Examples Of Masculinity In Sports

Throughout the course of our lives, we are told to act or think in specific ways in order to fit into societal norms. Specifically, men are told to play sports and show no emotion in order to display their masculinity. Boys are told to not play with Barbie dolls or like the color pink because those things are for girls and that boys should like action figures and the color blue. These ideas and gender specific toys, clothing, and colors, are forced upon children before they can think for themselves, yet at an older age, different ideas are enforced to shape boy’s lives. As supported by Paul Theroux, Rebecca Walker, and Leonardo McCombe, this definition of masculinity that society creates and enforces is a damaging burden that causes young

The phrase “man up” is often used when a young boy is crying because society tells them they shouldn’t be crying, yet when they do, their parents will tell them to stop because crying is for girls. This phrase doesn’t mean they should stop acting like girls, it really means that they should “be stupid, be unfeeling, obedient, soldierly and stop thinking” (Theroux p. 568).These phrases and actions cause young boys to become phlegmatic, because when they show emotion, they are reprimanded and told to stop. As stated in Paul Theroux’s essay Be a Man, “masculinity celebrates the exclusive company of men” (Theroux p.568), and because of this, boys can only be friends with boys, not girls. Early on, society is telling these boys that the only time they can ever have a female friend is if they are dating, and that the only real friends they will have should be men. The idea of masculinity is enforced upon young children and forces them to become

As they get older they are told that if they want to get the girl they must prove to everyone that they are a boy that does boyish things, and if they don’t they will be left out of conversations because they don’t fit in with all the other boys. Even when they become adults, it is still shown that in order to be respected in society they need to get jobs that are for men, they can’t be a writer or nurse because those are female professions and they won’t be taken seriously if they have a women’s job. No matter how masculine a boy really is, society and advertisements are always trying to get men to drink or smoke by telling and showing them that the true man drinks and smokes. These ideas that society creates and enforces causes them to learn that if they want to be a man, they need to show no emotions, be strong and do sports, get a man’s job, and drink or smoke. All of these expectations for a young boy can be extremely overwhelming, yet society is telling them that if they want to prove how masculine they are, this is the way to do