Analyzing Boyhood Organized Sports And The Construction Of Masculinities Summary
Calvin Labendia
Professor Owens
SOC-230-001
17 October 2014
Analyzing Boyhood, Organized Sports, and the Construction of Masculinities
The article written by Michael Messner explores what are some true contributing factors that prepare a young boy in male-hood leading up to masculinity. He analyzes how creating the male masculine identity for a young boy can be a result of participating in organized sports. He conducted his research starting out with interviewing 30 male athletes who mostly played baseball, basketball, football, and track. Each interviewee was retired and had at least been an athlete for 5 years.
His main focus of the study were on males who desired to be an athlete and chose to commit to a lifestyle of physically perfecting
specific skills in order to excel at the sport. The male child development stage also known, as “boyhood” is the stage Messner believed commitment to such a routine all start in order to become an athlete. The writer searched for factors involving masculinity involving how early they were committed to sports, the relationship with their families especially their relationship with their father or male figures, being in a competitive structure and the conditional efforts of self-worth. The first point the author makes in the article is that sports are the “promise” to boyhood. As he interviewed retired athletes, one of the interviewees explained that sports was just part of the being a boy growing up. “It was like brushing teeth: it’s just what you did. It’s part of your existence” (Messner). Another aspect that influenced the commitment to sports was influence from family. Mostly the effect of male figures such as fathers, older brothers, uncles, coaches and so on. It was from these relationships that motivated each of the male athletes, and created a more a competitive edge for them when growing up against their peers. It was the values their father or older brothers set that introduced them to sports and had them gain an attraction to sports early on.
The relationship between organized sports and masculinity developed in the study exemplified the idea of an “elective affinity” between social structure and personality factors. Organize sports is shown as a “gender institution” in which it structured by gender relations. The way that organize sports function such as rules, organization, sex composition and so on reflects dominant ideas of masculinity and femininity. Sports often structure the way that gender norms ensue. Boys often start off sports with already a “gendering” attitude due to previous experience and socialization of it. “I have suggested here that important thread running through the development of masculine identity is males’ ambivalence toward intimate unity with others” (Messner). Young males who witness early successes in sports are able to discover that in the structure of organized sports a resemblance with masculine uncertainty towards intimacy.
All of the aspects in organized sports such as competitive hierarchy offer boys an initiative of creating an emotionally distant and safe connection with others. Boys will then able to define themselves as athletes when they are winners and in order to be a winner they must obtain the ability to maintain positive relationships with others as well as themselves. The interaction between a boy’s pre-existing contradictions toward intimacy in aspect of organized sports has resulted in creating a masculine personality.
Works Cited
Messner, M. (n.d.). Boyhood, Organized Sports, and the Construction of Masculinity. The Construction of Masculinities, 137-151. Retrieved October 14, 21.
Professor Owens
SOC-230-001
17 October 2014
Analyzing Boyhood, Organized Sports, and the Construction of Masculinities
The article written by Michael Messner explores what are some true contributing factors that prepare a young boy in male-hood leading up to masculinity. He analyzes how creating the male masculine identity for a young boy can be a result of participating in organized sports. He conducted his research starting out with interviewing 30 male athletes who mostly played baseball, basketball, football, and track. Each interviewee was retired and had at least been an athlete for 5 years.
His main focus of the study were on males who desired to be an athlete and chose to commit to a lifestyle of physically perfecting
specific skills in order to excel at the sport. The male child development stage also known, as “boyhood” is the stage Messner believed commitment to such a routine all start in order to become an athlete. The writer searched for factors involving masculinity involving how early they were committed to sports, the relationship with their families especially their relationship with their father or male figures, being in a competitive structure and the conditional efforts of self-worth. The first point the author makes in the article is that sports are the “promise” to boyhood. As he interviewed retired athletes, one of the interviewees explained that sports was just part of the being a boy growing up. “It was like brushing teeth: it’s just what you did. It’s part of your existence” (Messner). Another aspect that influenced the commitment to sports was influence from family. Mostly the effect of male figures such as fathers, older brothers, uncles, coaches and so on. It was from these relationships that motivated each of the male athletes, and created a more a competitive edge for them when growing up against their peers. It was the values their father or older brothers set that introduced them to sports and had them gain an attraction to sports early on.
The relationship between organized sports and masculinity developed in the study exemplified the idea of an “elective affinity” between social structure and personality factors. Organize sports is shown as a “gender institution” in which it structured by gender relations. The way that organize sports function such as rules, organization, sex composition and so on reflects dominant ideas of masculinity and femininity. Sports often structure the way that gender norms ensue. Boys often start off sports with already a “gendering” attitude due to previous experience and socialization of it. “I have suggested here that important thread running through the development of masculine identity is males’ ambivalence toward intimate unity with others” (Messner). Young males who witness early successes in sports are able to discover that in the structure of organized sports a resemblance with masculine uncertainty towards intimacy.
All of the aspects in organized sports such as competitive hierarchy offer boys an initiative of creating an emotionally distant and safe connection with others. Boys will then able to define themselves as athletes when they are winners and in order to be a winner they must obtain the ability to maintain positive relationships with others as well as themselves. The interaction between a boy’s pre-existing contradictions toward intimacy in aspect of organized sports has resulted in creating a masculine personality.
Works Cited
Messner, M. (n.d.). Boyhood, Organized Sports, and the Construction of Masculinity. The Construction of Masculinities, 137-151. Retrieved October 14, 21.