Doing the heavy lifting: A qualitative study of athletes’ experiences of community, identity, and (dis)identification in CrossFit

Community is a concept that has long been researched by scholars in a variety of disciplines. However, when turning to interpersonal communication literature as a guide for better understanding community-related issues, it is evident that the field lacks theory about what community is and how interpersonal communication processes impact community experiences. Moreover, despite decades of literature articulating how social situations influence personal identity, scant research specifically addresses the role of identity and (dis)identification in community experiences. To address these gaps in literature, this study explored experiences of community in CrossFit, a divisive group exercise regimen that identifies “community” and “inclusion” as central parts of the experience. Through 50 one-on-one interviews with current and former CrossFit athletes and more than 100 hours of fieldwork in two CrossFit gyms in the United States, this study explores (a) how athletes experience (or not) community in CrossFit, (b) the interpersonal processes that facilitate (dis)identification with community in CrossFit, and (c) how athletes manage disidentification in CrossFit. The findings forward a model of community in CrossFit that situates community as a relational process constituted in communication along practical, personal, interpersonal, political, and spatial dimensions. In addition, the findings underscore that interpersonal communication is the vehicle through which community is initiated, sustained, and terminated. This investigation highlights the importance of intentionally cultivating community experiences; in the absence of intentional facilitation, individuals are left on their own to seek out and provide affirming interactions with others. This study challenges current conceptualizations of community which largely ignore the role of interpersonal communication in community interactions. Finally, this study underscores the ways in which CrossFit communities can, at times, be inhospitable for affirming experiences of community, especially for people with marginalized identities. The study provides both theoretical and practical contributions about experiences of community in a group exercise context.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Communication

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Makos, Shana

Contributors dc:contributor

• Thompson, Charee M
• Barley, William C
• Bigman-Galimore, Cabral
• Koven, Michèle

• Community
• Identity
• Social Identity Theory
• Identification
• Disidentification
• Interpersonal Communication
• Crossfit
• Sport
• Fitness
• Inclusion
• Exclusion
• Communication

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2024 Shana Makos

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/124190

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F124190