Sport In The Construction Of Masculinity

pleasure In The Construction Of MasculinityGender studies is an interdisciplinary study which indueigate diametric aspects of sexuality. Sport is one of the aspects that exploreers in these years be trying to break in a gender perspective. It is believed that frolic is socially conditioned found on many researches. This essay will examine versionswoman bring to the plait of maleness by several ways, they ar gender stratification in tradition, homophobia in diversion, play as staminate bonding rite, sloping opportunities towards men and media influence. Further examples and elaborations will follow in each drive to demonstrate sport is indeed a social constitution constructing maleness.Sport has long been instituted as male dominated and masculine in taste by a couple of reasons. First, the historical gender stratification end-to-end a century has established that sport is an installation constructing masculinity. We argon vivification in a patriarchal co mpany that male ar unendingly in superior status than female, from economic status to daily life. The society has embedded a concept that the role of women is to give birth and their lone(prenominal) obligation is to take care of children. But in 20th century, women are no longer highly dependent on men, as more than and more women have become labours in the market. It has shortened the distance amongst two sexes, but obviously gender inequality gutter non be eliminated so easily. Bilrell and Cole (1990) have mentioned that superiority of physical fitness is the key work out of winning in sport, and sport is the main causeivities emphasis on the cozy differentiation. Since sport emphasizes a lot on strength and bravery, male are purpose to perform well innately than women (Klein 1990). As a result, the male participating rate in sport in general is high than women. It is no wonder that Zane Grey (1992) in his book wrote All boys get it on baseball. If they dont theyre no t real boys. This concept was passed on from generation to generation and at last sport becomes a site constructing masculinity.Second, homophobia is another factor constructing masculinity in sport. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, sport has somehow developed into a male hegemonic activity. Male who does not participate in sports are not regarded as real man, and female participating in sports are persuasion to be manlike. They may, therefore, be treated as homosexuals. In fact, in the traditionalistic socialization process, men in the early age had l pee-peet that male who does not perform in manly way may see as homosexual (Messner 1992). Athletics, no matter male or female, may some metres make apparent or even exaggerated movement to prove their masculinity and femininity, just because they are afraid of people confusing their gender identity. Ordinarily, males characteristics are tough, aggressive, competitive, physically strong, whereas women head for the hills to show attractive appearance, to do adjust and wearing feminine clo intimacy. The traditional association of physical strength, power and strenuosity with masculinity causes many people to question the sexuality of women athletes. Former lawn tennis star Chris Evert paid great attention to whether or not she acted like a char in the court, and almost the end of her tennis career she finally willing to admit that she is an athlete (Woolum 1998). Though she is a tennis player, she tried to act like a woman so as to maintain her feminine image. When Evert evaluated on her early demonstrate of career, she said she never feel like an athlete, she was just a person playing tennis (Woolum 1998). She would like to be a complete woman such as having nail polish and wearing fancy hairsbreadth band, rather than a freak in others eyes. From this example, we have seen that sport is thought to be male-oriented. Since female athletes challenge traditional notions of femininity and their abil ities are seen as stereotypically masculine, female athletes are always contending with homophobia so that they will not be labelled as lesbian. It, in term of enlistments, lessens females willingness to participate in sport. As for men, they tend to participating in sport in order to show their human race and avoid categorized as gay. It is, therefore, understandable that sports is a site for the bod of masculinity because of its nature of male-oriented.Third, sports play an important role in masculinity because sport is constructed as male bonding ritual. Similar to fraternity and military, sport back ups young boys making connections in their life (Fine 2000). As we all know, sport focuses a lot of competitiveness and aggression, or sometimes, even involves physical take on and collision in between athletes. These are the elements that enable the notion of masculinity and the hegemonic ideal to construct a boy into a real man. Burstyn (1999) believed that sport provided the kind of rituals of conquest and aggression that men with a weak whizz of masculinity needed to symbolize, to make physical and palpable, the difference between a mans man and a mamas boy , which means sport is succeeded in socializing boys into manhood despite the absence of the family father (Burstyn 1999). Here we realize that sport is in fact served as an embodied ritual of confirming and strengthen mens gender identity. Even if some children may live in single-parent families, they are still able to achieve manliness as sport can be a replacement of father for them to obtain masculinity. All men can group together to retain their manhood and to reassert their gender privilege via sport. Thus, we can conclude that sport is a bonding ritual for men to construct their masculinity.In addition, biased opportunity towards men is a way to gradually construct masculinity in sport. Traditionally we are told that girls are only suitable for activities which are related to the aesthetic attitude of sports such as ice cheerleading and skating. Females are not recommended to engage in high physical contact activities such as rugby, boxing and soccer. In the schooling stage, gender socialization and gender typing shaped teenagers how they should act based on their gender. Plausibly, self-fulfilling prophecy has occurred and these norms have shaped individuals behavior, which in turn shapes future expectations. This cycle has shaped our society into a male victory culture, and sport is an embodiment of this notion. The opportununties bias can be seen particularly in the professional ranks. Womens sport would never be at the top of the pirority when duty companies looking to use sports to market their product (Person 2009). They concerned with earning cash from the advertsing and they believed that the money return will not be as much if they invest in womens sport (Person 2009). The average salary can obviously level the inequality of opportunities within two sexe s, men are able to earn 4 millions in average whereas women can only earn just about 1.4% of men, around $55,000 in average. Without social and economical motivation, girls devote less time to the sport. As a result, sport become male domain and a site for constrcuting masculinity.Finally, media influence is a factor contributing to the masculine construction in sport. The Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles has done a research (Wilson 1999) claiming that over 90% of American teenagers consume sports media. Since sports are mostly dominated by men, from the athletes and coaches to the commentators and reporters, media is definitely influential enough to transmit ideas about masculinity and maleness. And when it comes to reporting sport news, the newsworthiness is the main point reporters are pore on. Mens sport is generally believed to have more attention and enthusiasm from the public, compared with womens sport. sometimes after a match has finished, reporters are able to immediately oppugn male athletes in the changing room, it is, however, impossible to do the same thing on women. It is, therefore, clear that there are lots of bias and limitations on sports media which ultimately contribute to the construction of masculinity in our society.In conclusion, sport was demonstrated as being a dominant social institution which naturalized mens power and privilege over women. It has marginalized and trivialized female athletes, which sequentially help reproducing the ideological of masculinity in sport.