Describe how the cult of manliness, The Victorian Era and The Play Day Era reinforce and or challenge former social constructions of gender? Use specific historic examples from lectures or your readings, particularly Cahn or Sage to illustrate this. How do dominant interrelated notions of sex and gender shape the way that sport is generally structured today? According to Mike Messner, how have dominant notions of sexuality and gender been constructed differently for men and women (223-226)? What is Messner's critique of homosexual as a category? In what ways in Messner's sexual story did Messner and his teammates construct or perform heterosexuality in sport(233)? Share an instance from your sport or physical activity experiences in which you have witnessed or participated in this construction. Please post this as a comment.
The cult of manliness came around the end of the 19th century. This was a time where women were very discouraged to compete in competitive sports due to Victorian ideals. These ideals said that women had to be petite and basically that they could not do or handle the things that men could. Women were still encouraged to engage in physical activity as long as they were not competing against another person. On the other side of things men defined their masculinity by competing in sports. Other reasons women were discouraged from sport was simple due to the fact that they were supposed to be at home doing housework as well and raising children. During the Victorian Era women got the chance to challenge some of the stimulations that were placed on them. They did this by showing a great interest in bicycles and basketball. The bicycle was a big step for women because it allowed them to travel away from the house and many women could gather together for bicycle outings. Basketball had the same sort of affect because this sport has a competitive aspect and that was something that was looked down upon when women were involved. During the Play Day Era women were allowed to meet in large groups and play sports not for the competitive aspect but simply to play the sport and mingle. This occurred when many colleges, at least three, got together and divided the girls up so that colleges were not their own teams and then played sports.
ReplyDeleteIn today’s world sport is set up so that the person with the larger, stronger, quicker, longer-lasting body will be the one that entertains people as well as excel. People don’t like to watch small, weak people competing in sport. The sports found at the center like hockey, basketball, football, and baseball enforce the characteristics I mentioned first. Unfortunately for women these are characteristics tend to be more related to men. That is not to say there aren’t exceptions, but for the most part it is a truthful statement. Due to this fact it is hard in today’s world to be showcased in a sport if you are a women. Many of the women’s sporting events are not covered unless something out of the normal such as a fight occurs simply due to the fact that men are mostly what is found at the center of sport.
According to Messner when men partake in sport that is the way of defining their masculinity. This also strengthens the aspect of sexuality. When men are involved in a sport that is manly and something else that is manly is to like women, or be heterosexual. This is just a different take on athleticism=masculinity=heterosexuality (Messner 225). Women don’t have it the same way however. When a woman is involved in a sport it calls into question her sexuality. A woman competing in a sport may mean she is a lesbian and/or manly due to the fact sport has been labeled a masculine thing to do. Messner argues for a change in the traditional binary of sexuality. He says that women should not be labeled as a lesbian due to the fact that they participate in a sport. Playing a sport doesn’t alter the gender of the female that is partaking in it. To challenge this binary Messner believes that we must change our old thoughts and beliefs on homosexuality.
ReplyDeleteIn Messner’s story there were two main things that happened that demonstrated his teammates and his involvement in heterosexuality in sport. The first thing that happened was when Messner and his teammates called Timmy a “faggot.” Messner was afraid of his attraction to Timmy so he covered this up by calling Timmy names and conforming with the rest of the team. By doing this Messner showed to his peers that he was not a homosexual like Timmy. The second thing that happened was when Messner elbowed Timmy to show that he was dominant over him. Timmy was the weakest player in the team so Messner targeted him in order to try his new elbowing technique. One time that I have participated in this construction was in high school during a basketball game. An opposing team member that was guarding me was much smaller and less talented that I. This made me become overly aggressive with him so that I could show to everyone I was the more dominant, stronger person. I didn’t make fun of the kid or call him names but I made sure to show everyone my masculinity.
The cult of manliness came into play around the 19th century when sports were being revolutionized. Because of this revolution the thought of a women competing like a man was looked down upon. This stems from the idea that women were supposed to be at home being “homemakers” and they had no place in the man’s world. The cult of manliness, the Victorian Era, and the Play day era only reinforced the social opinion on women, in that they had no business doing what a man was doing. Women were not supposed to play sports competitively like men, for fear that they could not handle the rigors of such competitive outings. I disagree with Cahn that these ears challenged the old social outlook on women competing in sports. Though it was revolutionary in that women began to be involved in sport, they were still looked upon as obscure, because it was unthinkable for a women to compete like a man and things such as non competitive play days only reinforced this idea.
ReplyDeleteMen are seen as superior beings to women when it comes to sport. Men are faster, can jump high, have more athletic ability, and play more physical when it comes to sport, which is what the public wants to see. People watching a sporting event do not want to feel as though the events are mundane and boring to the eye. Because of this feeling men’s and women’s sports are separated. Though it may seem that women are on a level playing field athletically in regards to what they get to participate in, they indeed are still discriminated against. Women’s sports are not as publicized and do not garner the attention that men’s sports do. This is because the public wants to see things they feel like they cannot go out in the back yard and do. They want to see that big hit of a football game, and the amazing dunk of an NBA game. People want excitement, and they get this from watching high level men’s sports.
Messner concludes that if a man excels in sports his athleticism=masculinity-heterosexuality. This is different for women, if women excel in a sport that are looked at as manly or being a lesbian. This notion stems from the idea above that women should not compete as men do. Women have no right acting like a man, and vice versa a man has no right acting like a women in a sports setting.
Messner believes that the category of homosexuality has been wrongfully identified on page 228. He believes that women can participate in a sport and remain the same gender, where as if a man act feminine in a sports he must be gay.
Messner believes that in his homosexual sports story, heterosexuality was displayed in two ways. First, by making Timmy and outcast and calling him homosexual names. Second, by showing his heterosexuality by becoming more aggressive in his sport and picking on Timmy, the weakest player on the team.
All throughout my years of sport is has been a sin to be the weakest member of a team. If you were the weakest member you may not get picked for a specific team, or would see limited playing time. In high school it is easy to conform to the social idea of this and make fun of the lesser players than you or your teammates. In high school basketball we would routinely pick on the weakest player on the team, making him feel inferior. At the time we thought we were being men by calling him a pussy or such names. It is now easy to realize that these types of treatments were childish and detrimental to the overall team.
The Victorian Era reinforced the social constructions of gender during the latter part of the 19th century because women were virtually excluded from sport; they were believed to be unable to handle the physical stress of sport and would be injured if they tried. It also challenged the social constructions though because it was during this era that women started riding bicycles and playing basketball with other women, allowing them to get out of the house and be somewhat independent. The Play Day Era gave women the chance to participate in sport, but in a watered down version of how the men played. Women from different schools came together to play with instead of against each other, therefore stressing socialization and fun over competition. This reinforced the social constructions of gender by keeping women separate and unequal to men in sport but also challenged it by allowing women to at least play together in sport. Because females were viewed as docile, gentle creatures that were much more fragile than men, the cult of manliness in sport that came about in the 19th century reinforced the social constructions of gender. Sport was viewed as a place where boys became men and could escape from the “feminization” of American civilization (Sage, 139). This obviously encouraged exclusion of women from sport, and those who chose to participate had to face the consequences. Sage quotes that “since competitive sport was a place where manhood was earned, women had nothing to gain and everything to lose by trying to join in” (139-140).
ReplyDeleteSport today is still structured along the lines that it is a male/masculine arena. Although women are now allowed to play and equality has greatly improved since the late 19th century, women in sport are still expected to be feminine, and those who aren’t are sometimes labeled as manly or lesbian and therefore unattractive to men. According to Messner, the dominant notion of sport as a masculine and heterosexual domain stresses the oppositeness of males and females, therefore keeping them separate and not equal. Messner provides a perfect illustration of how sport, masculinity, and heterosexuality are all connected for men: Athleticism=masculinity=heterosexuality (225) However, the connection is much less clear for women: Athleticism? Masculinity? Heterosexuality? (225) This presents a difficult paradox for women. In order to be athletic, women should be masculine and employ masculine qualities like aggressiveness and strength, but if they do so many are seen as homosexual instead of heterosexual. It seems that it’s impossible for women to be both masculine in sport and heterosexual. For athletic men, if they’re not masculine then they must not be heterosexual, which disrupts the gender norm and creates discomfort.
Messner quotes Katz in critiquing that “heterosexual and homosexual appeared in public as Siamese twins, the first good, the second bad…” (223). Messner believes in challenging the binary of heterosexual vs. homosexual, and believes that women can participate in sports and play in a masculine manner without automatically being manly or lesbian.
In Messner’s sexual story, he “performed” heterosexuality in sport by rejecting his crush on Timmy by joining his teammates in insulting him and labeling him as a faggot. Later, he takes it a step further by becoming more aggressive and choosing Timmy as the target of this new aggressiveness. While playing basketball in high school, there were a couple girls on the team who weren’t very aggressive or tough when the game got a little rough. The team as a whole, myself included, looked down on these girls for being too wimpy and girly and not tough enough, which in our minds made them bad basketball players and athletes in general.
The cult of manliness, the Victorian Era and the Play Day Era reinforce former social constructions of gender because sport was looked at as being masculine and women were too weak and would only get hurt if they participated. Women were expected to care for the home and worry about having/taking care of children instead of spending time playing sport. It was believed if women were to participate in sport it would prevent them from having children.
ReplyDeleteThe Victorian Era also challenged the social construction of gender because this was the era when women began to play basketball, a different version on the men’s game, and ride bicycles. The Play Day Era also challenged the social construction because women from different colleges would come together and play sports but scores were not kept and it was meant more for socialization and fun.
Sport today is still structured more towards masculine/male. Women do have more opportunities today then ever but women’s sports are still seen as being watered down version of men’s sport. It is difficult for women to gain attention in sport without being seen as masculine.
Messner states that sports participation for men is athleticism=masculinity=heterosexuality. This means that for men if you are athletic and participate there is no question you are straight. Where as for women athletes it is athleticism? Feminity? Heterosexuality? Meaning that if you are a woman who is athletic and good at sport your sexuality is in question.
Messner and his teammates construct heterosexuality in sport by picking on the smallest, weakest kid and calling him a faggot. He also aims for Timmy when he is trying to be more aggressive and hits Timmy in the stomach with an elbow knocking Timmy to the ground.
My experience with this construction came in football. There were always tackling drills and the players who would not attack the drill or were timid in the drill would get made fun by teammates and be called things such as a girl or a “pussy” and he needed to “man up” or do the drill “like a man”.
The cult of manliness, the Victorian Era, and the Play Day era all either reinforce or challenge the former construction of gender. The cult of manliness reinforced the former construction because men felt less dominate during this era; therefore, they promoted the need to show their manliness through sport. According to Sage, “sport was an activity that…met [males] recreational needs, and it was a perfect antidote for their anxieties about effeminacy” (Sage 65). In addition, “sport’s demands for strength, aggressiveness, and displays of courage were congruent with perceptions of masculinity and incongruent with those of femininity” (65). Sport gave men a chance to demonstrate their masculinity so that they could be safe from having their sexuality question and maintain their dominance in society. Examples that helped exemplify the cult of manliness are Boy Scouts, the YMCA, and athletic clubs (139). These are all things that allow boys and men to show off their rough and toughness through the rugged outdoors or in the gym. The Victorian Era also reinforced the former social constructions of gender. The ideology of women at this time was that they did not do anything that involved physically activity because they were too fragile and it could cause them to be sterile. The Play Day Era, however, finally allowed women to participate in sports, therefore challenging the former constructions of gender. Though women were still extremely limited in what physical activities they could participate, nonetheless, the Play Day Era was a step in the right direction for women in the athletic world.
ReplyDeleteDominate notions of sex and gender affect sport today because men must participate in manly spots like football, basketball, and hockey, while women have to participate in more feminine spots like gymnastics, swimming and figure skating in order for both sexes to be able to defend their sexuality when participating in sport. Harsh judgments are placed upon those individuals that go outside of these norms, for example, if a robust woman plays basketball.
According to Messner, there are two equations that describe sport and gender. This first is: “athleticism= masculinity = heterosexuality (Messner 225), while for women the question is: “Athleticism? Femininity? Heterosexuality?” (225). He believes that sports are structured in a way that women are still judged as lesbians when they participate in sports, while men are praised. He believes that the new hegemonic ideal is that masculinity is linked to heterosexuality and that sexuality is linked to power. If women that participate in sports are considered lesbians, than they will have no power, which leaves the men to have all the power, as it has been in the past.
Messner and his teammates contracted heterosexuality by calling a small boy named Timmy crude labels like “faggot” and by displaying dominance over him in later years by elbowing him aggressively. Messner does this because he felt that “masculinity was not things we ‘were’ but things we were doing” (Messner 233). If he did not act aggressively, his masculinity could have been questioned.
I have witnessed this construction in high school. I had a few male friends that participated in theater. The guys on the football and basketball team would often call them crude names like “fag” or call them gay because they were not participating in something more manly.
The cult of manliness, the Victorian Era and the Play Day Era all worked to reinforce and challenge social constructions of gender. When people most often think about sport in society today they think about mostly male participation. Men needed a way to express their masculinity and thus through sports were able to show their dominance over other male participants. Sage refers to males as, "a patriarchal society is driven by a male-centered ideology rooted in a male worldview; mainstream thought is male-stream thought." (59)
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand women were looked upon as “gentle”, “fragile”, humans and were only to participate in sport in moderation. The Victorian Era also reinforced gender norms by keeping white middle-class men at the center of sport and marginalizing women putting the label on them as “New Women”. As for the play doll era, is enabled women to challenge social constructions of gender to a degree by giving women more access to sports like men. However unlike the men who played to win and were aggressive in doing so, women aggressions in sport were frowned upon.
"an important dimension of this reconstruction of hegemonic masculinity through sport involved a linkage between masculinity and heterosexuality." (224). Messner talks about how one of the main reasons for men playing sport was to reinforce this hegemonic image of masculinity and heterosexuality. Basically he is saying that the image given by participating in sport was a very dominant manly picture.
Messner’s critique of a homosexual is extremely one sided. He pretty much says that anyone who falls under this stereotype is a weak link and thus should be targeted by the more masculine men and given the boot. This would show the dominance of the true men oppose to weak possible not as strong willed ones.
The cult of manliness reinforced the social constructions of gender for women in sport because in the 19th and early 20th centuries sports had become a new form of masculinity with manifest destiny being complete and wars taking place farther away from US soil. Challenges to the status quo took place as well though when women began asking for more rights. This made men feel insecure regarding their gender roles and so they sought to put a stop to women’s involvement in sport as much as possible (Sage, 139).
ReplyDeleteFor the most part, the Victorian Era reinforced the constructions by excluding women and enforcing segregation and gentlemen’s agreements. A couple of big exceptions were that women were allowed to ride bicycles and play basketball during this era.
The Play Day Era reinforced the status quo because women were only allowed to engage in sport in a controlled way. This era depicts women as being very delicate and vulnerable creatures who were not supposed to show emotion or get upset. If a woman wished to play competitively in sports she was assured of “almost certain social isolation and censure” (Sage, 139). Thus girls from various school would come together and play sports with one another in a watered down way to keep them as far away from the masculine ideology concerning sport as much as possible.
Dominant notions of sex and gender today still place men ahead of women in sport and are shaped through the way sport is structured through institutions, media representations, and cultural practices. Today, sport is connected to a man’s ability to achieve power through combinations of force and skill whereas in the past not as much emphasis was put on a man’s build and more was put on the way he could think and reason and figure things out. For instance, depictions of superheroes today verses superheroes 30 years ago suggest that men today are encouraged and face more pressure by society to achieve a bigger build and be dominating in sport. If they do not achieve this build or even worse, show no interest in sport or competition, then they are at risk of being deemed feminine and homosexual (Messner, 225). Women face conflicting ideologies in sport as well. Messner argues that for men athleticism means masculinity which means heterosexuality but that notions of athleticism, masculinity, and heterosexuality for women remain less clear (225).To be athletic means a woman is showing some preference for masculinity. To make up for this many women fall into the category of the female apologetic where they try to offset the masculinity of playing sports by taking on extra feminine values such as their appearance and referencing boyfriends. Those who do not conform to this notion risk being termed masculine which suggests to some people that the woman is a lesbian, bisexual, transgender, etc.
Messner critiques that homosexuality became a bigger deal in sport because of the emergence of “heterosexual masculinity in sport and elsewhere” that “enforced a much more clear distinction between what we would now call homosexuality and homosociality than had previously existed” (224). He argues that women should be allowed to compete how they wish to compete without automatically being called lesbians.
Messner acknowledges performing heterosexuality in sport by treating Timmy as an outcast and labeling him as a faggot because he was afraid of his attraction to Timmy and did not want his team mates to view him as a homosexual like Timmy. Messner also tried to reinforce his own dominance and masculinity by elbowing Timmy (233). I witnessed this at the elementary level when I notice two young boys in a dance recital amongst 50 girls. Their classmates were in attendance and snickered at the boys in the recital and suggested that they were gay.
In the late 19th century the cult of manliness arose, at this time, women were discouraged to compete in sport. Their Victorian ideals brought women down when trying to compete, saying that women could not take the rigorous beating of sport, unlike men. Women’s duties around the house also played a role in them not participating in sport. They were supposed to be stay at home mothers and had basic house chores that were common in many families at this time. If women were to play sports, it was believed they would become less fertile and be less able to have children. At this time the only sports women were even somewhat encouraged to play was bicycling and basquette. The Play Day Era began to let women participate somewhat in sport. They began to form teams at schools and to compete against similar schools. This reinforced the social constructions by keeping men’s and women’s sports separate, but also challenged it because they were at least allowed to play if they wanted. Sage supports this by stating, “competitive sports were a place where manhood was earned, and women had nothing to gain and everything to lose by trying to join.”
ReplyDeleteMessner states that sports participation for men is athleticism=masculinity=heterosexuality. Meaning, that if you were athletic, you were masculine, and then of course you were heterosexual. But if we look at it today, athletic, masculine women are viewed as lesbians. This is just another notion that women should not be in sports. Women should not act as men, and men should not act as women, and me who do act like women are never seen in sport. This is why women’s sexuality is always questioned if they are more masculine than most women athletes today. By labeling and discriminating Timmy, Messner performs heterosexuality in sport. He then takes it a step further by elbowing him, knocking him down. My experience comes from a high school baseball tournament I was involved in. It was a 4 game tournament and it we started our first game at 11 o’clock, as the day went on temperatures increased to over 100 degrees and we had to play 3 consecutive games. Although we were all completely exhausted the first teammate to say that he was tired and hot, instantly became a target for the rest of the team to call him names and discourage his ego and question his toughness.
The cult of manliness and the Play Day era helped reinforce gender notions of the time, while the Victorian era helped to challenge the notions. The cult of manliness was used to help men avoid becoming "feminine" and allowed them to show masculine traits while performing sports (Sage, 139). The Play Day era also helped reinforce women's role in sports, as they were allowed to play, but they could not compete with each other, as competition could hurt their reproductive organs and it would reflect poorly on their femininity. The Victorian era challenged the notions of women not competing in sports, as they began to ride bicycles to show their freedom, and they also competed against each other in sports such as basketball.
ReplyDeleteGender notions shape sport today as men who do not play sports are seen as feminine and not worthy of being called a man. Women who play sports are normally recognized as being "lesbians" and they also risk "certain isolation and censure" (Sage, 139). Men are constructed in the media to be seen as tough and strong, and sport helps reinforce that notion. Sports allow for the construction of the male identity and the celebration of traditional masculinity, whereas other forms of it are shunned and discouraged. Sports also preserver males, as they are found in the leadership positions of sports and they are also used to reinforce male ideologies such as being tough and strong.
Messner shows that participation in sport for men is important, because athleticism=masculinity=heterosexuality (Messner, 225). However, if women participate in sports, they are seen as lacking feminine ideals and are labeled as lesbians. Women are told to not act like men or else be seen as lesbians, while men are told not to act as women or be seen as feminine, which helps reinforce the ideals of sport, as it is meant to show off the ideals and strengths of men, not women.
Messner critiques that homosexuality became a bigger deal in sports because the male ideals of masculinity and toughness “enforced a much more clear distinction between what we would now call homosexuality and homosociality than had previously existed” (Messner, 224). This notion also hurts women, as they are seen as being outcasts for participating in sports, while Messner believes women should be able to participate without having their sexuality called into question.
Messner helped perform heterosexuality against Timmy by calling him a "faggot" and by elbowing him in the chest during a basketball game, because he was the weakest member of the team (Messner, 232). This way, Messner could hide his own questions about his sexuality by joining the others in acting out their masculinity against Timmy. If he did not do this, he would be seen as being like Timmy, which could open himself up for criticism about his toughness.
I helped construct heterosexuality in intramural football this year, as one of my friends broke his finger trying to catch an easy pass. We questioned his toughness and his masculinity because he hurt himself doing something that most men consider to be an easy task, and it led to us calling him a "pussy" for the rest of the year.
The Cult of Manliness,the Victorian Era, and Play Day era reinforced the former constructions of gender by preventing women to compete and participate to their full potential. In the early 20th century, our country's manifest destiny was complete and wars were moving farther away from America. Sport became the new masculine terrain. As the men expressed their masculinity through sport and competition, women were limited to activities such as cycling. During the Victorian era women were discourage from participating in the same activities as men. They were discouraged because of the belief that women were weak and physical activity was dangerous to their health. During the Play Day era, women gained some athletic opportunity; however, competition was discouraged among women, which is one of the main components of sport. Each of these eras relates to the structure of sport today. Mens athletics typically receive more funding and media coverage than women's athletics.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Messer, sport expresses different sexuality among men and women. Sport is maculine, which means men and women who participate are manly. Men who play sports are masculine and heterosexual, which leads to the assumption that women who participate are also masculine, but homosexual. This discourages women, yet again, from participating in sport.
Messer performed heterosexuality by labeling his teammate as a "faggot." He continued the performance by showing off how much stronger he is than this teammate. I have also performed heterosexuality in sport. It is a generalization that softball players are lesbians. I am not a lesbian, but some of my teammates were. To express my heterosexuality, I looked as feminine as possible during each game. I wore makeup, pink nailpolish, and other girly accessories.
Throughout the past and the present today it is clear to see that gender roles are socially constructed. Even after all the work people have done throughout the years to make men and women equal I believe it is still obvious today that they aren’t really thought of that way, especially when it comes to sport. The cult of manliness was started in the late 19th century. It was based on the idea that men needed a way to reinforce their manliness because women were starting to work and do things that weren’t expected of them. In sport all the characteristics that seem to be valued such as being strong, fast, tough, are all traits that males are thought to portray and not women. George Sage says, “Thus, sport became a popular means for men to reaffirm their masculinity and hence, a powerful tool for maintaining patriarchal gender relations”(p65). This says perfectly what they were trying to achieve by excluding women from sport. Any women that tried to participate were not thought of well. During the Victorian Era it appeared to be a little easier for women to participate in some sports. They created the bicycle, a form of basketball thought to be acceptable to women, croquet, and a few others. I think the Victorian Era could be thought of as both reinforcing and challenging the socially constructed views. In challenging them it was the first step towards helping women participate in physical activity and finally letting them step away from some of the views of how women should act. On the other hand it reinforced the ideas because they had to create specific sports that were not to tiring and approved to be done by women, it still kept the idea that women can’t participate in things men can do because of they way they are viewed. The play day era was a way to have women participate in sports but not in a competitive way. They wanted to do sports for the fun of it only for women. This would help to if you were considered to be a radical feminist and believe that women and men should not be equal because they are different. I believe that they should be treated similarly so I don’t think this helped the much in breaking down the socially constructed views because they still weren’t allowed to participate the way men did. Dominant notions of sexuality are constructed differently for men and women when it comes to sport because for men sport is considered the norm to be masculine, manly, and straight to play. So when a female comes along and wants to do similar things they think of her as manly and maybe not straight. Messner thinks of heterosexuality as a socially constructed idea and that by participating in sport he was following heterosexuality but it wasn’t really him. He was just fitting into the views of what heterosexuality is thought of by many. On his team they acted heterosexually by making fun of someone not as strong as them, trying to act aggressive, fighting to be the “manliest”. I only played a few sports when I was young before I realized cheerleading and dance were more my thing. On a dance team there aren’t very many situations for us to act as Messner did towards “Timmy” but there were times where people would say things towards other female athletes about their sexuality. I think we acted like this because of the way our sport was demeaned by them so that was the only way they thought we could defend ourselves.
ReplyDeleteAlthough in the early 1920s, there was a social breakthrough with women gaining more acceptance as far as playing sports, social roles were still being pushed, albeit more hidden. The Play Day Era was a big thing for women as it was one of the largest revolutions of women in sports. However, this was overshadowed by the fact that the competitive aspect was taken out by having the "teams" join up and compete against another "team" of people grouped from all of the different organizations they were representing, so that it really wasn't as much for competition as it was for fun. While we've come a very long way from the play day era, men's and women's sport are still distinctly different. Men's sports are still typically rougher and more competitive-possibly a reason women don't have football- and they have a much larger following. Men, who are the largest demographic for sports, don't typically enjoy seeing women in these same competitive environments. Homosexuality enters as a group who are also not as welcomed in the sporting world because sport is typically a way to reinforce heterosexual male ideas. This obviously makes it harder for homosexual people to find a place in sport and why there are surely many gay athletes, they are reluctant to come out. I've witnessed in the gym that straight men use they athletic environment to reinforce their strength and athletic ability, almost as a way to confirm to themselves that they are "manly" enough, often times trying to out work each other. Sport continues to represent men trying to fit the role of a typical "manly man".
ReplyDeleteThe cult of manliness, Victorian Era and The Play Day Era all worked to shape gender and construction roles in society. The cult of manliness work to reinforce the dominant roles of male citizens. Women began to deviate from the obedient, house ridden life style, a trend that was not accepted by dominant male figures. In response, males began to emphasize the role of athletics and masculine body features. This response was used by men to uphold their dominant position in society. The Victorian Era, sparked by the elegant and ultra feminine Queen Elizabeth furthered the social expectations of women as predominantly care-givers. Despite the short comings in the athletic arena, women were given opportunity in education and the work force. This shift aids in explaining the cult of manliness as a proper response by a male trying to retain dominance. The Play Day Era was the initial movement to promote women’s’ athletic on the collegiate level. Despite lacking competition and upholding an ultra-feminine quality, Play Days gave women the opportunity to participate in athletic activity.
ReplyDeleteInterrelated notions of sex and gender shape the way that sport is structured today. Males’ who perform in athletics are view as normal and glamorized for the physical and finical benefits associated with competitive athletics. On the other hand, females who participate in athletics are often questioned concerning their sexual endeavors if a feminine exterior is not constructed and upheld. Messner related this idea to an experience he encountered during high school. His attempt to connect sport with masculinity and heterosexuality are shown by his need to retain his dominance by, in turn, dominating someone else.
During my high school athletic career I encountered many experiences that exemplify the interrelated notions of sex and gender in society. Female participants in sports that were considered at the time to be “masculine” were often question about their sexual engagements by students not familiar with the individual.
The Cult of Manliness, the Victorian Era, and Play Day Era reinforced they way in which women were viewed and treated in sport. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s sport became dominant in America, but not for everyone. While men were able to compete, women sport was frowned upon, as they were not “masculine” enough to play. Women were allowed to play certain sports that didn’t involve harsh physical activity during the Victorian Era. Since women were perceived as weak and fragile, they were discouraged from playing the same sports as men. Then, during the Play Day Era women gained more respect in sport. Though they were not allowed to play all sports, they gained a lot of recognition through sport. According to Sage, “sport’s demands for strength, aggressiveness, and displays of courage were congruent with perceptions of masculinity and incongruent with those of femininity” (pg. 65). Even today, these perceptions remain. If you look at the media, men receive more attention and draw more viewers. And until Title IX, men often received more funding and sporting opportunities.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Mike Messner, sport expresses sexuality in various ways between men and women. He explains that women are still discouraged from sport because of the perceived “manliness” or “masculinity” of sport. Since it is viewed in this way, many perceive women that play sports as being masculine. This is shown through the model of: athleticism=masculinity=heterosexuality. Messner uses his own examples of this difference in sport by calling his own teammate a “faggot.” Messner did this to cover up his attraction to his teammate, which resulted in the rest of the team viewing their teammate Timmy differently because of his sexual preference.
For as long as I can remember in any sport, the weakest players are usually picked last. Especially on the playground, but also in organized sport. Coaches often look over certain players just because of their size or how tough they look. I for one have experienced this as I was never one of the bigger kids playing sports. Also since I have red hair, people didn’t think of me as a hardnosed athlete. The coaches and players finally started to not over look me, once they had seen me play for awhile. But based off physical perceptions, they made premature judgments.
The cult of manliness is something I would consider a scape goat. It is an ideology that men are more powerful than women. This is patriarchy at its finest in sport. So in the early 1900s if a man in his most “man-ly-est” state was playing a sport and women could also do same thing it made the man look bad. At least that’s what everyone was thinking. The cult of manliness reinforced social constructions of gender. It made a man fell very powerful to do something “that a women could not”, especially in sport. It was all they had. For example today if a woman has more cut arms than a man that man is kind of looked down upon as not being a manly man. Sage says that traditional ideology say women are supposed to be passive, nurturing and dependent. None of these qualities are good in sports but all the traditional male qualities are good in sports. This all is the cult of manliness
ReplyDeleteSo when the play day era came around, women got to play sports just as men. This by far defiantly challenged the social constructions of gender. Men did not want women to be doing “manly stuff.” They used whatever they could to keep women out of sports. When the women ran the 800m and laid down after the race, men made a big deal out of, got women out of racing longer than 80m for over ten years. But even through all this the play day era had a huge impact challenging social constructions of gender. Women were playing sports and there was nothing they could do about it.
Messner say that sports are seen as normal for men. When people have a baby boy, his clothes will have a baseball on it and it will be normal. But if a baby girl has clothes on with a baseball on it everyone will think it’s a boy. This is because women are not supposed to like sports. (Slippery slope) in today’s society. So sports =masculinity. Man+sports=masculinity. Women +sports=could mean masculinity.
Athleticism=masculinity=heterosexuality. For women it's athleticism? femininity? heterosexuality
Messner wants to practice new way to break up gay and lesbian categories
It was constructed because to be a man is too have power and since he wanted to be the man of his team he picked on the weakest people to make himself look more masculine. But as he looks back he sees how much of a man he was not. Because a man would go after the strongest to make himself stronger. You want to be the best you have to beat the best kind of thing.
In track the 400m is considered the man race. So if you are the fastest in the 400m you are kind of like the team leader. I was a high jumper but and I was the best on the team, so pretty much one thing lead to another and I ended up running the 400m and when I ran I realized how much more attritions you get you run a 400m race.
The Cult of Manliness evolved in response to women’s increasing encroachment into the workforce and public scene in the latter 19th century. Male patriarchy went from a black and white issue, to a more gray area as women’s roles increased, and they became more recognized in society. Men found sport as a way to prove/ensure their masculinity. Sport demanded strength, aggression, and power, all traits that correspond to the idea of masculinity. With men’s active participation in sport, it helped to make the gray area of patriarchy once again more black and white, because sport allowed men to maintain their masculinity.
ReplyDeleteThe Victorian Era challenged the former social constructions of gender because women were given more freedom to engage in sport, and get out of the house. This shattered ideas of the typical role of a woman. It allowed women to be more independent, and become involved in activities outside of their roles in the house and with their families.
The Play Day Era challenged the social constructions of gender because women were given the opportunity to engage in sport but they had to do it in a modern, controlled way. The Play Day Era also maintained former social constructions of gender because women did not show characteristics of masculinity in sport. They were not to be aggressive, or play competitively. This maintains the social construction of gender because women were more passive yet sociable.
Sport shapes notions of gender and sex in society. Sage writes, “Organized sport has been a powerful cultural arena for reinforcing the ideology and actuality of male superiority and dominate; its traditions, symbols and values have tended to preserve patriarchy and women’s subordinate position in society” (64). Sport reinforced ideas of masculinity-aggression, dominance, power and competitiveness, ultimately maintaining patriarchal gender relations. Sport for women today is largely centered around the “female apologetic.” Women apologize for their involvement in sport by emphasizing their femininity. Women become sex symbols for the sport they participate in by looking sexy on magazine covers, or modeling feminine clothes for their sport. In doing so, they maintain the idea of femininity instead of crossing into the masculine world of sport.
According to Messner, sport participation for men can be described in a balanced equation. When men engage in sports, they can be seen as more athletic, which then can be translated into being masculine, which ultimately means being heterosexual. For women athletes, the equation is not as concrete. When women engage in sport, they may be seen as athletic, which doesn’t really lead to being feminine, which then can cause someone to question their heterosexuality.
Messner’s critique of homosexual as a category is that he believes hierarchical and reductionist theories have incorrectly named groups of people (228). Messner thinks that a woman can play sports and that doesn’t make her a lesbian. He is frustrated with the preconceived notions many people have made in history about homosexuality.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the sexual story, Messner rejected his once friend, and subject of his homoerotic desires. There was no reason to reject Timmy except that Timmy was more “feminized” than the other boys. He wasn’t as aggressive or physically manly as the other boys. To deny and repress his feelings, Messner exuberated masculine expectations and traits and became the dominant player on the team, and became more aggressive to prove his masculinity. Sport became an institution linked with heterosexuality because of the equation mentioned: athleticism = masculinity = heterosexuality (225), which could serve as a cover for homosexuality for some.
A first hand experience I have of this is a boy at my high school who is gay stayed actively involved in sports and never told anyone of his sexuality. Freshman year of college, he told me he was gay. I was surprised because he covered it beautifully (and he admitted to this) by staying involved in sports, and activities seen as more manly.
The cult of manliness challenged the social constructions of gender in the fact that women who participated in sports were considered to be acting more manly. Since sports was considered manly this even challenged whether women were supposed to be completely "absent of heterosexual interest" at all (Cahn, 344). The Victorian era also established the importance of how a woman should look and be lady like as well. With the main idea of sport by many to be "labeled [with] aggression, physicality, and competitive spirit" this was considered to be too manly for those who believed in the values of Victorianism (Cahn, 344). The dominating interrelated notions of sex and gender in sport was that it was not recommended for women to participate in something so masculine because "strenuous athletic pursuits endangered women and threatened the stability of society" (Cahn, 345). Today some critics believe this is still true.
ReplyDeleteMessner critiqued the homosexual role as a category through saying that those who were in the homosexual community were wishing to be different in their actions but wanted to be viewed as the same by "giving a straight image to the public: 'We are just like you.'" (Messner, 223). But through sport, since sport is viewed as masculine then men who participate are considered masculine and are viewed normal and heterosexual by society where as women who are in sport, are participating in something masculine making them viewed as homosexual. Messner, through his story, constructed heterosexuality and homosexuality through actions. Even before he elbowed Timmy he felt himself that he wasn't being man enough, not being aggressive enough (it pops up again in the definition of sport) so he decided that to prove he was a man in a masculine sport he would have to be more aggressive and it was his action that made the image of heterosexuality not necessarily the sport itself.
I just participated in this in high school. I was the running back in my high school and I never just ran out of bounds. That was considered girly or not masculine and to prove that I was man enough I would always make sure I'd finish a run hard instead of just run out of bounds.
The Cult of Manliness is found to challenge former constructions of gender by the "new woman" emerging. The Victorian era challenges the former social construction of gender by making physical activity allowed. Some physical activity allowed was the safety bicycle and basketball. The Play Day era reinforced gender construction by mixing gender roles and allowing women to play moderate sports.
ReplyDeleteDominant interrelated notions of sex and gender shape how sport is structured today by making men's sport to be heterosexual when it use to be seen as homosexual. Men's and women's sport is seen as masculine and competitive now. Which can be seen as homosexual for women.
Mike Messner explains how dominant notions of sex and gender have been constructed differently for men than for women. For men, sex and gender in sport has been constructed as normal. If a man plays a sport, they are seen as masculine and normal because it is a sign of heterosexuality. For women however, it is seen as paradoxical or questionable because if a woman plays a sport she is not seen as feminine nor heterosexual.
Messner feels that heterosexuality as a category does not have to be paired with homosexual as an oppositional counterpart.
After reading Messner's sexual story I realized that Mike and his teammates used homophobic banter to make fun of Timmy. They called him names. Mike makes fun of Timmy in order to use heterosexuality to denie his homo-erotic feelings for Timmy. I have not experienced this same idea. I did play soccer during my entire childhood and there were always rumors going around about different girls being homosexual. One of my best friends in high school told me she was gay. I played soccer with this friend but did not treat her any different. She was still my best friend and I accepted that and did not want others to look down on her for it. I actually feel that we became better friends after I found out.
The cut of manliness is the clearest illustration of an ideology that reinforced past gender constructions and gender roles—that is, men were supposed to be dominant, strong, and active while women were not. The cult of manliness arose as a result of the “modernization on male roles and behavior…national leaders expressed fear that men were losing ‘masculine’ traits like courage, ruggedness, and hardiness to effeminacy” (Sage, 139). A solution to this problem was for men to show their physical capabilities and to compete through sport.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that at the same time, which also included the Victorian Era, women were encouraged to participate in physical activity, but for health reasons only and strictly in moderation. Competition was deemed unnecessary and greatly discouraged. Women who did who did try to participate in competitive sports would more than likely face social ostracization and censure (Sage, 139). Both the Victorian Era and the cult of manliness worked to assert that men were meant to be physically active and competitive while women were merely supposed to attempt to gain a health benefit.
In contrast, the Play Day Era worked more to get women involved in sport in “reaction to the male model of sport” (lecture 3/24). These were run by women, just like the very beginning of women’s collegiate sport that was run by female physical trainers. However, this Play Day Era mixed sport with traditional gender roles. Because of this, it did the most to combat the social construction of gender, though it did not outrageously so.
Gender still plays greatly into sport. There are differing rules for men and women in the same sports and some sports specific to one gender or the other. Male athletes, who are more strictly bound to gender appropriate clothes, wear clothes that are not only accepted but copied by others (I suppose male distance runners may be excluded from this, as most other guys tend to not wear short shorts.) Women on the other hand, because of the female apologetic must work to show their femininity outwardly. In some sports, such as track, where “cute” and form fitting clothes are available, not much else is necessary. But for sports like basketball where the attire is a bit off of the societal norm for females, it is not uncommon to see girls still wearing makeup or colorful prewrap/headbands, which is mainly considered a female thing.
Messner contends that sexuality and gender have been set up differently for men and women in several ways. Firstly, men are meant to be the powerful (after all, patriarchy is still alive and kicking). But feminism and modernization challenged patriarchy and led to worries among men that the gender balance was being upset. In this way, “hetero” of heterosexual reasserts the oppositeness of the genders (Messner, 224). This also is compatible with the notion of sexuality applies to men. They are expected to be athletic buffed up women hungry beings, that is, as Messner says, athleticism, masculinity, and heterosexuality are all tied together. For women, basically the opposite occurs. The more athletic a woman is, the more potential there is for her sexuality to be questioned, leading to the female apologetic, where women emphasize their femininity in an effort to combat this.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to homosexuality as a category, Messner’s view seems to be that it is a bit overdone. He brings in Katz’s analogy of heterosexuality/homosexuality being “Siamese twins, the first good, the second bad, bound together in public for life in unalterable antagonistic symbiosis” (223).
In Messner’s sexual story, he and his teammates performed heterosexuality by keeping Timmy, the most effeminate of them, “in his place” so to speak. Additionally, but putting him down, they were able to reassert themselves as more manly men, and because he was the lowest on the totem pole, they were able to compare themselves to him and make themselves better.
An example of heterosexuality in sport that I encountered in sport didn’t really happen on the court or field. One thing I remember, especially for basketball games, was that it was sort of a big deal if players’ boyfriends did or did not come watch, or if players were going to watch their boyfriend. By having a boyfriend come to games, one could argue that they are accepting and supporting the athleticism of the girl, and by having a boyfriend, the girl is asserting her femininity and sexuality. On the flip side, if girls went to watch their boyfriends’ games, they were helping the guy assert his masculinity, and therefore (in our society), his heterosexuality.
To fit into this “elite” cult of manliness one first needs to learn to be male. Doing so by projecting their physical presence that screams POWER! This male stream started in the late 19th early 20th centuries as a result of industrialization, immigration and the “New Woman”. Change continues in the Victorian Era (about 1880s) when the bicycle and basketball crazes for women began. Women became more mobile and this started to worry the dudes. As the Play Day era steps up in 1923 a boom of women’s sports by women for women took swing. This allowed women to play a non-competitive, non-representative, dumbed down version of male sport. (It was a start) It allowed for people like the Babe, and Gertrude (first women to swim the English channel) to take high aim and step into the world of men’s sports. Before all this happened women were thought to be too weak and not as intelligent as men therefore unable to take on sport and physical activity. The eras reinforced the way to go was the manly way (demonstrated by women WANTING to do what the men were doing). It later challenged the system by holding an all women track meet in 1922 and women finally being able to participate in the Olympics.
ReplyDeleteToday everyone no matter your sex or race are treated pretty much equally across all boards. There will always be ignorant people therefore always some discrimination and prejudice. But most overcome and surpass these hurdles and continue to do what they want: play sports. Men still dominate and get most of the attention from the press and media and it is always to celebrate what they have done. Women don’t get much attention unless it’s an epic fail or an unexpected Gold in the Olympics.
Messner gives it to us straight in that men and women are different. That both men and women are going to participate in sport but are seen in different lights. One could be on why they practice, weather to relieve stress, beat out the other guy, or for health men and women get stereotyped. Men are seen in this glowing light of normal when it comes to sport. It shows athleticism, masculinity, and heterosexuality. (Personally I don’t get how sport shows being hetero, I thought that had more to do with other topics but oh well) And women are seen to be more “odd” if in a more masculine sport. Some fear it creating a more manly body and that participating makes them unattractive and unwanted by the males or “proper” suitors for parenthood.
Sport shows skill and talent and for people having fun. Not to stereotype someone’s body build. (Unless you’re a body builder) It’s sad that some sports are more generalized for one sex versus another. Like if a boy wants to dance. It’s more accepted on the coast but in conservative or rural areas it’s weird or foreign. Even though it was created and started by men and very accepted in many cultures. But as far as sport being heterosexual it attempts to bring that out through muscle building, standing tall, and rough.
Personally the only time was for homecoming week when the grades would form powder puff teams. Each grade would face off and loser eliminated until one team stood. My grade (all through high school) never lost. We were a very athletic grade and did well in other sports. We would always play very rough and even though it was flag football it could have been mistaken for tackle. There were never any serious fights but people were very aggressive and catty. Winning also won you the respect of all the guys in the school and showed the girls not to mess with you.
The Victorian Era kept women in a rut as far as participating in sports or other types of physical competition. It was seen that the woman should keep after the house and those inhabited in it. Women were supposed to be nurturing and caring, according to Sage, and that’s another reason why they shouldn’t compete in sports (Sage 42). Women were not supposed to show masculine characteristics, such as competition, because it was un-lady like and many still thought that a woman’s body could not handle the harsh implications of physical activity. The Play Day Era acted as a gateway for women participating in sports. Women were finally allowed to get physical exercise, which was beneficial to their health. However, with the Play Day Era still came separations between men and women as women were not allowed to compete. Women were divided into random groups so they wouldn’t have a chance to practice outside of the actual Play Day. Also, keeping score was not heard of; but none the less the Play Day Era was still a good stepping stone for women being accepted in sports.
ReplyDeleteOur interrelated ideas of gender and sex influence much of sport today. Masculine men are seen as playing football and other rough sports that require them to be violent and take pain. Women are seen to be feminine and have not been given as much of a chance to play physically violent sports, like football. Powder puff is the closest that most let women come to play football. Women should be given the opportunity to have more sports that have been seen as “manly” throughout the years. Another example is that track has structured to the ideas of feminine and masculine. What I mean here is that men run a full 1600 meters while women run 1500 meters. Now I don’t know if there’s more behind it, but to me it seems that track and field is trying to keep women less masculine by not allowing them to run as far.
According to Messner: Athleticism=masculinity=heterosexuality (Messner 225). This shows that men are considered to be athletic, which makes them masculine, which ultimately makes them heterosexual. But for women it’s different. Athleticism doesn’t equal femininity and in return if a women is athletic she is probably a lesbian. But according to Messner, women shouldn’t have their sexuality based off whether or not they are athletic. I think that in today’s society we can more easily agree with Messner.
Messner and his teammates constructed to heterosexuality by calling Timmy a faggot and by picking on him. Messner also constructed to heterosexuality by elbowing Timmy .
I’ve seen this play out, especially when I was younger. In elementary school kids would always pick on this one boy who was smaller than everyone else and had a higher pitch voice. It didn’t help that the kid hated physical sports, like football. I remember at recess kids used to push him around, but very few kids stuck up for him for fear they’d also be called a fag and physically harmed.
When referring to Victorian Era, the social constructions of gender were challenged by the vast disregard to women’s involvement in sports. They were thought to be incapable of competition because they did not have the stereotypical characteristics thought necessary to compete. Women revoked and challenged these stereotypes by their involvement in outside activities such as bicycling. The Play Day Era was a vast improvement of the Victorian Era but still disregarded a women’s capability to compete against organized and opposing teams. Here women congregating together to play sports from at least three different schools, however the teams were a mixture of all of the different women’s teams together. In doing this, womanly characteristics were not jeopardized because no one person would have a lot at stake if they lost the competition. The cult of manliness which arose in the 19th century, was characterized as a way for men to escape the “feminization” that was taking place (Sage 139). Men relied heavily on appearance and physique that would depict them as a dominant force in society. Sport became more than just recreation, but a way to depict one’s individuality.
ReplyDeleteSport and gender is structured today around idealistic views and social norms that directly affect the way sport is received in our culture. Men’s sports still remain the focal point or “the center” as Messner refers it, in our society. Here the major sports including Baseball, Basketball, Football, and Hockey are all men’s professional sports. These draw the most attention from the public, create the most revenue, and are most relatable in everyday life. Out of these 4 sports, 2 out of the 4 are solely men’s sports ( we do not have women’s football or women’s baseball). This is a prime example of how sport is reflectant of gender in that the opportunities are less accessible or disagree with social norms regarding women even in this day in age.
Messner points of that for men sport creates a normalizing equation:
Athleticism=masculinity=heterosexuality
However for women the equation is much more unclear. Where do you draw the line on what is acceptable for women in compliance with our societies social norms. Messner’s critique of homosexuality is that “ the term heterosexual has served over the past century as a key linking process within a shifting matrix of domination structure along the lines of race, class, and gender.” (Messner 24) and he would argue that “sexuality has been an especially salient process when it appears at the intersections of other structures of power” (Messner 24). He believes that heterosexuality was not meaningful until our society believed it to be a negative effect on our social normatives. Messner rejected Timmy in regards to his differential appearance and characteristics that geared towards a more feminine appeal. Messner fell into the spell of trying to prove his masculinity by being aggressive and forthcoming. The more masculine traits he portrayed the less questions and concerns others may have in regards to his sexual orientation.
I had a friend in highschool who never quit fit in with the “guys”. He was somewhat more feminine and very caring and quiet. Just these traits alone were enough to ensure that over 4 years of highschool, not once was he able to jump in on a pick of game of basketball with the guys because they immeadiately categorized him as not masculine. He was not gay, but always had a group of people thinking that he was just because he was not aggressive or extremely athletic.