ambiguous position, especially for Asian (American) athletes in a historically White-dominated sport. Based on discourse analysis, this article compares how English- Japanese-language news narratives represent elite Nathan Chen Yuzuru Hanyu, who are close rivals skate the United States Japan respectively. We demonstrate English-language media reinforce (U.S.) nationalism by portraying ‘Quad King’ hypermasculine his athleticism ‘Ice Prince’ Hanyu feminized exceptional artistry. Despite being pitted against each other, we argue that Japanese narratives, their convivial rivalry sportsmanship reveal what call ‘Asian sporting masculinities’, alternative constructions of masculinities complicating monolithic stable understandings masculinity or congruous with West. This study advances critical cultural studies rethinking bodies.