The Universe Of International Sports

The world of athletics has been built around a binary view of gender. The distinction between genders is obvious: there is women’s sport and there is men’s sport. However, in reality, gender biology is not black and white – there is a multitude of ways to be human. The separation of men’s and women’s sport leads to a large population of athletes getting stuck in the middle. There is a growing social acceptance of transgender and intersex individuals in society, however, when it comes to sport these individuals are often left isolated on an island of controversy. The majority of this controversy surrounds the debate of whether or not transgender and intersex females should be allowed to compete in women’s sports. Society does not have a

In, “Homophobia Is Rampant in Professional Sports,” Ford speaks about how in male dominated sports coaches or other team players have tendencies to shame athletes by calling them names such as “sissies” or “girls” (paragraph 1). Ford later talks the causes of homophobia being hyper masculinity and the humiliation that players were put though as children and teenagers in school teams to get short term gains (paragraph 14). The author also states that someone in a professional team could come out on a major team and survive, if they have the team support (paragraph 16).

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,

Shaun Powell's book, “Souled Out? How Blacks Are Winning and Losing in Sports” scrutinizes the paradoxes of African-American success in sports. Perturbed predominantly with the erroneous perceived accomplishment of equality through sports across the world, Powell offers his work as a portrayal of the evolution of African-american athletes over time and compares past struggles with modern day issues. Powell discusses how African American’s are both winning and losing in sports, but ultimately emphasizes the negative aspects of the on-going crisis. Powell, a well-known journalist, reviews and discusses how education, professional activism, media, and community relate and affect African-Americans in sports, therefore persuasively conveying his argument.

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

Football is probably the most hyper masculine sports someone can be involved in. However, just Michael Sam’s being out is so helpful in taking apart the ignorance around homophobic stereotypes. It goes to show, a broader aspect

While the topic of gender has become a hot debate today in society, many people have doubts on whether or not transgender people should be allowed to play professional sports. More specifically, in the Olympics where recent changes in ruling have created various opinions on the topic. While there is great evidence for both sides of the argument, there is a physical advantage for transgender people in sports. There are both genetic structure advantages and hormone benefits that transgender athletes have over born athletes of their gender. The current rules in place were incorrectly made and has changed the Olympics future for the worse.

Shame Shame, Know Your Name In “What I Learned In The Locker Room,” by Steve Almond, it is clearly stated that he believes that the athletic world is a place for men to appear hyper-masculine and to also hide what most would consider to be feminine characteristics. The author interestingly uses a personal story about meeting a transgender sports reporter while working as an intern for a local newspaper, and how this was such an anomaly in both the era and industry. Almond admits that throughout his life he has felt that being a fan of sports has protected him from his underlying fear that he wasn’t masculine enough to measure up to his preconceived ideas of what a man should be. In the article, Almond does successfully understand and explain how sports represent one way of seeing the world.

A weakness to Skyes’ article would be the fact that our society is very judgemental. Sports organizations fear the classification process of transsexual and transgender athletes into mainstream sporting events. Although most people will say they are for the equality of others, in reality many people in our society do not approve of transsexual and transgender people. These non-binary athletes may never be fully accepted into mainstream sports if sporting organizations continue to fret about anxieties these

The first article I read, titled “Pro Sports, still homophobic in 2014”, was about how there is still a lot of homophobia in professional sports even in this day and age. The author, Hudson Taylor, discusses different controversies that happened within the professional sports community that range from alleged gay accusations toward Green Bay Packers quarterback all the way to statements made by Vikings assistant coach encouraging the idea of placing all gays on an island and nuking the island until it glows. Taylor discusses how when he was in high school he was part of the group that felt strongly against those that made fun of the gay community but did nothing about it because he felt as if it wasn’t his place nor his battle. He told how in college his world changed completely once he witnessed how accepting his theater friends were to people with different sexual orientations and how he ultimately found his voice and started speaking out. Because of that experience, Taylor is now the founder of a program called Athlete Ally, where he travels the world empowering the athletic community to stand up against homophobia in sports.

Out of the many hundreds of National Football League (NFL) football players experiencing or have achieved successful careers, only one is openly gay, which has led him on a journey to acceptance. If drafted, Michael Sam, an All-American defensive end will be the first gay NFL player to disclose his homosexuality publicly (Russo). Sam’s decision to come out has led to a debate of whether or not he will be accepted in the NFL. By doing so, he now faces the possibility of being taunted by his opponents and not being tolerated by his teammates. Additionally, Sam could be overlooked by some NFL team general managers due to the dissention it could cause among their players. Despite these concerns, some sports analysts say Michael Sam has nothing to fear. They believe that as long as Sam benefits the team on the field, he will be accepted by his teammates and other players as well.

2015 Still No openly gay male football players in premiership, several openly gay female footballers in ladies game. How can this issue change or affect sport

Sports today are played by both males and females. Yet, female athletes that are homosexual are rarely talked about compared to male athletes that are homosexual. Rather than being a surprise, lesbian females announcing or even just stating that they are gay is expected. However, whenever a male athlete comes out as being homosexual, it makes all news headlines and is talked about for weeks. In today’s society men are raised to think they have to prove their masculinity, and one big part about being masculine is being heterosexual. Men that do not live up to this ideal masculinity are considered gay. Anywhere from having a high pitched voice to the flamboyancy of the man’s attire send signals that he is gay. Being gay is already a hardship

Race, gender, history and sexual orientation play major roles in women's participation in sport. Through out the history of women in sport, opportunity has increased. Many athletes and coaches are presented with the issue of sexual orientation throughout their sporting career. Regardless of sexual orientation, all female athletes are affected by heterosexism. One's racial or ethnicity background greatly shapes the experience they may have in sport. This essay explores the many issues women in sport face today.

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