Hegemonic Masculinity On The Bound Summary

In his article “Hegemonic Masculinity on the Mound: Media Representations of Nolan Ryan and American Sports Culture,” Nick Trujillo, associate professor of communication studies in California state university, examines various print and television representations of Nolan Ryan to show how male athletes are replicated in American culture and society. Trujillo also presents five features of hegemonic masculinity namely: physical force and control, occupational achievement, familial patriarchy, frontiersmanship and heterosexuality; thus exploring how mediated sport have reinforced these features.

Hegemonic masculinity can be defined as the “culturally idealized dorm of masculine character” (Trujillo, 290) where the society defines what it means to be a man, subordinates women and marginalizes gay men. This article focuses on Nolan Ryan and how the media has presented him to the public.

Trujillo’s article makes valid points about mediated sports and masculinity. He analyzes Nolan Ryan based on the five features of hegemonic masculinity. He doesn’t make assumptions about Nolan Ryan as he examines over 250 articles from popular newspapers and magazines, over 100 news reports and 30 advertisements

on Ryan. I feel he does a good job at analyzing Nolan Ryan; however this article is not accessible to younger generations because they cannot identify with the person.
Firstly, masculinity has been defined on the basis of physical force or control and Nolan Ryan wasn’t spared.

He was described as a “power pitcher” and this in turn confirmed the power of the male body. I am of two minds about Trujillo’s claim that “force and competence” have defined men as power holders and women as subordinates. On the one hand, I agree that men have been defined as power holders and this is because nature has provided men an advantage (physical and other areas) over women.On the other hand, I’m not sure exactly if recent events in the world can justify this claim as male dominance has been questioned successfully by feminists. Also, with the existence of education and jobs for women, it is safe to say that male domination has lost its grip on the

society.
I also agree with Trujillo’s claim that sport has influenced our understanding of masculinity thus persuading the public to believe that sports builds “manly character, develops physical fitness, realizes order and promotes justice” (291); however, recent American football players have proven that masculinity emphasizes aggression, violence and patriarchy. An article on the Sports Illustrated website shows how NFL players were arrested for domestic violence and assault. For example the Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy was arrested for issuing threats to his former girlfriend, it was further reported that he “threw the woman into a bathroom, then dragged her into the bedroom, choked her, picked her up again, and threw her on a couch covered in firearms. He also reportedly threatened to shoot her if she told anyone about the fight” (Wire, 2014). Thus from this incident, we see how mediated sport masculinity have allowed male dominance and the subordination of women.
I agree with Trujillo when he says that sport is constructed like work. Serena Williams is one female athlete that is successful in tennis; however, Serena endured “the rigors of daily two-hour practices from her father” in order to achieve 20 grand slam titles (Biography.com). Sport is hard work because athletes have to go through rigorous training and workouts to achieve success.
Mediated sport has constructed male hegemony and this in turn has allowed for rape, assault and domestic violence for men to control physical force and power. Women on the other hand, have been portrayed as attractive objects behind the man or subordinates. Feminists have been challenging male dominance in the society but this is a futile mission because sports is the greatest constructor of male dominance.