Masculinity In Sport Essay

Competitive and professional sports is a cardinal fixture in the lives of billions all across the globe. Sport is cherished and idolized by many as it gives the viewers loads of entertainment as well as a sense of pride. Sport has the ability to unite entire nations as there is a mutual sentiment attached to the desire of wanting your team to outperform the rest, it is all based on the notion that an athlete or team is representing you as an individual and an entire country. Professional athletes often have a certain stigma attached to them - they make tons of money, drive exotic sports cars, live in fancy houses, travel all over the world, they have achieved this by doing what they love day in and day out – by playing sport.

Across the world, society holds men and women to different standards. There are precise gender roles and stereotypes that are well established. In the western world, women are supposed to be nurturers, cleaners, and the chef. Whereas men are perceived as strong, independent, and athletic. When these social norms are broken, it is not uncommon for specific labels to be given, such as being called a lesbian. Over the past few centuries, these stereotypes and gender roles have been challenged by many women and feminists. An area where these stereotypes and gender roles have been under scrutiny and analyzed is in the world of sport and physical activities. However, traditional female stereotypes continue to conquer. Gender inequality has accomplished small victories but is still an enormous part of sports which is evident through the little recognition received for competitions along with the difference between men’s and women’s professional level of sport, being looked at as attractive instead of being talented, and the very few female coaches. Eventually, there is hope that the sports world will not be considered the masculine domain, and there will no longer be a legacy of bias against the female athlete.

Another goal is to understand the cultural, structural, and situational factors affecting sport and sport experiences (Coakley, 10). Coakley

The article relates to sports because it refers to gender ideology because it identifies the “children as male and female” and the “roles of females and males in society” and this article describes how these children were treated according to status and gender (Coakley, 2015). This information coincides with information in our text. According to (Coakley 2015) organized youth sports children perceive them as a way “to enhance their status among their peers” robbing them of enjoying the sport because it is controlled by adults “that focus on the improvement which can

Sport is a global phenomenon, it is a common between all the nations of the world there is not one culture that has not engaged in a way or another in some type of sporting activity; such activities are not only often physically challenging and mentally stimulating – they also provide a sense of belonging and personal meaning to people’s lives. In American culture like many other cultures worldwide winning is highly prized and cherished by fame and money from audiences and sponsors.

Within sport, as throughout society, gender differences exist. The socially constructed phenomenon of gender dictates a dichotomous system whereby females are feminine and males are masculine. Focusing on females specifically, society determines the feminine traits and roles ascribed to this gender. Being domesticated, slender, passive and heterosexual are a part of the desirable appearance that society has formed surrounding femininity (Wolf, 1991). On the other side of the dichotomy is the masculine realm that sport plays into. Sport is fuelled by muscle, power and aggressiveness, which are behaviours and images associated to masculinity. Sport therefore, defies all existing female gender ideals. It would be assumed that females have no place within this institution due to the gender clash. However, female athletes do exist, and many are very successful. For this to work, sport has established and reinforced the social constructions of gender that exist in society. Female athletes are viewed as inferior and are pushed into gender appropriate sports. Furthermore, they are often labeled as masculine until they can prove otherwise, and so great attempts are made to reassert femininity. The stigma associated to being masculine or homosexual for female athletes is so great that many have become irrationally fearful of this label. The sexualisation of the female body and overt displays of heterosexuality are used in

When determining the social location there are many factors that describes who gets to play from who couldn’t. Gender, Social Class, Race and Ethnicity, Age, Disability versus able bodied, sexual preference all played a pivot role. According to Sports in Society, the idea that sports are contested activities is most vividly demonstrated in disagreements over who is allowed to play sports and the conditions under which certain people can play.

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.

Sociologists over the last few decades have been studying the social and cultural factors that influence an individual’s participation in sport. First developed to analyse racism in society, Figueroa’s Framework looks at how equity and access to society’s resources are affected by a person’s race. Figueroa’s Framework can also be applied to other aspects of society such as equity, access and participation in sport. Constructed over five separate levels: individual, interpersonal, institutional, structural and cultural, these areas can be used to examine the ways in which discriminations challenge the area of sport. Figueroa’s Framework will impact each individual differently and at a different level. At first glance, an individual may only

The role of modern sport in American life is immense. While various forms of entertainment, and consumption such as music, art and film compete for an audience, sport is often recognized on a different level, commanding the attention of people across all ages, genders and ethnicities through its enchanting qualities. From an early age, many Americans are socialized through sports, learning to interact, befriend others and develop community. In some cases, fans can are so compelled by sport that they can recite statistics and decade-old trivia, while unaware of their own parents’ birthdays. Though in general, at some point in life, many have experienced an impassioned or emotive feeling through sport, whether rooting for an underdog,

When a person of a specific gender enters a non-traditional sport for their gender/sex, many social and moral issues will arise challenging that person involved in that particular sport. The intentions of the individual will be questioned as well as their personal interest in the sport. Before any of these questions are asked, there must be a redefinition of gender roles, femininity, and masculinity. In order for a person to enter a non-traditional sport for their gender/sex without being criticize about gender morality, society must set flexible definitions for femininity and masculinity.

Sport plays a huge role in today’s society. It contributes to one’s health and fitness, social interaction, social and motor skills, patriotism, fun and entertainment. It also stimulates the economy and tourism leading to interaction between different cultures, for example the Olympics, and sport role models. Sports clearly are an important part of cultures and societies around the world as such events as the Olympics

Since the introduction of sport and physical activity, society 's perspective and attitudes have changed and have become more accepting of differences in society and sport. Every country, culture, religion, and society has a different view when it comes to norms and what is socially acceptable, especially in terms of discrimination against their own and others population.

This article will briefly discuss the three main theories of sociology, which are the structural, the social conflict, and the symbolic interaction approach and how it applies to sports. It can be said that through the views of the Structural approach, sport actually help society to operates, and it has both dysfunctional and functions consequences. The structural function approach can be defined as a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability(Macionis, 2010). In a sport team or in any given team, as we all know in order for them to succeed each individual must perform together. For example, with in the various football team’s in Belize different players play different position, such as forward, midfielder, defender, and goalkeeper.

There are many repercussions that are projected upon both men and women when they enter into a sport that typically isn’t thought of as gender appropriate. Some of those cultural and social stigmatisms may be abandonment by your peers, and friends questions regarding your sexuality, and even in some cases criticism as to how you are living your life. In some cases, it may lead to you not being accepted by either group, theone whose norems you are not following, of as well as the one with whom you are trying to get involved. This paper will address all of these issues and how these seemingly negative situations can, will, and are, leading to growth. It will also discuss how this is a situation where repercussions are