Narratives of Britishness and Team GB in the National Newspaper of Wales
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The spectacular success of Team GB in the London 2012 Olympic Games saw an extension of a popular celebration of Britishness. Drawing on an analysis of Olympic coverage in the Western Mail, self-styled national newspaper of Wales (papur cenedlaethol Cymru), this study explores the ways in which narratives of the nation are (re)presented in a particular locale. After a brief discussion of the opening ceremony, key events from the Games, including the staging of football matches in the capital city of Cardiff, the singing of “God Save the Queen” before football matches, and the medal successes of Welsh athletes, are used as cases to explore the multiple layers of national identities at play. The analysis highlights the complementary, complex, and at times contradictory interplay between Welsh and British identities within these narratives and explores the often fuzzy and sometimes hazy frontiers of identity.
Harris is with the Glasgow School for Business and Society, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, Scotland. Vincent is with the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL. Address author correspondence to John Harris at john.harris@gcu.ac.uk
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