Real Men Vs. Little Boys : The English Disease

The competitive nature of today's sports associations calls for athletes to be aggressive and forceful , both physically and mentally. This aggressive mentality stays with some athletes off the field, and may explain why so many athletes are committing violent crimes.

In the short story “Bloodsport” the reader is introduced to the man dominated sport of Cock fighting which is a popular sport where individuals use roosters to fight. It is illegal in many countries, but in the Philippines it is fully-legal. It has become a billion dollar industry and is considered a sport which takes place in 2,500 stadiums across the country. The gruesome sport kills an estimated 30 million roosters each year. There is a strong correlation between the sport and masculinity, which is key in understanding why individuals choose to partake in such a grim sport.

Soccer is a sport that many know and love. It has been globalized through the ages, and has brought many people enjoyment by watching, and playing the sport. While soccer has brought many people from around the world together, it has also driven a wedge between males and females in society. This sport is controversial for many reasons. It brings about controversy because of the fact that some people can clearly identify the separation of equitable treatment between the genders, while others are oblivious to this idea. Many people from around the world have joined in on this topic. This not only shows the connection of globalization to the gender inequalities, but it shows the link between

The fact that the football field is an all-male space connects it to patriarchy. It isn’t just about men dominating women, but also about men dominating other men. “We become adept at taking the feelings that boil up inside us-

Sometimes a rivalry can become intensely heated and it may become violent. In the sport of soccer one of the most anticipated matches of the year is none other than Real Madrid vs Barcelona. These two teams are great teams and are the sport’s biggest rivals. Before the match is played the media heats up the rivalry by reporting that the one team is trash talking or undervaluing the other team. At first it is taken lightly as just a publicity stunt but when the players overhear the news, they get over competitive. When the match is being played there is always physical fights between players and it gets out of hand. Not one of these rival matches has passed that a player doesn’t get ejected from the game. In conclusion, this proves how the media plays a large role on the player’s mentality when going into the game and can also cause them to behave in certain ways.

However, soccer sometimes has negative impacts on individuals taking part in the game as spectators or players. Soccer makes a number of individuals intolerant and this intolerance could cause disturbances to other participants in the game. Hooliganism is one of the most popular form of intolerance in the game of soccer where fans from the opposing sides in most instances get into physical confrontations resulting in injuries and in worse cases, deaths. An example was when Egypt faced Algeria in an African Nations Cup tournament where Algerian fans got down into the pitch and engaged the Egyptian fans in a physical fight which left several people dead. These physical fights are not only limited to the fans but the soccer players as well. Many instances have been reported of players getting into physical confrontations with the members of the opposing team (Huggins, 2007). This has resulted in the development of more stringent rules to reduce such incidences. This is evidence of how the popular culture that is soccer elicits emotions among the participant of the game.

As the nation’s gender inequality continues to diminish, things like sports stereotypes, and labour force conflict cannot be understood without understanding the term of identity. Identity work is explained by Schwalbe and Mason-Schrock in 1996 as “anything people do, individually or collectively, to give meaning to themselves or others” (as cited in Ezzell, 2009, p. 1). I propose to examine inequality based on gender identity and in depth the process of stereotype issues, - how people construct stereotypes in gender inequality in the context of sport- among women Rugby. The academic literatures are based on gender identity/ inequality, where it provides many examples of individuals deflecting the norms “by ... creat[ing] a unique identity as heterosexy-fit— simultaneously tough, heterosexual, and conventionally attractive” (Ezzell, 2009, p. 14). With the intention of deflecting/ creating an exception to these norms, it only creates greater issues as not only does society view them in a certain way, but also the player themselves. The overarching goal of the proposal is to address the social issue and understand why society to this date gives harsh views towards women’s rugby with a common stereotypical view. As an illustration the views were described by Ezzell (2009) who conducted a personal communication with some female rugby players who stated that other views them as: “scary, butch lesbians,” “she-males,” “he-shes,” “lesbian man-beasts,” and “butch,

Female respondents particularly had a negative view about playing football publicly as opposed to male respondents. A number, 4, representing 100% of the female respondents, disliked football as a sport in general, viewing it as dirty and violent. The male respondents on the other hand were more flexible on this, with 66.6% of the male respondents opposed to playing publicly. This was significant since these numbers included even the people who would play themselves. Male respondents are thus more likely to be tolerant of players than females are.

In the 19th century, sports were a common use of how men proved their manliness, masculinity and physical prowess as they displayed how they excelled in certain sports. In this paper, I will discuss how prize fighting and football in the 19th century were similar and different and how they showed their “manliness” during these sports. Although friends, families and fans were a big part of making these sports as popular as they are today, the sport itself played the biggest part in making these two sports as popular as they are are in today’s present society. The power, aggression, and passion for these sports are what makes fans love of the game.

This activity functions as a reaffirmation of their heterosexuality and masculinity. Being able to push one’s body past its mental and physical limits is associated with stoic masculinity and has been compared to a utilitarian, well oiled machine (Cherney & Lindemann). Athletes use sport as an outlet for aggression and competitiveness. Therefore, this population is often stereotyped. However, certain populations challenge this norm through alternative activities. For example, quadriplegic rugby and wheelchair basketball utilize daredevil masculinity as a way of repairing men’s masculine identities (Cherney & Lindemann). In addition, the presence of potentially homoerotic actions can be found throughout sport, even though society denies its existence. In American football alone, men slap each other’s butts, violate personal space when tackling, and hug each other in celebration of victory (Cherney & Lindemann). On gameday, men celebrate the complicated nature of their masculinity, but outside of sport, they deny its

In the essay “Pigskin, Patriarchy, and Pain,” Don Sabo analyzes and opposes the patriarchal system that urge young men to live in agony and survive through the pain principle in order to have a place in society. Sabo opens up his case by telling the reader his personal bad experience with football and (82-83). He explains the reasons why he began to play football; he wanted to receive recognition and become someone to society (83). He then shifts to the pain he endured from playing football to prove himself to be a man (83). Sabo also mentions that women are starting to play football (82).

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.

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.

Violent hooligans have been damaging the image of the football day to day. First of all, the hooligans affect the perception of football because most members of violent hooligans are adolescents, and it makes people think that football promotes the violence. According to a study performed by a web page called “Monographs” said that of every one hundred members of hooligans, at least ninety are teenagers who are growing up with the belief that whether they have to kill someone to

In another research, Bryson (1987) found that sports have always been a construction of hegemonic masculinity. A sport such as football receives attention and is linked with masculinity where the use of force, violence or aggression can be seen. Women who attempt to do sport are merely challenging the hegemonic masculinity is already in place.