Do Sports Promote Masculinity And Violence?

Sports have been a large part of society throughout history. They have brought out happiness, joy, hard work, determination, and teamwork in the individuals that have participated in them. However, there have been negatives involved with sports throughout history also, including gender roles, which are defined as the public image of being a particular gender that a person presents to others. These roles have been created by society and passed down from generation to generation, informing one another of false beliefs that say that one gender, usually males, are better than females. In sports, these often say that women have significantly lower performance levels, show less drive and that women see competition as unnecessary. In reviewing the initial beliefs and problems before Title IX, the role of Title IX, the problems still existing today, and the modern movement, it is seen that progress has been made, but also that there is also more to do.

High school, the best years of your life with everyday shaping and molding you from a feminine boy to becoming a respectable masculine adult, in truth its surviving everyday without being called a fag. In C.J. Pascoe’s ethnography she examines the dynamics of masculinity carefully exploring gender conformity that’s extracted from a collection of humiliations, fears and anxieties among high school boys. Within the eighteen months that Pascoe tediously studied the students of River High, she opened my mind to reminisce about my high school years. From the pep rallies in the gym to the weight room discussions, however, Pascoe’s research expressed a deeper meaning to the formation of gender

1. In “Many Boys Today Define Masculinity Negatively”, the author Leonard Sax writes about how the meaning of masculinity has become redefined in a negative way. Sax states that the phrase “Be a man!” didn’t always mean to not be feminine, the phrase originally meant to be courteous, respectful, and competent. The original intention of this phrase to have boys emulate the wholesome family men in popular culture but in recent years the men portrayed in pop culture have become less principled. This change in role models has led masculinity to be seen as a negative aspect in society today. Sax believes that the best solution for this issue is to give young boys the guidance they need by connecting them with gentlemen from past generations who actually learned what it meant to be a man.

Many people regard football as the most violent sport a person can play. Masculinity is often seen in football and players are always trying to prove their dominance over one another. The violence that people see in football is attractive to many and they love to see a receiver come across the middle and get “lit up” by the linebacker. The vicious hits that the fans love so much are also the cause of pain for the players who are the ones getting hit.

Cultural attitudes towards masculinity have transformed in recent years. Boys are taught the “values” of this attitude early on and it is reinforced throughout their lives. As a result of these changes, the pressure to display and assert one’s masculinity has been amplified. The “traditional” definition of masculinity requires males to establish homophobic attitudes, be clean shaven anywhere below the neck (much like women) and have rippling muscles. These expectations can greatly affect a boy’s self-esteem and well-being as he is growing up in a society that is increasingly obsessing over the concept of the “ideal man.”

A Football player named Colin Kaepernick is the quarterback for the San Francisco 49er’s he is protesting racial injustice by not standing for the National Anthem.In August, National Football League (NFL) quarterback Colin Kaepernick began refusing to stand for the national anthem. Many people spoke out against the San Francisco 49ers player for his action. In the midst of a divisive election year, an important discussion about race class and violence in this country was almost abandoned by the news media.Then something surprising happened. Many in the sports world supported Kaepernick and his right to protest. Many did so even as they continued to stand with their hands over their hearts for The Star-Spangled Banner.

A sport is an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. Sports originated in early history as males only, and was often used to see which male was more dominant. In today’s society sports have a different meaning and is played by both genders, but still holds a mentality of superiority. In this essay, I will be arguing the Social Constructs of Masculinity in Sports in the language and the actions used when performing these activities through both genders and how some actions are acceptable for one gender and not for the other. Using Laurel Richardson’s article Gender Stereotyping in the English Language, and X: A Fabulous Child’s Story by Lois Gould. The article and story will help distinguish the use of words in our society and how they are incorporated in sport and how the actions of a person that does not fit the social standard faces repercussions for their actions.

Many cases of athletes committing sexual assault have been present in the media, especially throughout the past 5 years. For example, Steubenville High School football in 2012, Vanderbilt football in 2013, and a Florida State athlete in 2014. Sports team members make up less than two percent of most campus populations, but the comprise about 20.2 percent of the men involved in sexual assault or attempted sexual assault (Flood & Dyson). These cases and statistics raise the question, Is sport culture negatively affecting athletes to commit acts of rape and violence? To discover the answer to that question it is important to analyze several sources that psychoanalyze both athletes and

Growing up, I lived the life of grass stained knees and an almost perpetually sweaty face. I will never be ashamed of the fact that I have been and always will be a tomboy through and through. If I wasn’t getting dirty at my local baseball field being that my Father was the president of the Pony League then I was finding trouble at the football fields of my local Pop Warner, because as you may have guessed my Father was the president of that too. As you can see my family had their hands full and I can’t help it if boys and sports raised me. Being that boys constantly surrounded me, I saw first hand the struggle of the emotional divide between yearning for both connection and independence. Boys want affection and understanding but at the same time are afraid of the stigma they may receive from both their peers and even their mentors.

Violence, a normality factor of today’s society, is also an item in certain jurisdictions that is unequally penalized. Violent crime accounts for 63.6 percent of crime reported and makes up an estimated 1.1 to 1.2 million crime according to the FBI 2015 uniform crime report. Violent crime also accounts for 11,205,833 arrests. Despite violence as an act of defense, there is a possibility that violent sports are related to violent crimes and domestic violence. Professional sports teams continue to be the talk of media and there has been more emphasis on the violent crimes that continue to occur in professional sports, specifically in the National Football League (NFL). Professional athletes who commit violent crimes are not held to the same

As a boy grows into a man he faces the ever-raising mountain of masculinity. In regards to the occurrence, he finally reaches maturity he has no choice but in order to fight to retain his measly sense of manhood. He is not allowed to act feminine or else he’s not man enough, he can’t show his emotions, he has to hide that he can do anything a woman can do sans give birth. Boys grow up being told they are not allowed to cry and that they are supposed to be tough, that they are not able to be like girls and in the event that they are then they are not real boys. This concept is known as toxic masculinity, some people are not aware that men are being forced to suppress their emotions or even that toxic masculinity should be a topic that is

“Be man! Real men don’t cry! What are you, a baby?” These are all the phrases that boys hear as they grow older and continue to be harassed by them well into adulthood. As we began to focus our attention to encouraging girls to strive to be the independent, intelligent, beautiful women they are, we lost the connection with grooming boys to be young gentlemen. Instead of teaching boys that how to cope with their anger, sadness, or confusion, we spent more time on prepping girls for the “big, bad world.” Now, I’m not saying that what we did for females was a bad thing, but it is unfortunate that we neglected the emotional and mental needs of young boys and men. In today’s society, violent and aggressive outbursts are more prevalent for males

When a baby is born, girls are wrapped in pink and boys are wrapped in blue. Boys play with trucks and girls play with dolls. Already straight away the children are shown the stereotypically ideology of how male and females are represented. This essay is about how hegemony is represented in sport aerobics. Hegemony is the subconscious dominance of one group over another powerless group in society. I.e.; Males view sports aerobics as being feminine in nature. This leads to our hypothesis which is how males see sports aerobics, which is usually very girly or the stereotypical gay. Females are seen as the subordinates in todays society and male are seen as the dominant. This essay is also going to suggest how to get sports aerobics to be accepted into our community at Nambour High School and how you will break down the social barriers of sports aerobics and to show how there can be less hegemony in schools. Thirty-six students from Nambour High were interviewed from grade 7-12 in this process to see who they think is more dominant and what they said if they were asked to participate in sports aerobics. This essay will challenge the stereotypical beliefs and participation in sport aerobics. Evidence will be provided to show how hegemony is in sports and how it can be stopped.

There are many positives that come from playing sports; most of the time sports are linked with violence and aggression. (Wann)(SV;SV). Fights and violence in sports has been on the rise as of lately. Players are being much more aggressive than ever before. “Some level of violence will always remain in sports” such as football, hockey, and rugby (“Violence Inevitable”). Sports such as these thrive off of violence and they must if they are to stay around. This violence has impacted sports from the players to the fans and has changed the way some sports are played. Fans are also getting much more rowdy. More security is needed at certain sporting events in order to keep the fans under control. The upping in security is due to new rules being

“Pro football is like nuclear warfare. There are no winners, only survivors. ~Frank Gifford, quoted in Sports Illustrated, 1960 July 4th .” (“The Garden Quotes.”) As a country that flourishes off of the demonstration of athletic rivalry, over the years the United States has turned out to be particularly crazed with sports. One game in which may represent this reality better than most professional sports is the intensive game of football, which remains at the very pinnacle of the American entertainment world today. Perhaps one of the greatest reasons the sport has been able to succeed so vastly from other sports is its violent nature, which attracts many fans looking for big hits. The violence of the game, especially on the college and professional level, has always been one of its main attractions. Nonetheless, it is now becoming apparent that it's very violent nature threatens the sport’s popularity today.