Socialization of Males Through Sports
With socialization, learning, not instinct is responsible for the development of values, identities, and roles in relationship to society. Michael Messner views identity as a "process of construction." One way that gender identity for males is generated is through sports.
Messner did a study on a diverse group of retired athletes. Through this study, Messner observed how males identified their boyhood through sports. Four broad areas of the lives of the thirty diverse athletes were addressed. The first item of concern was the athletes' earliest experiences with sports in boyhood. Second were the athletic careers of the athletes. Third, was the conclusion and withdraw from their athletic careers. Fourth was their life after their athletic career had been concluded. Messner also compared the athletes that came from a poor background, to those that had come from a higher status background.
All of these athletes had been brought into sports when they were young. Being involved in sports as a young boy seemed to be the natural and normal thing to do. Some of the interviewed athletes responded that there was something wrong with a young boy who was not involved with sports, and that it was a "natural" thing and really the only thing to do. Being that society for these athletes offered no rites of passage into manhood, sports became the way to prove one's manhood.
Family influences played a major role in the motivation of these athletes. Competition or emulation of family members was often the reason one tried so hard to excel in the athletic world. These competitive atmospheres often created a lot of pressure. Often, receiving the respect of one's father and making him proud was also an important factor in pushing athletes to success. Some of the athletes were afraid of failure, and fought harder to get the praise of his family. Their father also introduced many of these athletes to sports. The father image in a boys mind was that of an invincible, powerful man that they could never even come close to. Obtaining respect from someone who is held in such high esteem is very inspiring. This connection with the father was the main push for much of the athletic achievement.
The early commitment to sports that these men had as boys assisted in the development of their masculine identity.
Most student-athletes grow up as very innocent lads bedecked with tremendous talents and become very promising in sports. Thus, they become rays of hope for their families, neighborhoods, and schools yet to be determined. Like the lamb in William Blake’s poem The Lamb, they are fed “by the stream & o’er the mead; gave…clothing of delight, softest clothing, wooly, bright…making all the vales rejoice.” (Smith 24) Then they are exposed to the life of hard work in which only the fittest survives. This makes them ready for the different challenges in the sports scene.
The influence of sports activities on boys’ identity and socialization experience remains a major interest in gender studies today. Michael A. Messner wrote an article called Boyhood, Organized Sports, and the Construction of Masculinities. The article examines the way sports focus and define what it is to be a masculine, studies variation in sports’ influences across social classes, and depicts lessons sports participation impacts for relationships beyond sports. Each area Michael A. Messner examined directly relates to three key concepts of psychology theories. The concepts consist of observational learning (social learning), conformity, and social identity. The research methods in the article are also a major factor contributing to the
Society has always had the idea that males should participate in masculine activities and females in feminine activities. These activities define the lifestyle that person would have. It was also believed that if a male was not involved in masculine activities, that male was not a man. Sports is a field that has been dominated by males in the past years, and more recently has had a lot of females take part in it. But does playing a sport define one’s masculinity? Michael Messner, the author of Boyhood, Organized Sports, and the Construction of Masculinities, discusses the effect sports has on upcoming young men of different races. The effect of being introduced to a sport at a young age allowed males of different races to gain a sense of masculinity,
Sports play a large part of an athletic student’s life, weighing heavily on one’s identity. In his essay, “Cut”, Bob Greene relays how he and several others are cut from their middle school sports team because “[they weren’t] good enough” (Greene 58). Because of this cut, Greene and his peers end up pushing harder than ever in other areas of their life. He notes, “an inordinately large proportion of successful men share… the memory
The history of sports goes back since ancient times. It has been a useful way for people to explore nature and their environment. Sports include different activities and games such as football, soccer, basketball, and etc. to express their skills and talents. Also, sports are a way to relax and have fun; but are sports all our African Americans rely on? The dream to become future sports stars. The reason why Gates begins his essay with an anecdote is to show and compare how many african-american athletes were at work today and how little the chances of African-Americans becoming athletes are compared to being a lawyer, dentist, or even a doctor. African-Americans assume that they are born athletes and it’s because the school system doesn’t teach them reality and educate them to undertake more realistic goals for careers.
Following on from the quote i found that female athletes in traditionally masculine sports do so by challenging the social dictates about proper behaviour for females, therefore focusing so much on the sexual orientation has unfairly been denied opportunities in sports.
Cohen, symbolic interaction “revolves around the ability of humans to see themselves through the eyes of others and to enact social roles based on others’ expectations” (p. 21). Throughout the article, “Boyhood, Organized Sports, and the Construction of Masculinities,” Messner provides several examples of how participating in organized sports aids in forming one’s identity, more specifically as a man. One of the interviewees stated that he became involved in sports because, “…It was just like brushing your teeth; It’s just what you did. It’s just part of your existence” (p. 135). The interviewees’ statement implies that guys who do not participate in sports are inferior to those guys who do participate in sports, that participating in sports is the only activity that establishes a guy’s identity and fulfills his very existence on the planet. Another example that demonstrates Messner’s theoretical perspective can be drawn from the paragraph that discusses an instance where Messner attended a basketball camp held for young males. The young males played a scrimmage game while older males were observing. Messner states that there were “expressions ranging from puzzlement to thinly disguised terror on their faces as [the younger males] awaited the judgements of the [older males]” (p. 140). Messner’s observation and statement indicate that the approval and criticism of others are necessary to cultivate a guy’s identity, and sustain that identity. Last but
The presence of activity and sport is found within cultures and societies all over the world, and throughout history. Activity in the form of sport can often be the purest form of expression for a society or individual. The sporting world is often thought to be a microcosm of the actual world with the problems and issues of society still being ever present in the sporting community. Since sport can be used as an expression of self, it is no wonder that sport is often a reflection of the society that it occupies. One such society that was deeply impacted by the role of sport is that of Native American boarding school students in the 1800’s and 1900’s. These students lived tough lives but just like how it had helped other cultural societies, sport was able to provide these students with basic needs of autonomy and pride.
These days, there is too much pressure on children who participate in organized sports because of the unnecessary parental involvement they experience. A growing concern amongst those involved in youth sports is that certain aspects of parental involvement become detrimental to the development and experiences of young athletes. Early emphasis on winning, making money, and the disruption of education can exceedingly affect ones desire to further participate in a sport later on in his/her life.
Coakley (2009) starts off the chapter by introducing how participation in organized sports came about and how gender roles played a major role early on. He describes how most programs were for young boys with the hope that being involved would groom them to become productive in the economy. Girls were usually disregarded and ended up sitting in the stands watching their sibling’s ga...
As Miller and Wilson revealed, athleticism is not always analogous with success. Willy regarded Biff highly because he observed Biff’s presence and athleticism, and he believed these qualities would result in immediate success. Today many parents associate sports with success and therefore pressure their children to excel in sports. In today’s society it is very rare that fears of discrimination would cause children to not pursue a lucrative career in sports. Both Miller and Wilson knew the impact of sports on family dynamics, and how sports have evolved from a leisure time activity to a full-time commitment. Clearly, many of the qualitative aspects of sports--competition, teamwork and physical dexterity can contribute to being a success in almost any career.
The type of sport adolescents choose to participate in can be considered masculine, feminine, or neutral which causes stereotypes among peers. Society has set the stereotypes for competitive sports based on gender. According to Alley & Hick (2005), “despite legal and social changes, sexist ideology still pervades sport” (p.273). Sports are seen as masculine, male dominated, and males receive higher media coverage and pay than the majority of female sports. The gender stereotype is learned through socialization and “for certain sports appear to be learned by grade school” (Alley & Hicks, 2005. p. 274). Gender role conflicts may appear in some athlete depending on the sport(s) one chooses to participate in, but this can alter by demonstrating acceptance for the opposite gender in sports. It is important to indentifying the social effects of sports participation in both genders and how beneficial it can be to the adolescent. Through sports participation adolescents learn those gender roles are based on self-perception, and not social interactions.
Whether its baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, or tennis, sports is seen all over the world as a representation of one’s pride for their city, country, and even continent. Sports is something that is valued world-wide which has the ability to bring communities together and create different meanings, beliefs and practices between individuals. Although many people may perceive sports to have a significant meaning within our lives, it can also have the ability to separate people through gender inequalities which can also be represented negatively throughout the media. This essay will attempt to prove how gender is constructed in the sports culture while focusing on female athletes and their acceptance in today’s society.
The studies summarize the different ways sports industry and athletes are influenced by socialization. Out of the many studies, I chose to read the study that describes the three factors that are related to sport participation. The first factor is a person’s ability, characteristic and resources that a person acquires. The second factor is the influence of other people, such as parents, siblings, friends, significant other, teachers and role models. The last factor is related to the availability of opportunities a person has to play sports in a way that can be personally satisfying. All the three factors can play a limiting role in a person’s life in a way that can limit them from participating in sports of their
In one historical moment from Pamela Grundy's book Learning to Win: Sports, Education, and Social Change in Twentieth-Century North Carolina, she writes about men's college athletics between 1880 and 1901. Grundy states that "metaphors of competition gained new prominence, particularly among the members of the state's expanding middle class, which was coming to dominate public affairs" (Grundy, 12). Male college students living in North Carolina began to excel in organized athletics during this time period. "The contests on the field seemed to mirror the competitive conditions prevailing in the society at large, and the discipline, self-assertion and reasoned strategy that sports were credited with teaching meshed neatly with the qualifies required for business and political success" (Grungy, 13). People who supported athletics wholeheartedly believed it taught good values such as discipline and good character, while there were some who opposed this saying that sports were a distraction for students and thus a hindrance to their educational goals. White college men perceived athletics as a way to show their superiority and justify their presence in business as well as politics. They believed athletic sports were essential in their "vision o...