- Maker: Santiago Diaz Finochietto
- Genre: Parody banner ad
- Level: Graduate
- Program: Composition, Rhetoric, and Digital Media
- Course: WRIT 5340: Studies in Multimodality and Digital Media
- Instructor: Dr. Eric Mason
- Semester Created: Fall 2024
Description
The idea behind this project was to elevate soccer as the “true football” and critically examine American football’s cultural dominance. Motivated by Craig Stroupe’s concept of “hacking the cool,” the banner parodies American football’s customs by appropriating the sports advertising genre. I used Adobe Photoshop to blend disparate images, with a Kansas City quarterback signifying American football’s emphasis on physicality and Jude Bellingham representing soccer’s elegance on a global scale. The criticism was strengthened by bold text, incisive captions, and a striking design that contrasted the sophistication of soccer with the disruptions and slower tempo of American football.
Reflection
The project was inspired by Bolter and Grusin’s remediation theory, which emphasizes how media repurposing generates new narratives (1999), as well as Stroupe’s idea of remixing genres to challenge dominant discourses (2003). The banner challenges cultural narratives that minimize soccer’s global significance by contrasting sports imagery and language.
Iterative refinement was key to the design process in order to strike a balance between satire and unambiguous messaging. I defied expectations by using biased language (“Real Football Reigns”) to critically engage audiences. Early drafts lacked enough tone contrast, even though the images successfully communicated the message. This piece demonstrates how visual media parody can subvert conventional wisdom and promote thought-provoking conversations about sports culture.
