Sports Relationship To Gender And Masculinity

Sports is the main determinant factor in the gender and masculinity of people. The title is

relevant in that it brings out the behavioral conditions of the different gender groups concerning

sports as well as the perception and attitude of people. 1

SPORTS IN RELATIONS TO GENDER AND MASCULINITY

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Sports is the main determinant factor in the gender and masculinity of people. The title is

relevant in that it brings out the behavioral conditions of the different gender groups concerning

sports as well as the perception and attitude of people. 2

Sports in Relations to Gender and Masculinity

Sport is an important aspect in the making of a person. Throughout the years, sports have

been used as the main factor to identify or determine the masculinity of men. Additionally it is

through sports that women have been able to keep their body shape in a desirable manner.

Despite the fact that there is a great gender inequality in sports field, women have been able to

step up and try to engage themselves in some of the games which were considered for men. An

example of such is the rugby and football. In spite of the change and developments in the field of

sports, men have always been considered as dominants. In conjunction to this, the sporting

activities have been attributed to the masculinity and heterogenic nature of men. In most cases, it

is through sports that boys have been able to be transformed to men (Anderson & McGuire

2010). Men are therefore considered more superior than others through their involvement in

sports.

A sport is an important aspect in a man’s life. It is important to note that sports can

destroy or it can make a man’s masculinity. Sports have enabled people to understand it as an

institutional practiced that natured and established men’s power and privileges (Bourdieu 1977).

In today’s society, sports have been adopted widely as a key component of understanding or

building social values such as behaviors sexuality , physicality and as well as competitiveness

amongst the people. The masculine identities are determined by sporting activities. The

activities nature some certain characteristics such as strength, stamina and aggression and mental

Sports is the main determinant factor in the gender and masculinity of people. The title is

relevant in that it brings out the behavioral conditions of the different gender groups concerning

sports as well as the perception and attitude of people. 3

toughness (Wheaton 2000). Such are some of the major characteristics that the society expects

the male to possess.

Since sports advocates for certain body types, it has come to the attention of most

societies that body can be understood through studying of sports. In the sporting sphere of life,

the body is always in development or transformation. This is because a sportsman needs to be

able to adapt to any change as long as sporting is concerned. The body therefore is in a constant

development. In male, the growth of boys is greatly influenced by the sporting activities they

involve themselves in. The tougher the sporting activities are the muscular a person becomes.

Sporting activities such as windsurfing instills characteristics such as strength, virility and

machoism in a person (McKay and Sabo 2000).

Different sports contribute to different forms of masculinity (Dempster 2009). Initially as

a man grows up, he is exposed to different issues of life and images or movies that shape them to

be more muscular. Football and rugby are some of the sports that are considered as the manly

game. This is because of the resilience and both physical and mental strength that is involved.

Such sports also build a person’s physical posture or physical make up. This is due to the much

effort needed to train. Additionally some sports such as badminton require less training hence

resulting to less masculinity of a person. It is therefore important to consider the type of sports in

order to determine the physical form of a person.

The masculinity of different people causes alienation especially towards the failed

masculinity. The research in men’s changing rooms showed that men maintained their sense of

hegemonic masculinity through keeping distance from other (Gill 2003). The strong masculinity

Sports is the main determinant factor in the gender and masculinity of people. The title is

relevant in that it brings out the behavioral conditions of the different gender groups concerning

sports as well as the perception and attitude of people. 4

therefore results to some special feeling which does not need to associate with failed masculinity.

In relation to this, sports tend to be interrelated with power. This manifests itself by

marginalization of some groups of men. Additionally, sports allow ideology of naturalization of

the superiority of men over women. Sports unify dominant groups while disorganized and

fragmenting subordinate ones (Gill2003). Sports can be a dangerous tool when it is used to

victimize others. It can cause a great damage on a person by lowering their self-esteem.

The diversity in sports has been able to remove the stigma or marginalization that some

people have been subjected to. This is because with diversity, different people can engage

themselves at least in one or two sport activities that best fits them. The diversity in sports has

also ensured that there is equal opportunity for everyone to engage themselves in sports. Some

time back sports were narrow but today we have many sporting activities (Carmichael 2007).

Many people have been able to be accommodated in the society hence avoiding the segregation

or victimization. People have also been able to overcome many challenges after finding their

desired groups. Sporting groups provide a sense of belonging which enhances a person’s self-

esteem. With diversity in the sports, many people will be able to understand themselves and

hence improve on their social skills.

The current trends of sports have enabled men to choose their desired masculinity. This is

through engagement in different sports that results to different body forms. An example is rugby

players or wrestling. A man who wishes to be more masculine will definitely engage themselves

in wrestling which requires a person to be muscular in order to be successful in the sport. At the

same time a soccer player will require a body size that is fit and swift to move. This is important

Sports is the main determinant factor in the gender and masculinity of people. The title is

relevant in that it brings out the behavioral conditions of the different gender groups concerning

sports as well as the perception and attitude of people. 5

to have a better performance in the field. It is therefore through the type of sports that a person

gets themselves in that determine their masculine nature. In most cases the body building sport is

one of those that require a well body size with a lot of muscles. People have been able to develop

ways in which they can increase their body size so that they can increase their masculinity in

order to achieve better results in the competitions they engage themselves in (Horrocks 1995).

Sport’s immense contribution towards gender especially men have resulted in positive

development of men. It has enabled maturity and growth amongst men. In some cases it has also

defined the roles of men and their position which has fostered responsibility. Sports is not only a

fun event but it natures a person by instilling discipline as well as a sense of responsibility

(Schacht 1996). This has resulted in transforming men into useful citizens hence resulting in

contribution to the growth of society and the economy of the country. Through sports also

countries have come to recognize the abundance of peace. It is therefore important to promote

sports so that there might be adequate realization of the dreams of many people.

Through sports, there has been a positive change in the family management whereby

there is reduced cases of domestic violence. This is because the men have become responsible by

directing their energy in the right activities rather than oppressing their spouses. Sports have

been widely embraced since it has also resulted in earning revenues to the countries. In US,

baseball approximately earned a revenue of about five billion dollars in the year 2007 (Messner

1992) It is therefore important to state that sports is the backbone of the country’s revenue

earner.

Sports is the main determinant factor in the gender and masculinity of people. The title is

relevant in that it brings out the behavioral conditions of the different gender groups concerning

sports as well as the perception and attitude of people. 6

Concerning the gender matter that surrounds sports, the women have also been able to

participate in some of the sports that were only considered as men’s sports. Some of such sports

are the rugby , football and wrestling. In today’s society, almost every woman has an opportunity

to develop themselves mentally just like their men counterparts by playing the same sports that

men play. However, there is still stigmatization towards women. This has resulted in few

women taking up the chance of participating in these sporting activities. Whatsoever most men

would engage themselves in sporting activities so that they might build their body physic and

also improve their mental abilities. This is contrary to women who join sports with an aim of

having fun or making it to be a profession so that they can earn a living through it.

The masculine nature of men has enabled more men to take part in the different sports

activities. The masculinity of men is what defines a man (Jackson 2002). This is because through

sports, men are able to develop their mental ability as well as their ability to endure hardships. It

is therefore important for males to engage themselves in sports so that they can develop

themselves hence enhance productivity in the society. A successful sportsman feels more

satisfaction and sense of self-actualization than a man who is not in the sports field. It is

therefore important to note that the male gender dominance in the sports field has been

encouraged by the society that we live in. It is therefore a challenge for female gender to work

hard and engage themselves in the sporting activities so that they could also be recognized and

also appreciated in the society.

Sports is the main determinant factor in the gender and masculinity of people. The title is

relevant in that it brings out the behavioral conditions of the different gender groups concerning

sports as well as the perception and attitude of people. 7

References

Anderson, E. & McGuire, R. (2010) ‘Inclusive Masculinity Theory and the Gendered Politics of

Men’s Rugby’, Journal of Gender Studies, 19(3), pp. 249-261.

Bourdieu, P. (1977) Outline of a theory of Practice, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.

Carmichael, A.C. eds (2007) Sport and Gendered Identities. Masculinities, Femininities and

Sexualities. Routledge: London.

Connell, R. W. (2005) Masculinities Second Edition, Cambridge, Polity Press.

Dempster, S. (2009) ‘Having the balls, having it all? Sport and constructions of undergraduate

laddishness’, Gender and Education, 21,5, pp. 481-500.

Gill, R. (2003). Power and the production of subjects’ A genealogy of the New Man and the New

Lad. The Editorial Board of the Sociological Review, 51(1), 34-56.

Hargreaves, J. (1993) The Body, Sport and Power Relations, in Sport, Leisure and Social

Relations edited by Horne, J, Jary, D & Tomlinson, A. Sociological Review.

Horrocks, R. (1995) Masculinity in Crisis, Basingstoke, Macmillan

Jackson, C. (2002). Laddishness’ as a Self-Worth protection strategy. Gender and Education,

14(1), pp. 37-51

Kimmel, M. (2006) Manhod in America. A cultural history 2nd Edition. Oxford University

Press: Oxford.

McKay, Jim; Messner, Michael and Sabo, Don, (2000) "Introduction: Studying sport, men and

masculinities from feminist standpoints" from McKay, Jim, Messner, Michael

Sports is the main determinant factor in the gender and masculinity of people. The title is

relevant in that it brings out the behavioral conditions of the different gender groups concerning

sports as well as the perception and attitude of people. 8

and Sabo, Don, Masculinities, Gender Relations and Sport pp.1-11, London, Sage

Messner, M, A. (1992) Power at Play: Sports and the Problem of Masculinity.

Robinson, V. (2008) Everyday Masculinities and Extreme Sport: The Male Body and Extreme

Sport, Oxford, Berg

Schacht, S. (1996) Misogyny on and off the “pitch”. The Gendered world of Male Rugby players

Gender and society, 10 (5), pp. 550-565

Wellard, I. (2009) Sport Masculinities and the Body. Routledge: London.

White, P. G and Gillett, J. (1994) Body Talk: Male Athletes Reflect on Sport, Injury and Pain,

Sociology of Sport Journal, 11, pp. 175-194.

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