Dissertation
Sport on display: statues, stadiums, and the mythology of Los Angeles
University of Iowa
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
Spring 2025
DOI: 10.25820/etd.007831
Abstract
This dissertation examines the roles of sporting statuary in cultivating memory and cultural identity, shaping how we understand space and place through four Los Angeles sports stadiums: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Dodger Stadium, Rose Bowl Stadium, and Staples Center. I investigate the artistic designs and representations of these athletes, how the politics of these depictions shape commemorative landscapes, and how these statues ultimately reflect the identities and aims of the corporations, stadiums, and cities they represent. I scrutinize the various forces involved in how these statues are built, how the decisions of design and placement are made, who funds these commemorative works, and who stands to benefit from these bronzed representations. This project includes interviews that I conducted with three sculptors who sculpted many of the statues at the Staples Center and Dodger Stadium to better understand the role of the artists and their visions in these commemorative works. I unpack the myriad ways that these decisions ultimately help shape the cultures of these stadiums as well as the sporting culture of Los Angeles as a whole. I argue that these statues tell more complex stories about the people and sports they depict, the locations where they are situated, and about Los Angeles more generally. These statues are crafted to tell definitive stories, ones that often favor simplified narratives of sport, uncomplicated views of stadium spaces, and reinforce dominant ideologies of race and gender in sport. This project cultivates new explorations into sport commemoration by examining the broader cultural roles and impacts of sport statues in the larger place-making projects at sport stadiums throughout Los Angeles.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Sport on display: statues, stadiums, and the mythology of Los Angeles
- Creators
- Ashley Loup
- Contributors
- Travis Vogan (Advisor)Thomas Oates (Committee Member)Naomi Greyser (Committee Member)Jennifer Sterling (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- American Studies
- Date degree season
- Spring 2025
- DOI
- 10.25820/etd.007831
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- Number of pages
- xii, 239 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2025 Ashley Loup
- Language
- English
- Date submitted
- 04/25/2025
- Description illustrations
- illustrations (chiefly color), maps
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 187-239).
- Public Abstract (ETD)
- This dissertation examines the visual representations, cultural impacts, and commercial influence of public sport statues at four sports stadiums in Los Angeles: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Dodger Stadium, Rose Bowl Stadium, and Staples Center. Sport statues generally depict well known athletic figures, sculpted in bronze and frozen in memorable sporting moments. I argue that these statues are not as apolitical as they might seem to a fan or casual viewer. Rather, I argue that the artistic designs and representations of these athletes work to share specific narratives about these stadiums, the city of Los Angeles, and about the corporate entities who help fund their creation. I examine the various forces involved in creating these sport statues from the selection of the sculptor to the design and placement process, to the funding of the artworks, to who stands to benefit from the representations of these athletes. This project includes interviews that I conducted with three sculptors who sculpted many of the statues at the Staples Center and Dodger Stadium. These conversations offer insights into the sport statue process, from commission to unveiling, and showcase the role of the artists and their visions in the artworks. In this dissertation, I scrutinize institutional records, local government documents, and the popular news coverage of these statues to get a better understanding of the broader impact of these public statues. This project cultivates new explorations into sport commemoration by looking at the broader cultural influences of sport statues in the larger identity forming projects at sport stadiums throughout Los Angeles.
- Academic Unit
- American Studies
- Record Identifier
- 9984831022202771
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