Sports Blog Group Conclusion

Over the course of this blog, we have delved into many of the different facets of what makes an athlete.  There are many different things that are looked at by society as being "facts" about what an athlete is or how they should act and where these so called facts come from in the first place.  One of these things is the general stereotype against athletes that they are all masculine.  This makes it difficult for many athletes in trying to express their own masculinity or femininity.  Female athletes may have trouble being conceived as masculine, and also with some homosexual men in sports having to hide the fact that they are gay because it goes against them being perceived as men.

We have also delved into some of the different things in the sporting world such as how some athletes are perceived and how their sexuality is expressed. We explore the ways in which the media covers men and women as how that affects their sexuality and also the notions that people may have about athletes in general.  Things such as ESPN's The Body Issue and other magazines have depicted different athletes on the covers, and how this relates to the aspect of their sexuality. There are also some cases such as Brittney Griner, who could have some questions raised as to the fact if she could play with men, and with some people even questioning the fact that she is a women at all because she is so big and good at sports.

There are many different things that "make an athlete", and a lot of things in this culture that need to be altered in order to make people feel more comfortable in who they are and being able to be open about their sexuality and masculinity or femininity.  Through this blog we have learned a lot about all of these different facets of the sporting world and sexuality, and we hope that you have enjoyed coming along in this journey with us!

Andrew, Elise, and Lyndsey

This image is of two team members helping an opposing team member around the bases after she injured her leg. The batter hit a home run that would put her team in the lead, but before she could get out of the batter's box she injured her knee. It is down in the rules that if a runner cannot run the bases the run cannot count, instead of forcing the opposing team to take an out and keep the game tied, the two members carried the opposing team member around the bases so that she could score her team a run. This is not something that you would see in men's sports. As I discussed in my research post female athletes can be aggressive and intense, but they also bring compassion and emotion that male athletes to not.

"Google." Google. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2013

Elise

Homosexuality in Professional Sports Small Post #2

    Following in suit with my last small post, I wanted to find another article that delved more into the struggles that athletes face when they are not able to be open about who they are.  This article focuses on another former football player, and gives a little more in depth idea into some of the different events in his life that pertained to hiding his sexuality from others.

    I picked this article in particular because I think that it shows the importance in accepting everybody, no matter how "different" that they may be.  Thought it may take some getting used to at first for some people, there is no reason that homosexual athletes should not be able to be open about who they are while still being active in their sports, and not have to be worried about being looked down upon.

    I hope you enjoy the article, here it is!
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/dec/29/sports/la-sp-sports-homophobia-20121230

Andrew Novak

Homosexuality in Professional Sports Small Post #1

    I wanted to provide a link to this article because I found it very interesting and that I thought it pertained to my topic quite well.  It tells the story of Kwame Harris, a former player in the NFL who is a homosexual, and came out recently after being arrested after an altercation with his boyfriend.  It also showed some of the struggles that he faced in hiding his "secrets" from his teammates.

    Overall I think it is a really interesting article that shows how rough it can be for homosexual people who do not feel comfortable in being open with who they are.

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20130330/kwame-harris-gay-nfl-player-says-his-homosexuality-clashed-professional-sports

Andrew Novak

Does playing while injured make them masculine?

For some reason it will not allow me to add the video to the blog but here is the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIf8lGu6RO8

This video talks about the dangers of playing while injured and about how these men felt they had to prove their masculinity by risking further injury to still play or participate.


-Lyndsey

Gay Men In Professional Sports

     In this research post I want to again speak about homosexuality in professional sports, but this time I want to focus in on male sports.  There is a large stigma in sports that in order to play a sport you need to be masculine.  This, however, is an unfair stereotype.  There have been many successful professional athletes who have been gay, though they have usually had to avoid coming out of the closet until after they came out. For example, in Michael Messner's article Becoming 100% Straight, he discusses how he interviewed former Olympian Tom Waddell about his being gay as a professional athlete and his later coming out and starting the Gay Games.  He also discusses how Tom Waddell knew that he was homosexual, but got into sports because he didn't feel comfortable with having that image at the time and wanted to be viewed as a man.  "I wanted to be viewed as male, otherwise I would be a dancer today.  I wanted the male, macho image of an athlete.  So I was protected by a very hard shell. (Messner, pg. 403)."  This quote shows the problems that homosexuals face in sports where they might try to keep a masculine image in order to be viewed as "tough", and therefore keep themselves closeted instead of being open about their sexuality.

    Part of the problems that I believe are causing problems for people who are homosexual  in sports and stopping them from coming out of the closet is the homophobic sentiments that people have in locker rooms. People are afraid that if someone is gay and is changing in the same locker room as them, then they might be afraid that just because the person is gay that they are staring at them or being perverted in some way, when that is just ridiculous.  For some reason, people tend to look for masculine characteristics in their athletes, both male and female.  "Gay male athletes are assumed to not exist.  Part of the reason for this is because our society views gay men as "weak" and "effeminate," and therefore non-masculine (Anne Gregory, pg. 270)."  One our society is able to understand that just because you are good at sports that does not mean that you have to be masculine, then maybe people will start to feel more comfortable coming out of the closet.  However, at the rate that this is going, it may be a long time for this to happen and take a few brave individuals to be the first to come out while still playing sports to make others feel comfortable.

Andrew Novak

Works Cited

Gregory, Anne. "Rethinking Homophobia in Sports: Legal Protections for Gay and Lesbian Athletes and Coaches." N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. <http://laworgs.depaul.edu/journals/sports_law/documents/gregory%20homophobia%20in%20sports.pdf>.

Messner, Michael. "Becoming 100% Straight Inspired by Feminism." Research Paper on Becoming 100% Straight Inspired by Feminism, Michael Messner Hypothesizes That ... Research Papers. N.p., n.d. Web.

Brittney Griner

Brittney Griner is a 6'8" women's collegiate basketball player for the Baylor Lady Bears. She averaged 23.8 points this past season with 18 dunks throughout her college career. Undoubtedly, she is great. It is athletes like this young woman who are paving the way for future great, young female athletes just like herself, she deserves all of our respect and praise. However, the controversy about whether she can play with the men, is a matter all of its own. In my opinion, as a young female athlete who greatly admires women who can play their game at the level that Miss Griner does, I do not believe that she could hack it with the men. The games are too different, the size, speed and physicality of male professional basketball players would be like nothing she has ever experienced. That does not, however; take away from her achievements and her greatness as a female athlete, and I am not saying that if she were to have a chance to play with the men that she shouldn't take it, but that should not be her main focus. Her main focus should be to keep being great and to keep being a role model and to keep paving the way for future young athletes.

 Birdsong, Nick. ""A Woman Can't Play Against Men"" Www.al.com/sports. N.p., 10 Apr. 2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2013. <www.al.com/sports/.../charles_barkley_on_brittney_gr.html>.

Elise

Sports Rules; Life Rules

        Everyone knows that there are differences between men's and women's sports. The rules are different in some competitions such as gymnastics and lacrosse, and the style of play is different in sports such as baseball/softball, and basketball. But can these differences in sporting have an affect on real life expressions of emotions like aggression and assertion, and do the different styles of play between men and women have an affect on how these emotions are expressed? These are the questions that can be raised when considering men's and women's sports and the differences between them.
       It has long been thought that men are more aggressive than women purely by nature, but also because of their exposure to contact sports. However, new research shows that that may not be true. According to Linda Keeler, "It is unclear whether the differences found across gender and sport types are due to different sports socialization processes, or an existing disparity in those who gravitate toward certain sports" (60). So, the question is no longer whether males or females are more aggressive, but rather, which types individuals are already aggressive and whether certain sports legitimize more aggressive behavior. Which brings about the point that most sports that were traditionally considered masculine have had the rules modified to allow less contact when they are being played by women (Keeler, 59). Even though this is true,the research that Keeler presents shows no significant differences between men's and women's aggression levels on the field, even though men showed higher incidences of aggression in real life circumstances (Keeler, 70). The fact that women are shown to have just as high aggression levels on the field as men is a testament to the accomplishments that women have made in the world of sports today. From this research it would seem that young women are being taught to assert themselves to achieve their goals as athletes; something that would not have been taught to young girls in the past.
        This research is a clear indication that women continue to make leaps and bounds in the world of sports. They are becoming much more assertive in themselves as athletes, and that is important to their continued success. Being aggressive on the field creates a sense of empowerment to future athletes and allows for them to reach goals that they may never have achieved without the road that was paved by the female athletes of today.

                                                                 Works Cited
Keeler, L. A. (2007). The differences in sport aggression, life aggression, and life assertion among adult male and female collision, contact, and non-contact sport athletes. Journal of Sport Behavior, 30(1), 57-76. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.emich.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/215870547?accountid=10650 

Elise

Masculinity in PE

      We have experienced masculinity in sport our entire lives. In my last posted research post I talked about how masculinity is seen in the media and the spotlights, but that is not where the preference for the masculine in sports is created. It is not hard to believe that masculinity in sports actually starts in the physical educational setting. Whether in the PE classroom or on an organized sports teams there is a strong want for the athletically privileged. There are multiple views on masculinity in sports at this age. The ability to perform athletic skills properly is seen as being masculine and inability to perform these task is seen in a negative light in the gym class.

       Those who are athletically skilled are seen as having more masculinity than those who struggle with performing those tasks are looked on as unskilled and awkward. This threatens their masculinity and reduces them to be victims of ridicule and humiliation. A boy being nonathletic may be a result of developing later than his peers so he refrained from performing some physical activity which would leave him farther behind in terms athleticism. Size and development in sports is key to success. Most sports involve physical contact which would make being stronger and muscular important (Drummond). There is a battle for male dominance in the world of sports. This relates to the skill of each of the athletes. Skill is first developed in the gym class and then leads into organized sports. Those that do not succeed in the gym class tend to avoid participation in the organized sports, which saves them from further ridicule and embarrassment of failing in front of others (Anderson). This brings in the negative body images in which boys acquire from the fear of being perceived as non-masculine.

      The media focuses on the body image issues in females, but fail to bring up the fact that almost just as many males suffer from similar types of inner troubles. The males who suffer from these negative issues are typically those who do not have as much athletic talent as some of their peers. These males may not have as much success in the PE class so they feel that in order to avoid being teased they avoid the sporting world. This leads them to not wanting to participate in athletic activities. The negative images come from the fact that they are less active than their peers who participate in organized sports. In the PE setting these boys are forced to participate in athletic activities and this leads them to refrain from participation in organized sports (Drummond). Failing to be able to perform an athletic skill increases the negative self-esteem and body issues because of the fact that it is a public unlike failing at a test which would be private matter between the teacher and the student. PE classes are typically taught by males who they themselves were successful in athletics.

These teachers tend to praise the boys that are successful in the sports because they want to encouragement the enjoyment of physical activities (Anderson). There are many views on masculinity in the sporting world and many of these views start fairly early on in life and can be seen in multiple settings.

       One view that has been common in the past is that those who are unsuccessful in athletics are not only non-masculine but can be perceived as homosexual. Though in the past there has been a negative view on homosexuality in the sports world there is a recurring trend of acceptance amongst the younger generations. Though there is a trend of acceptance that does not mean that homosexuals are seen as masculine. There are quite a few professional athletes who have come out in the past, but they refrained from coming out while they are in the spotlight. This is because of the fact that there is a view of lack of masculinity and talent of athletics in homosexuals. As homosexuality has become a more excepted way of life in society there is also less of a negative view towards it in the PE and high school sports worlds (Anderson). This has allow the link between masculinity and talents to become faded and not as strict.

         These views allow boys to go on with their lives connected with the fact they were either successful or not in the athletic world. There will always be the successful and unsuccessful, but there should not be a connection to whether or not they are seen as masculine. It has been proven that everyone learns in a different way, so those that are unsuccessful in the sporting world may have talents in other areas. The link between sports and masculinity may continue to be there, but there is a growing trend in which the line has not become as distinct. 


-Lyndsey Tollas

Works Cited

Anderson, Eric. "Inclusive Masculinity in a Physical Education Setting." Thymos 6.1 (2012): 151-65.                 ProQuest. 7 Apr. 2013.

Drummond, Murray J. N. "The Meaning of Boys' Bodies in Physical Education." Journal of Men's Studies 11.2 (2003): 131-.ProQuest. 7 Apr. 2013. 

Two Sides of the Sporting World

No matter what magazine about sports you look at the majority of the covers will be males.

These photos typically show the men in a stance of power or intimidation. 

Females on the other hand are less commonly on the covers of the magazines.

Female athletes have recently been put in more powerful positions on the covers. 

While attempting to find one cover from each of the above magazines I was unable to find one from ESPN Magazine that displays a female in power. 

Another way females are typically shown in sports magazines is in sexualized way. 

Time Magazine did not appear to show female athletes in this way. 

These images show one of the differing ways in which male and female sports are shown in the media. I found this interesting because it also relates to the idea that women are gender framed and men or not. The same thing happens here.

-Lyndsey Tollas

Links to images in order

Lebron James - http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/loA_MIJgVa2dah8okNvnkg-/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTI1OQ--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Yahoo/ept_sports_oly_experts-466264484-1217518520.jpg

Mike Trout - https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRfRHjUJexJwrjknmZ-na_XV0vzayPz-iqPthMtezQLD1ickmoR

Brett Favre - http://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/sports-illustrated.jpeg?w=300&h=401

Lolo Jones - http://www.bagnewsnotes.com/files/2012/07/Lolo-Jones-TIME-cover-575.jpg

Mia Hamm - http://cdn.sheknows.com/filter/l/gallery/mia_hamm_in_sports_illustrated.jpg

Ronda Rousey - http://www.hardbodynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/ronda-espn-cover.jpg

Ana Ivanovic - http://therealsportscenter.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/17siag9.jpg

Escaping the Masculine

     In sports as well as in society there are rules. Gender rules and norms that we are expected and conditioned to follow from the time that we are very young. Girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice, while boys are made of slime and snails and puppy dog tails. Girls were pink and play with dolls, and if they participate in athletics it is something like volleyball or gymnastics; things that are more commonly feminine. Boys are loud, rough-housers, and play football and baseball; they are expected to be good at these things or risk ridicule. But in our time women have made great strides to becoming athletes that not only deserve, but command respect, so what happens when our tried and true norms are challenged?

   Traditionally, sports have been completely centered around men and the idea that masculinity is inherent to athleticism. With the great strides women have made in athletics in mind, it would be logical to think that they are receiving more recognition in the media, right? Wrong, there is more male coverage of sports than female sports teams covered whether it be as big as professional sports coverage or as small as a local newspaper  (Messner, Duncan, Jensen 123). Despite the great strides that women's sports have made they are still viewed  in our society as a lesser aspect in the wide world of sports in the world and in the U.S., and even when women are portrayed in sports magazines they are cast more in the light of the feminine rather than being recognized for that athletic prowess (Fink, Kensicki 319) All in all, women are just not expected to be as good at sports as men are, and therefore, do not get the attention that they deserve. So how are women supposed to escape the masculinity of sports in order to get the credit they deserve?

            In the sports world as well as in the world in general there are specific gender roles males and females are expected to fulfill, this idea that all men and women should fall into the category of masculine and feminine and participate in activities that fall into these categories as well. It would be nice to think that as far as we have come as a society that some of these old ideals have changed, that a female athlete could be recognized without taking into account her sexual orientation or home life but unfortunately it seems that women are still being underrepresented or misrepresented (for their sex appeal) rather than accepting that women can be athletes too (Fink, Kensicki 318). The media perpetuates this idea by consistently showing women in a light that has nothing to do with who they actually are, but rather as the world thinks they should be. Overall, even when women do receive coverage in sports magazines it serves the purpose of showing the differences between men and women rather than portraying them both separately and positively   (Fink, Kensicki 320). Therefore, though the interest and coverage in women's sports may have increased over the years the ideology that sports are masculine has not changed, and without that change there can be no advancement for female athletes.
         
            Overall, women, both athletic and non-athletic, need to challenge these gender rules and norms in order to make further advancements in society. Whenever society chooses to see a women purely for her sex appeal or as the ideal women should be, everyday women lose a little bit of who they actually are. Coverage of women's sports has caught the attention of many, and that is a good step forward, but now the challenge is to keep moving until they are covered as the athletes they are rather than the women society wants them to be.  Girls can still be made of everything nice and boys can keep their puppy dog tails, but they can both be athletes and should both be recognized as such, for their talent and inspiration, not for an idea that was never theirs in the first place.

Elise Meyers



                                                                     Works Cited

Messner, M. A., M. C. Duncan, and K. Jensen. "SEPARATING THE MEN FROM THE GIRLS:: The Gendered Language of Televised Sports." Gender & Society 7.1 (1993): 121-37. JSTOR. Web. 21 Feb. 2013. <http://jstor.org/stable/190027>
Janet S. Fink & Linda Jean Kensicki (2002) An Imperceptible Difference:Visual and Textual Constructions of Femininity in Sports Illustrated and Sports Illustrated for Women, Mass Communication and Society, 5:3, 317-320

Masculinity: Expectations of Male Athletes

      A typical view of athletes in high school is the football players who tend to be classified as jocks. There is a stigma of what an athlete should be and that is normally a masculine football player who puts his all in the game. In the school setting there is a social hierarchy and the jocks are seen to be at the top. The kings, rulers of the school and typically the stars of their home towns. Parents believe that team sports will teach their sons to be team players and teach them moral character. High school athletes are also pressured by their peers to participate in sports because that would make them more accepted in the hierarchy. There is also a sense of higher self-esteem in student athletes though that could be because of their actual success or the glorification of male athletes in the U.S. (Anderson 262-264). These male athletes have the expectations of their entire lives being surrounded by their sport, and they are also supposed to be seen as faster, stronger, and better at their sports than their female counterparts.

      Male sports teams promote masculinity and feel that every team member should be giving everything they have at all times and those are the norms that should be followed. There are people who feel that being a part of a team that encourages this type of all or nothing masculinity promotes the loss of each team members sense of self. They lose who they are because these athletes are too focused on the benefits of the team. Athletes are told that their sport should be their top priority and if it isn't or if they refuse to make the sacrifices they are not team players. There is also a stigma that if they do not follow the rules of masculinity and being a strong and powerful athlete they are given a mark of shame. This is why many gay athletes tend to hide their sexual orientation until late into their athletic career or even as late as after they have retired. The higher up an athlete is in the hierarchy the farther they actually have to fall, which prevents those who may not want to follow the rules from actually speaking their minds. If an athlete does not follow the rules of masculinity he may be seen as weak or unsuccessful. One reason they do not want to be seen as different is because they do not want to be seen as failures because not being masculine enough is seen as not being athletic or as serious in the sport as everyone expects them to be (Anderson 261-268).

      Orthodox masculinity shows homophobia, sexist, and anti-feminine tendencies and is typically what we see in males who are athletes (Anderson 258). Though many high school games are typically only broadcasting locally, we also get to see a lot of male sports covered by major television channels and newspapers. There is more male coverage in sports than female sports teams covered whether it is professional sports or just a local town newspaper (Messner, Duncan, and Jensen 123). Men dominate the sports culture and are seen to be superior because of the fact that they are stronger and win when it comes to having bigger muscles (Messner, Duncan, and Jensen 121-122). This difference in strength is why there is a separation of men and women in sports. This segregation is said to be protecting the women from the violence of them men (Anderson 258). There is also a difference between how men and women are seen in sports. If a man succeeds it is typically attributed to his talent and strength whereas if a woman athlete succeeds she is said to be lucky. On the other hand a male athlete's failure is linked to the opponents success and strength while a female athlete's failure is said to be because she is unfocused or does not have her head in the game. Female athletes are also identified by their gender during television broadcast of their games while male athletes were never labeled by gender. This includes the females being called young women, ladies, or girls while males were typically only identified as men or young men never boys (Messner, Duncan, and Jensen 126-130).

      Sports have always had a stigma of promoting masculinity in one way or another, and there will also always be a difference between male and female athletics. If an athlete does not give their all during a game does not mean that they are not masculine. Men who do not prove to be masculine have people who view them as nonathletic. Masculinity does not make an athlete, there are many athletes out there who are aggressive on the field or the court but outside their sports they can be seen as feminine. The reason that male sports get more news time than female sports is because as a society we focus on the attractiveness of the strength and power of male sports and not just on the talent of the athletes.  

-Lyndsey

Works Cited

Anderson, Eric. ""I Used to Think Women Were Weak": Orthodox Masculinity, Gender Segregation, and Sport." Sociological Forum 23.2 (2008): 257-80. JSTOR. Web. 21 Feb. 2013 <http://jstor.org/stable/20110264>.

Messner, M. A., M. C. Duncan, and K. Jensen. "SEPARATING THE MEN FROM THE GIRLS:: The Gendered Language of Televised Sports." Gender & Society 7.1 (1993): 121-37. JSTOR. Web. 21 Feb. 2013. <http://jstor.org/stable/190027>.

Lesbians in Professional Sport

     Today I will be discussing the stigmas that women face in professional sports.  "The image of women athletes as mannish, failed heterosexuals represents a thinly veiled reference to lesbianism in sport" (Cahn, pg. 343).  Typically, women that participate in professional sports are questioned about their femininity and sexuality.  There are stereotypes all throughout women's professional sports against women and the idea that they are all lesbians, when, in fact, this is not nearly true.  Though some female professional athletes, such as Martina Navratilova came out of the closet as lesbians, it would be unfair to say that this is true of all female athletes.  I believe that the ideas that the world have about femininity and masculinity affect the way that people view athletes, and as athleticism is generally viewed as a masculine trait, people assume that female athletes are masculine.  This leads into the question of homophobia against lesbians and more generally women in professional sports.  "Manifestations of homophobia in women's sports can be divided into six categories: (a) silence, (b) denial, (c) apology, (d) promotion of a heterosexy image, (e) attacks on lesbians, and (f) preference for male coaches" (Griffin, pg. 253).  There are many ways that homosexual women in sports have to (or choose to) hide their sexuality from others because they are afraid of public scorn.  As the previous quote shows, different women choose different ways of showing their sexuality in public.  Most generally they choose to remain silent about their sexuality until after they have retired from the sport that they played.

     There are many problems that women face when they are involved in professional sports.  If they are heterosexual, then they are questioned about their femininity from the public and may find it harder to find somebody to be with.  On the other hand, women in professional sports that are lesbians face a much different hardship.  Either they choose to hide their homosexuality from the public in order to avoid stereotyping, or they have to deal with the backlash and questions of people that do not approve of their sexuality or the scorn of other athletes that would not approve of being in the same dressing room if they are gay.

     I hope that one day our society is able to remove the stereotyping of homophobia in sports, both for women and for men.  I hope that one day people are allowed to be open with their feelings and sexuality without the worry that they will be criticized for how they choose to live their lives and how they see themselves as a person.  Maybe one day our society will evolve and we will not deal with these issues, but for now we need to continue to raise awareness and help our society move in the right direction.

--Andrew Novak

Works Cited

Cahn, Susan K. "From the "Muscle Moll" to the "Butch" Ballplayer: Mannishness, Lesbianism, and Homophobia in U.S. Women's Sport." Feminist Studies 19.2 (1993): 343-68. Print.

Griffin, Pat. "Changing the Game: Homophobia, Sexism, and Lesbians in Sport." Quest 44.2 (1992): 251-65. Web.

Women in Sports

Hello everyone! I am Elise and in these posts I will be discussing women's sports, women in sports, and the idea of femininity in sports. Typically, when one thinks of female sports they think things like gymnastics, volleyball, or even dancing and cheerleading. Most often, women are not widely considered in mainstream sports such as basketball or baseball, these sports are seen as predominately masculine and often women who participate in this sports are thought to be masculine themselves. In my posts, I will be discussing all women's sports from cheerleading to competitive weight lifting, and I hope to convey the idea that women who compete in athletics are not masculine and that they can bring their own strength and femininity into whatever sport they choose to compete in. I look forward to researching this topic and hope to see feedback!

Intro to Men, Masculinity, and Sports

Hello,
My name is Lyndsey Tollas. In my portion of the blog I will be discussing the views of men and masculinity in the sports world. When we hear the term athlete our minds almost always go to some type of male sports team. What makes us feel that sports are masculine activities. Most of the time when we hear the term sports teams we think of the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, college football, and college basketball. There are many other different sports leagues, but these are the ones that are typically in the media. We are all aware that some sports are seen as more masculine than others that are seen to be feminine. There are female athletes that take part in the sports that are said to be masculine, does that make these females masculine?

I look forward to discussing the aspects of the masculinity side of the athletic world. What makes sports masculine? Why are some sports seen as masculine but others are not? Why in society do we associate more with the male sports than the female counterparts? Why does participating in certain sports make people appear masculine? I believe that this will be a chance to see the cause and view of masculinity in the sports world.

-Lyndsey Tollas

Homophobia in Professional Sports Intro

Hello all,

     My name is Andrew Novak, and in my portion of this sports blog, I will be discussing the effects that homophobia has on professional sports.  For as long as professional sports have been a part of our culture, there has been a stigma against gay men and women participating in them.  This is especially prevalent in team sports such as football or basketball.  Even though some of the greatest athletes of all time have been homosexuals, they have not chosen to "come out of the closet" until after they had retired from their respective games.  One such example is Magic Johnson, who was a major factor in the success of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team's success in the 80's and 90's until his retirement after contracting HIV.

     While I continue further along with this portion of the blog, I will continue to discuss and look into how homophobia has affected professional sports, and to see if there are any signs of change in this stigma that have restricted so many people from either playing the sports that they love or from or from being able to openly associate themselves with the lifestyle that they live.  I will continue to look at examples of athletes that consider themselves homosexuals, and why they had to wait until retirement to reveal themselves as gay or lesbians.

     I look forward to continuing my portion of the blog and discussing this topic further, for there is much interesting information on the topic available in this world.

Andrew Novak

The World of Sports (Group Intro)

The word sport has been part of the English language since around 1300, but it originally came from the French word desport which means leisure. This word has over 20 definitions in the dictionary, but the one that we are using will be "Sport-an individual or group activity pursued for exercise or pleasure, often involving the testing of physical capabilities and taking the form of a competitive game such as football, tennis, etc." Sports have become a major part of our lives, whether we take part in them or not, they are all around us. We constantly have some major sports event going on whether it is the super bowl, the world series or even the Olympics. The beginning of the sporting world involved activities that involved the strongest and fittest men. The following video shows the first modern Olympic games that took place in Athens and only involved the men.

Sports as we know them have come along way. In our world today we no longer focus on the strength and endurance of men. The Olympics is now a way for all the countries in the world to show their greatest athletes both men and women. There is more focus on the skill of the athletes and not on pure strength. Do to the Olympics the sporting world has also changed. There is more empowerment in the athletes and the support of their country is behind them. The next video shows the London Olympics in 2012. This video shows the major changes that have taken place in the sporting world. 

The changes that have been made throughout time have caused us to view sports in a whole new light. This new light has brought out the difference between men and women in sports. There are some sports that seem more masculine and others are more feminine. Regardless of whether the sports are seen as masculine or feminine there are athletes of both genders that participate in all of these sports.  This also brings up the issue of homosexuality in sports.  In the current era, homosexuality in sports is something that has been seen as taboo or unacceptable. While homosexuality has not made many strides to redeem itself in the eyes of sports, women have become icons; though not quite as big as the men. Male athletes are role models to people everywhere, women have become icons to little girls everywhere and can be seen through their eyes as a symbol of empowerment.  Regardless of gender or sexuality people look up to the athletes both Collegiate and Professional as role models. These athletes are always under the limelight and no matter what happens in their lives we will always find out about it somehow. 

In this blog the three of us will be talking about the differences that can be found in the sports world today. Andrew will be covering the aspect of Homophobia in Professional Sports. Lyndsey will be covering Men, Masculinity, and Sports. Finally, Elise will be covering Women, Femininity, and Sports. As a group we will be able to cover the impact sports has made on our world. There is also and impact of our society in the world of sports which brings out biases and standards in which we feel the athletes should follow.