Masculinity x Football Arianna Duprey

My Argument: Football players, and the sport in general, are placed on such a high pedestal that they have a huge influence on the American public. Football’s competitive nature creates an image of masculinity that is rooted in aggression and violence, which has an effect on both the athletes and the spectators. My criticism of football is not to say that it should be eliminated, but we should further investigate its effects off the field.

Michael Kimmel’s “Bros Before Hos”: The Guy Code “Don’t Get Mad- Get Even” “Boys Don’t Cry” “Take It Like A Man” “It’s Better to Be Mad Than Sad” “No Sissy Stuff” “Nice Guys Finish Last” “We associate masculinity with athletic ability, or size, or strength, or some kind of skill set that allows you to compete on that playground and win”- Joe Ehrmann

“Football will engage more individuals, more families, more communities, than any shared activity, cultural activity, or religion in America” (Joe Ehrmann). Roger Goodell (NFL Commissioner) earned $34.1 million in 2014 alone (Belzer). NFL generated $13 billion in 2016 season (Belzer).

“However, due to the structure of competitive sport, the masculinity expectations and standards learned in sport are often perceived as conditional. Young men who experience success in sport receive peer acceptance and attention from others ” (Messner). “Conditional acceptance is based on winning, which can contribute to the development of narrow definitions of success” (S, R, V, and S). “Compete, compete, compete. Always compete” (Richard Sherman).

“This is part of the due process for Ray “This is part of the due process for Ray. We know there is more to Ray Rice than this one incident.”- Ravens “We also have to make sure that we learn as much as we can about elements of provocation.” -Stephen A. Smith (ESPN) "I take into account all of the information before I make a decision on what the discipline will be. In this case, there was no discipline by the criminal justice system.” - Roger Goodell “I stand behind Ray. He’s a heck of a guy. He’s done everything right since. He makes a mistake, alright?” -John Harbaugh (Ravens Coach)

Conclusion: In football the athletes are glorified, seen as the epitome of all-American men, the violence of the sport is celebrated, and the competitive nature is commended. The violence on the field does play into the image of masculinity, but the attitudes, beliefs, and actions done off the field by people within the football community also has a huge effect on our perception of masculinity. Football can be harmless and fun, but it remains so unchecked by any other institution that it has a massive influence on our culture, and paints our image of masculinity.

Works Cited Be A Man: Joe Ehrmann at TEDxBaltimore 2013. Perf. Joe Ehrmann. TEDx Talks, 20 Feb. 2013. Web. 26 Mar. 2017. Belzer, Jason. "Thanks To Roger Goodell, NFL Revenues Projected To Surpass $13 Billion In 2016." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 29 Feb. 2016. Web. 07 Apr. 2017. Colombo, Gary, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle. ""Bros Before Hos": The Guy Code." 2016.Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2016. 540-49. Print. Messner, M.A. (1992). Power at play: Sports and the problem of masculinity. Boston: Beacon Press. Phillips, Brian. "Tough Talk." Grantland.com. N.p., 15 Aug. 2014. Web. 26 Mar. 2017. Images: https://blogs-images.forbes.com/dandiamond/files/2014/09/20130103-132843.jpg http://thesportsquotient.com/media/posts/1743/imported.jpg http://a2.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2015%2F0325%2Fnfl_a_goodell_1296x729.jpg http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/nfl/players/full/14086.png&w=350&h=254 http://s6.photobucket.com/user/jrod691/media/Cutouts/Ray-Rice.png.html http://s603.photobucket.com/user/Patriotsfan4life/media/nfl%20player%20pics%20no%20background/TomBrady.png.html