No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the author.
Sports and Male Domination: The Female Athlete as Contested Ideological Terrain
Abstract
This paper explores the historical and ideological meanings of organized sports for the politics of gender relations. After outlining a theory for building a historically grounded understanding of sport, culture, and ideology, the paper argues that organized sports have come to serve as a primary institutional means for bolstering a challenged and faltering ideology of male superiority in the 20th century. Increasing female athleticism represents a genuine quest by women for equality, control of their own bodies, and self-definition, and as such represents a challenge to the ideological basis of male domination. Yet this quest for equality is not without contradictions and ambiguities. The socially constructed meanings surrounding physiological differences between the sexes, the present “male” structure of organized sports, and the media framing of the female athlete all threaten to subvert any counter-hegemonic potential posed by female athletes. In short, the female athlete—and her body—has become a con...
... Both Kim and Sagas (2014), and Kane et al. (2013) disagree with Messner (1988) who reveals that sexualized images deny athletes' abilities to free themselves from the patriarchal, ideological, and institutional control of the sport (Messner, 1988). Other researchers aware of this control, point out that most sports media photographers and writers are men who create content for a male heterosexual audience (Fink & Kensicki, 2002). ...
... Both Kim and Sagas (2014), and Kane et al. (2013) disagree with Messner (1988) who reveals that sexualized images deny athletes' abilities to free themselves from the patriarchal, ideological, and institutional control of the sport (Messner, 1988). Other researchers aware of this control, point out that most sports media photographers and writers are men who create content for a male heterosexual audience (Fink & Kensicki, 2002). ...
... Kane et al. (2013) also agrees, "as long as sportswomen are portrayed in ways that sexually objectify them, they will not be given the respect they deserve" (Kane et al., 2013, p. 293). Messner (1988) theorizes trivialization further by connecting the progression from trivialization in the media to the undermining of sportswomen (Messner, 1988). Kane and Greendorfer (1994) specify how this legitimacy is undermined. ...
"Particularly becausethe media orchestrates to society what is important and what isn’t, the underrepresentation of female sports when coupled with the sexualization of female athletes, reiterates women sports' low value (Kane & Greendorfer, 1994)."
The topic of this literature review is media text’s sexualization of female athletes. Specifically, how the sexualization of female athletes in media texts affects the perception of female athleticism and women’s sports. The research tends to stay within the realm of controlled media such as photo and written journalism, magazines, and, TV sports coverage. Most scholars focused on the relationship between the image and the text accompanying it. The topic is narrowed to exclude marketing of female athletes and social media. The first theme discusses when media texts reflect sexualization when it was supposed to be reflecting athleticism of female athletes as sports media. Secondly, how sexualized media texts lead to the objectification of female athletes and the devaluation of women’s sports. The last theme entails how media subconsciously and consciously play into gender roles. Therefore, the research question is: How do media texts of female athletes that reflect feminization/sexualization affect the perception of female athleticism or women’s sports?
... Sport sociology scholars have critically examined gender inequalities in sport for decades (10)(11)(12). Coakley (13) explained that sport, historically, was a means to express presumed masculine attributes [e.g., aggressiveness and physicality] over perceived feminine qualities [e.g., weakness and care]. Nonetheless, similar scholarly works emphasising gendered dynamics are only recently being explored among other sport science disciplines such as performance psychology [e.g. ...
... (15)]. These studies put forth valuable information about sex-based differences in performance and development despite failing to consider historically constructed perceptions of gender and power that uniquely advantage white cisgender [i.e., gender identity matches the sex assigned at birth] able-bodied, heterosexual men and disadvantage individuals with other identities [see (10)]. On the other hand, critical sports scholars often fail to contextualise their work and advocacy by utilising original empirical works and lack more practical, tangible solutions relevant to a modern-day environment [e.g., (16)]. ...
... Sport as a social institution has historically been made for, and by, men (10,11,30). Messner (10,11) and Nelson (30) offered sociohistorical accounts of how contemporary sport emerged in response to perceived threats to masculinity at the beginning of the 19th century. ...
Introduction
Despite increases in participation and raised attention for girls and women in sports, female sport is still based on male evidence that ignores gendered differences and experiences of unequal treatment and marginalization from grassroots to elite sport. This paper aimed to critically interrogate the place that women have in the male preserve of elite sport by conducting a two-part study.
Methods
First, we provided a brief sociohistorical analysis of gender in sport as a means to move away from a decontextualized and universalized approach dominating in sport science literature. We then conducted a scoping review following PRISMA-ScR guidelines to synthesize existing sport science literature that implemented Newell's constraints-led approach to examine elite performance.
Results
Ten studies were identified, none of which collected demographic data or centred on female athletes and the effects of sociocultural constraints on their performance. Instead, male-centred, masculine sports and physiological profiles dominated the identified studies.
Discussion
We discussed these results considering critical sport research and cultural sport psychology literature to offer an integrative, interdisciplinary approach to advocate for more culturally sensitive, context-specific interpretations of gender as a sociocultural constraint. We put forth a call to action for sport science researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers to move away from implementing male evidence in female sport and attend to the unique needs of female athletes. Practical suggestions aimed to help stakeholders reimagine elite sport by celebrating these [potential] differences as strengths for promoting gender equity in sport.
... This study merits further individualized attention for setting the stage for a broader research agenda on gender constructions in televised sport: studies by Messner, Duncan, and co-authors in the 1990s and early 2000s (e.g., Messner et al., 1993Messner et al., , 2003, and today the longitudinal study of televised sport news in Los Angeles and on ESPN today continues with Cooky (now at Purdue) and Messner's collaboration with co-authors from the University of Southern California (see Cooky et al., 2021). Still in the 1980s, Messner's (1988) article on "The Female Athlete as Contested Ideological Terrain" provides a historical analysis of gender ideologies in sport, specifically pertaining to the ways in which "female athleticism" challenged "male domination" in the 20th century (p. 197). ...
... FEMINIST SPORT MEDIA STUDIES which makes sport a "contested [ideological] terrain" (Messner, 1988;Kane & Disch, 1993). Mass media, in this view, are a "powerful site for fashioning hegemony" and marginalizing female athletes (Daddario, 1994, p. 278). ...
... Trivialization, marginalization, sexualization, and "ambivalence" emerge as central representation strategies during this time. Broadly, the foundational literature of this work builds on cultural studies (e.g., Stuart Hall), feminist media studies frameworks (e.g., Lisbet van Zoonen), and/or feminist sport sociology scholarship (e.g., Duncan & Hasbrook, 1988;Kane & Parks, 1992;Messner, 1988). Studies in SSJ continue to examine representations of women in sports media outlets and other publications, such as women's magazines (e.g., Kissling, 1999;Pirinen, 1997) and, later, internet-based platforms (e.g., Khomutova & Channon, 2015;Sanderson & Gramlich, 2016). ...
This conceptual review identifies the contributions of the Sociology of Sport Journal to the subfield of feminist sport media studies. Since the first issue of Sociology of Sport Journal , over 60 articles addressed primarily the media representations research area of feminist sport media studies, using a range of theoretical frameworks that mirrored theoretical shifts in the field. An empirical analysis of geographies of knowledge production indicates that the scholarship in Sociology of Sport Journal in this subfield is primarily based in the United States and focuses on Western contexts. The article concludes with a reflection on the importance of special issues and interdisciplinary collaborations in feminist sport media studies.
... Gender-specific roles and stereotypes, often perpetuated by prevailing cultural narratives, shape individual perceptions and behaviors. This can lead to systemic biases that further reinforce gender disparities (Messner 1988 For instance, in sports, traditional narratives often position men as active participants and women as mere spectators. This implicit societal representation may discourage women from active participation, thereby contributing to gender imbalance in the field (Messner 1988). ...
... This can lead to systemic biases that further reinforce gender disparities (Messner 1988 For instance, in sports, traditional narratives often position men as active participants and women as mere spectators. This implicit societal representation may discourage women from active participation, thereby contributing to gender imbalance in the field (Messner 1988). Similarly, in video gaming, a prevailing social representation identifies it as a 'male domain', which can discourage women's involvement and result in further gender disparities (Jenson and de Castell 2010; Kowert et al. 2014). ...
In the historically male-dominated world of Go—a game with a rich history and a current global player base of 46 million—recent years have marked a significant shift in gender dynamics, highlighted by Choi Jeong’s historic achievement as the first female to reach the open major world tournament finals. This study investigates the rise of female Go players in Korea through multiple lenses: descriptive analyses cover demographic data, Elo ratings, and competition statistics, while social representation analyses employ in-depth interviews and core-periphery analysis. A core finding is the profound transformation within the Korean Go community, where female players are not just witnessing increased representation but also significant enhancements in performance, opportunities, and financial rewards. Narratives from the players unravel the intricate web of performance disparities, community engagement, and evolving infrastructures. Economic incentives, societal and cultural shifts, and institutional support are identified as key contributors to their success. Beyond its application to professional Go, this research underscores a paradigmatic shift, illuminating strategies for fostering gender inclusivity in fields traditionally overshadowed by male dominance.
... Iqbal (2015) also cautioned her readers to be aware of a deliberate shift in advertisers' approach from selling sex to selling their disgust with sexism. Femvertising messages majorly address concepts such as individualization, selfsurveillance, confidence, new versions of embracing femininity, and body positivity (Windels et al., 2020), known as post-feminist discourses (Gill, 2007b;McRobbie, 2009). Post-feminism is a set of assumptions that suggests feminism has accomplished its goals and is now a thing of the past (Moseley & Read, 2002). ...
... Western feminism is divided into three, perhaps four, periods (Faludi, 2006;McRobbie, 2009). The first wave dated back to 1840 and epitomized the suffragette movement and women's rights to property that ended in 1920 with the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (Siegel, 1997;Taylor, 1989). 1 The second wave, from the mid-1960s to the 1980s, focused on gender equality in the workplace, abortion rights, economic parity, and violence against women (Faludi, 2006). ...
This study investigates the representation of female athletes in Gatorade's Sister in Sweat (2019) and Adidas’ Reimagine Sport (2020) Femvertising campaigns. Adopting a critical feminist lens, this study examined verbal and visual strategies and the post-feminist elements that sports brands apply to communicate female-empowering messages. Guided by Fairclough's framework of critical discourse analysis and Kress and van Leeuwen's visual grammar, a multimodal critical discourse analysis was conducted to analyze verbal–visual strategies and semiotic resources used to construct/challenge the gender relations in sports. Also, following Gill's post-feminist media culture, recurring themes that characterize female athlete representation are identified. These themes include femininity as a bodily preoccupation, sexualization, individualism and choice, self-surveillance, and intersectionality. Results reveal that, despite the sports brands’ support of gender equality and female empowerment through femvertising, gender stereotypes still exist within the campaigns.
... This evolution has translated into a general increase in the number of female participants in a growing array of disciplines as well as in the rise of female competitions in professional leagues, visibility of women's sports in the media, and advertising revenues (Allison, 2016;Taylor et al., 2020;Thomson et al., 2023). In fact, the 'contested terrain' (Messner, 1988) of women's sport is even reflected in sporting performance. For illustration, Courtney Dauwalter achieved outstanding performances in the most famous trail in the world in 2021 (i.e. ...
... That is, beyond reporting an asymmetry between men's and women's status of social dominance per se, research has shown that various psychological and sociological processes contribute to legitimizing such gender inequalities in the world of sports. These processes would be historically determined (Kidd, 2013;Theberge, 2000) and embedded in broader hierarchical societal structures (Messner, 1988(Messner, , 2011 into particular sports contexts as well (Spaaij et al., 2015). ...
... Title IX marked the rise of the elite female athlete as competitive sport participation opened the opportunity for women and girls to participate in sports within schools, universities, and other sports leagues (Allen & Frisby, 2017;Elmenshawy et al., 2015;Messner, 1988). With this decision, female high school athletes and women in college gained opportunities for college scholarships in areas of their sport, improved training facilities specifically for women's sports, and additional funding for sports activities (Simon & Uddin, 2018). ...
... Student-athletes may have additional psychological pressures due to their involvement with college-level sports teams (Author & Author, XXXX). For female collegiate athletes, their development may be further complicated by pursuing a non-traditional college career path-sports, which is typically promoted as a maledominated industry (Clasen, 2001;Gearity & Metzger, 2017;Messner, 1988). "Mental toughness", a code word for the rigorous physical and psychological preparation that is needed for consistent performance at a top competitive level, is often portrayed as the ability to receive and not react to stressful and demanding critique no matter how abusive coaching strategies may be, and stereotypically, is more commonly recognized as a "male" response. ...
A group of women who have been left out of the conversation during the COVID-19 pandemic is middle-aged women (30-60 years old) who were formerly collegiate athletes. This population may be in a unique position to reflect on if and how their participation in college athletics has informed their response to COVID-19. Therefore, this study is one of the first to utilize halftime (i.e., middle age and mid-pandemic) to ask former women collegiate athletes to reflect on their college athletic experience and its relevance to the present day as society is facing a global crisis. Results from this exploratory study suggest that collegiate sport experiences serve to promote positive coping responses beyond college years and during difficult times for this group.
... O medo da feminilização -aumento do quantitativo de mulheres -, e da feminização -transformações qualitativas ocasionadas pelo aumento da participação das mulheres (Yannoulas, 2011) -, foi materializado ao final da Primeira Guerra quando ocorreu o que Messner (1988) chamou de a primeira crise da masculinidade. Crise que teve uma segunda onda, logo após a Segunda Guerra, quando as mulheres voltaram a ocupar os espaços deixados pelos homens que haviam sido enviados para o campo de batalha. ...
... Com a conquista de poder e projeção pelas mulheres, os homens temeram ainda mais a "feminização do social". Alguns deles e várias das instituições que fundaram, sobretudo no campo da cultura corporal, partiram em defesa do ordenamento do gênero, exigiram que as fronteiras entre os sexos fossem fortalecidas e que fossem ensinados aos meninos e homens jovens valores masculinos e viris (Messner, 1988). Como consequência, entre as décadas de 1920 e 1950, ocorreu no campo esportivo a instalação e a operação de um conjunto tecnologias para demarcar o que era do domínio dos homens e o que convinha às mulheres. ...
Este artigo analisa o desenvolvimento da ginástica artística e das tecnologias de sexo/gênero que instituem, operam e sustentam a bicategorização dos seus aparelhos e eventos. Para tanto, pensamos essa modalidade como um dos elementos do dispositivo do esporte, cujo funcionamento é interdependente e complementar ao dispositivo sexo/gênero. Mediante pesquisas bibliográficas e um recorte histórico que começa na segunda metade do século XIX até o Código de Pontuação 2017-2020, buscamos evidenciar e problematizar o processo de diferenciação de três aparelhos/eventos da ginástica artística: argolas, estritamente para homens; barras assimétricas, criadas para mulheres; e mesa de salto, comum para mulheres e homens. Como resultado, constatamos que a diferenciação dos aparelhos, baseada no sexo/gênero do/da praticante, reflete e responde às necessidades de manutenção do ordenamento social do sexo/gênero e da divisão sexual do trabalho de cada momento histórico, operando, desse modo, como instrumento que normaliza e normatiza o sexo/gênero, as expressões de feminilidades e masculinidades e o caráter arbitrário e compulsório da separação de homens e mulheres nas competições esportivas.
... Many women limit their exposure to weight training to avoid becoming "bulky" (Dworkin, 2001;Krane et al., 2001) and, even woman bodybuilders-who most visibly defy ideas about "acceptable" levels of muscle mass-may be punished in competition for having "masculine" physiques (Boyle, 2005). The socially enforced upper limit on women's muscularity ultimately normalizes an artificially dualistic and hierarchical relationship between men and women: men are muscular, physical, and "naturally" suited to leadership roles given their superior strength, while women are "naturally" smaller, weaker, and designed for esthetics rather than physicality (Messner, 1988). It is important to note that this framing of gendered body ideals fails to capture the experiences of LGBTQIA2S+ individuals: for example, although cisgender women may experience feminine body norms as disempowering, these same ideals may be a source of gender affirmation among transgender women (Atkins, 2012). ...
... This final point highlights the many tensions inherent in women athletes' body projects: the impossibility of achieving a body that is not just "firm but shapely, fit but sexy, strong but thin" (Markula, 1995), but which is also fast and powerful, able to avoid or recover from injuries, and perform at the highest level of athleticism. Through their physicality, women athletes have the potential to challenge our dualistic conceptions of sex and gender (Messner, 1988). Yet external controls-critiques levied by coaches, peers, family members, and media about the "masculinity" of their bodies-and internalized narratives of the "ideal" feminine body add further meaning and pressure to women athletes' body composition and appearance. ...
Women athletes’ experiences of gendered body ideals and empowerment have been well-documented. However, the existing literature largely neglects strength sports, which have a complex relationship with gendered norms given their historical association with masculinity and wide range of weight classes. In this article, we use a feminist poststructuralist lens to explore how eight Olympic Weightlifters participating in the women’s category choose their weight classes while balancing strength, competitiveness, and esthetics. Participants often referenced sport-specific and gendered body discourses when choosing their weight classes, yet also identified a nondiscursive element that could force them to forego athletic and esthetic body ideals: the body itself. Based on these narratives, we suggest that awareness of the “rebellious body” be considered an important element of women athletes’ bodily empowerment.
... Αυτό είναι εμφανές και στη δημοσιογραφική κάλυψη και προώθηση του αθλητισμού των γυναικών (Kane et al., 2013). Τα Μέσα εκτός από την αναφορά στην εικόνα των αθλητριών ως σεξουαλικά αντικείμενα, όπως προαναφέρθηκε, μπορεί να τις πλαισιώσουν και ως σεξουαλικά παρεκκλίνουσες, εάν εμφανίζουν αθλητική υπεροχή (Messner, 1988). Σύμφωνα με τους Spiliopoulos et al. (2020), ο αθλητισμός «αποτελεί "φέουδο" των ανδρών» (σ. ...
... Αυτό είναι εμφανές και στη δημοσιογραφική κάλυψη και προώθηση του αθλητισμού των γυναικών (Kane et al., 2013). Τα Μέσα εκτός από την αναφορά στην εικόνα των αθλητριών ως σεξουαλικά αντικείμενα, όπως προαναφέρθηκε, μπορεί να τις πλαισιώσουν και ως σεξουαλικά παρεκκλίνουσες, εάν εμφανίζουν αθλητική υπεροχή (Messner, 1988). Σύμφωνα με τους Spiliopoulos et al. (2020), ο αθλητισμός «αποτελεί "φέουδο" των ανδρών» (σ. ...
Despite the substantial increase in women's participation in sports over the past century, media coverage remains disproportionately low. This imbalance has not been thoroughly explored within the Greek context. The present study investigates the representation of women's sports on the front pages of five nationally circulated Greek sports newspapers during 2019 and 2020. The sample includes four daily newspapers-*SportDAY*, *METROSPORT*, *ATHLITIKI ORA TON SPORTS*, and *FOS TON SPORTS*-and one weekly publication, *FORZA*. Through methodological triangulation involving both quantitative and qualitative content analysis, 2,954 front pages were analyzed. The findings revealed that of the 26,513 total themes covered, only 2.7% focused on women's sports. Similarly, women's sports were depicted in just 3.5% of the 17,216 total photographs. A comparative analysis indicated a decline in coverage in 2020, likely attributable to the suspension or cancellation of events due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative analysis further uncovered a significant presence of stereotypical portrayals, with many images featuring female athletes outside of sport action (competitive context), particularly in one of the examined newspapers. The findings align with international research, however, contrary to global trends, the study revealed that women's team sports received more coverage than individual events. In conclusion, the minimal media attention devoted to women's sports renders them nearly invisible, contributing to their "symbolic annihilation." To gain a more comprehensive understanding of this issue, future research should examine additional aspects, such as coverage on internal sport newspaper pages (similarly, political newspapers), during Olympic Games years, and across different media platforms, including television and the internet.
... Women as fit and 'muscular' identities are contested in the ideological terrain of the dominance of the male. Commercial and male dominated structure of organized athletics (Messner, 1988) is contested by the female athletes and media plays a vital role to sensitize on this issue. This would be one of the ways to take the male panga, break the bastion and transform the male dominated sports ground into one which is for all. ...
Gender/sex divide has always been the part and parcel of any discourse. The problematics of identity is built around male as superior and female as inferior beings. The changing scenario of the universe defines human beings in terms of neoliberalism, globalization, deconstruction of ideas and images, and, above all the way of interpreting everything from a post-structuralist approach has brought forth new ideas and images in the rubric of discourse analysis. Body and physical fitness have always been an issue of debate and discussion since it engages an arena of women's participation in various physical fitness activities and games. The present paper attempts to focus on the world of games and sports as a site where established values about gender have been contested, resisted, negotiated and transformed through the analysis of selected films. Popular culture has always been a powerful medium to challenge the myth that strong and powerful women are not real. The paper will attempt to take up this terrain to focus on women engaged in the world of games and sports to show the present scenario of women's games and sports in the Indian context.
... However, (professional) competitive gaming is a highly specific form of gaming that lends much of its organizational characteristics from traditional sports as a way of gaining mainstream legitimacy through sportification ( Besnier & Brownell 2019, Connell 2005, Emily 2013, Messner 1988, Messner 2007, Pargman & Svensson 2020, Steinkuehler 2020, Summerley 2020: 61, Taylor & Stout 2020. In doing this, esports have also adopted social structures and hierarchies from traditional sports that are often informed by hegemonic masculinity. ...
Past esports books focus on specific areas of esports (e.g., esports medicine, esports business/management, esports history, collegiate esports, etc.). A reference source is lacking in the literature that provides a broad overview of esports. The editors on this panel propose to address this gap with the creation of a wide-reaching, interdisciplinary Handbook of Esports, intended for publication with a well-established global publisher. The purpose of this interactive panel discussion is for the editors of the proposed Handbook of Esports to receive feedback on this project’s content outline, to discuss the expectations for chapter structure and
style, and to solicit interest from the Esports Research Network (ERN) membership and conference attendees who would like to be considered for writing, co-writing, or peer reviewing chapters. Planned as an overall reference text, the objectives of the Handbook of Esports are for readers to be able to: 1) Describe a global overview of esports, 2) Utilize the handbook as an all encompassing esports reference tool, 3) Understand the interdisciplinary nature of esports, 4) Evaluate the current issues surrounding the esports ecosystem, and 5) Immediately implement practical evidence-based strategies and recommendations regarding a plethora of areas relating to esports.
... However, (professional) competitive gaming is a highly specific form of gaming that lends much of its organizational characteristics from traditional sports as a way of gaining mainstream legitimacy through sportification ( Besnier & Brownell 2019, Connell 2005, Emily 2013, Messner 1988, Messner 2007, Pargman & Svensson 2020, Steinkuehler 2020, Summerley 2020: 61, Taylor & Stout 2020. In doing this, esports have also adopted social structures and hierarchies from traditional sports that are often informed by hegemonic masculinity. ...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the pandemic’s economic impact on the esports industry, taking into account varying types of stakeholders (i.e., primary esports activities performed, legal status, business size), using France as a case example. Guiding research questions included: What were the economic consequences of the pandemic upon the esports market? Did the additional media exposure that esports received during the prime pandemic period (i.e., March 2020 to February 2021) have a positive effect upon esports market revenue? Has the pandemic had the same or varied impact on the different types of esports
stakeholders, based upon their activities, legal status, or size?
... However, (professional) competitive gaming is a highly specific form of gaming that lends much of its organizational characteristics from traditional sports as a way of gaining mainstream legitimacy through sportification ( Besnier & Brownell 2019, Connell 2005, Emily 2013, Messner 1988, Messner 2007, Pargman & Svensson 2020, Steinkuehler 2020, Summerley 2020: 61, Taylor & Stout 2020. In doing this, esports have also adopted social structures and hierarchies from traditional sports that are often informed by hegemonic masculinity. ...
The number of esports education programs continue to rise globally (Jenny et al., 2021; Jenny, Gawrysiak et al., 2021). Quality programs teach transferrable skills which are needed within the esports ecosystem and other job sectors (Scott et al., 2021). Esports can be used as a tool to motivate students and teach knowledge, skills, and competencies within a holistic learning experience. There are six papers presented within this “Esports and Education” track at the 2022 Esports Research Network Conference. First, Trotter and colleagues offer an examination of the impact of school esports program participation on student health and psychological
development. Next, Becka and colleagues discuss how an esports training space may impact students, teachers, and graduates, as well as complement the higher education, at a public university in Argentina. In addition, Rusk and Ståhl provide an analysis of gaming inside and outside of school from the Finnish student player perspective. Fesharaki and colleagues then describe the development of a dual career higher education program being launched at Jönköping University in Sweden that aims to offer opportunities for student athletes in both esports and traditional sports. Moreover, King and Burton examine varying perspectives regarding mental health, burnout, and performance with a United States collegiate Overwatch
esports team through single case design. Last, Gortari and colleagues research the motivations to enroll in high school esports programs in Norway while investigating gaming habits and potential mediators for motivations and risk factors.
... Tuttavia, secondo P. Markula (1995), questa pratica fisica rappresenta un po'un territorio di molteplici contraddizioni, specie tra la sfera ideale e quella dell'esperienza concreta. Infatti, il modello e l'immagine del corpo femminile promulgatospecie dai media e dal discorso pubblicoè fedele ai canoni estetici suddetti, e incentiva così forme di disciplinamento tipicamente foucaultiane. ...
Sport is one of the most relevant contemporary social spheres in which gender identity is articulated. Ideas and beliefs on gender can influence its organization and the way it is practised. It can be a place of marginalization of female activity and affirmation of ideologies of inequality or masculine values. At the same time, however, it can be a site of transformation and conflict.
The issue of the body becomes crucial. In our bodily habits, in practices, in our taste, in consumption, we define our belonging, our status, and specific values. Its representation provides relevant indications on the dominant discourses associated with femininity and masculinity, on the construction of new imagery, on the size of power or dominion, but also on the conflict.
If there is still a substantial gap between males and females in general sports practice in Italy, it is also true that fitness in the last few years is profoundly changing, about participation and the kinds of disciplines. For example Crossfit, a discipline that is growing and that – for its specific characteristics – can represent an interesting point of view on the relationship among sport, body and gender identity: Men and women compete in the same classes during their training; they perform the same exercises; Crossfit games have two distinct categories for men and women, but also a mixed one; but, above all, there is a profoundly different approach to the strength training, neutral compared to gender-related stereotyping, and hence to the consequent change of the body and of the imagery related to women and men.
Thus, the paper aims to analyze to what extent this discipline can re-articulate the concepts of femininity and masculinity, linked to the body, as well as the representation and self-representation of female athletes. To what extent, then, the sportsperson’s body structures possible transformations in meanings and identities, influencing their representations in the public sphere.
... In addition, it was emphasized that the economic status of their families is a more critical factor, especially for girls to participate in sports, than culture and religion (13). Women are additionally subject to gender stereotypes and are seen as weaker and more obedient, while allowing women to participate in recreational activities seen as challenging to dominate men (14). ...
Background: This study aimed to present a model of structural equations between psychological well-being, religious beliefs, and adherence to recreational sports activities. Methods: The research method is descriptive-correlation, and the statistical population included all women participating in parks and recreation-sports centers in 2021 - 2022. Based on the population volume and using the Krejcie and Morgan table, a sample size of 348 individuals within the age range of 20 - 40 years was selected. Data collection tools were 3 questionnaires: Allport Religious Orientation, Reef Short Form of Psychological Welfare, and Exercise Adherence Questionnaire. The Pearson correlation coefficient and stepwise regression findings showed that psychological well-being and internal religious orientation could predict adherence to sports. Results: The coefficient of explanation of prediction of adherence to sports based on psychological well-being indicators (0.511) is about 6 times higher than the coefficient of explanation of prediction of adherence to sports from internal religious orientation (0.084). These findings indicate that personal growth and positive communication with others can significantly impact women's religious orientation more than internal religious orientation. Conclusions: However, in examining the results, if the culture and religious beliefs in a country or region are opposed to women's sports and even consider women's sports impaired, psychological well-being will no longer affect women's commitment, so cultural and religious factors can be both a threatening factor in non-compliance and an encouraging factor in adhering to women's recreational sports activities.
... Whether using theoretical or applied mathematical sciences or scientific methods and modern techniques, has developed the analysis of the movement of a large extent recently for several reasons, Modern techniques 1 , which have helped to determine the variables of kinetics of athletes accurately, is a dynamic analysis of the important science, which relies primarily on the use of laws and foundations used in the science of biomechanics for the study of free This development was positively reflected in the level of determining the critical points in performance and in the various sporting events, especially those running short, medium and long distances, which are the activities of athletics 2 , which rely heavily on the level of mechanical performance Jogging and physical abilities such as strength, speed, lengthening, endurance, explosive force 3 . The natural movements of the person and the athletics competitions is a "set of individual races that include at the same time racing relay The performance of the members of the team and this is a combination of individual and collective so as to give confidence to the contestant and the viewer alike 4,5 . The Muscle strength is one of the necessary physical attributes of the various games and motor skills on which the achievement and its requirements depend. ...
The Motion analysis is used to solve problems which related to the learning and training.in addition, It diagnoses movements, compares their parts, times and strengths, and compares between good and bad movement, as well as It helps to develop the movement and its performance. There are few studies in of motion analytical for study, The researcher design this study in a scientific procedure by using the scanner device (Gait Analysis) of the German company (Zebris)to read the data in a standardized manner during the test, the researcher selected the sample of the Iraqi champions in the competition of (100 m and 1500 m and 5000 m )Two for each contest in a deliberate way. for the heroes of Iraq and the number of them six, two for each contest. for the Time period from 11/9/2018 to 1/12/1018, in the laboratory of physical mechanics in the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences / University of Kufa. The search variable was chosen maximum force because it has a large role in the movement and transfer of athletic during the race, Concluded researcher to The maximum amount of force distributed on the footprint (front, center and heel) and according to the requirements of the race, and The higher the speed and force.
... 25 As a result, the conceptual basis of male domination makes the female athlete, and her body, contested ideological terrain. 26 Since the presence of women in different societal domains 'demonstrates that it is possible to overcome traditional gender barriers, indicating to other women that high levels of success are attainable' , 27 the creation of new female role models is central to gender inclusion and equality in sport and beyond. ...
From the inception of the Parade of Nations in London in 1908 to its latest instalment in Tokyo in 2020, billions have watched different generations of men and women entering the Olympic stadium carrying their nations’ flags as national heroes. As a product of modern Western civilisation, the Olympic movement mirrors the advances of an increasingly global society towards socially progressive agendas or otherwise. The twentieth century’s latter half was a period of profound and necessary changes in women’s rights. Gender inclusion, however, does not mean gender equality. Such an ongoing gradual process can be catalysed by more women being represented in leading roles formerly exclusively reserved for men. A multi-method longitudinal study of twenty-six summer Olympic opening ceremonies was conducted to measure the historical development of the likelihood of women being selected to be (and be represented to international audiences as) the main protagonists in the Parades of Nations. The data shows that despite the growing number of female flag bearers, since Munich 1972, women have been more likely to appear as aesthetically appealing event hostesses than the leaders of their teams.
... Motorsport based on male fraternity and the assumed close relationship between masculinity and cars could be perceived as "a potential retreat from wider social changes in the light of current transformations in gender relations, and what is still loosely termed a crisis of masculinity" (Thurnell-Read, 2012: 250). When other social life fields are feminized (Messner, 1988), fraternity in male sports seems to remain a bastion of hegemonic masculinity (Connell, 1987). ...
The aim of this chapter is to present and discuss the presence of so-called grid girls during the races of F1. The chapter will describe the history of ‘grid girls’ that has started in the 1960s. This history will be analysed in the context of wider socio-cultural changes concerning female status, gender order, a feminism that influence perception and roles of grid girls. On the one hand, the world of F1 reacts, at least to some extent, at these changes, as illustrated by a decision made by Liberty Media at the beginning of 2018 to drop ‘grid girls’ from race weekends, but, on the other hand, F1 remains a male-dominated world, where women are sexualized and ‘used’ in decorative roles, as evidenced by the reactions to this decision. Moreover, the issue of women agency, which can be expressed among others by an emphasis on physical attractiveness and sexuality of own body, adds a new point of view to this analysis. Therefore, the issue of ‘grid girls’ has to be analysed from different perspectives: (1) masculinization of F1 and races in general, (2) socio-cultural changes, (3) marketization of sport and (4) distinct variations (waves) of feminism, which will be done in this chapter.KeywordsFormula 1Grid girlsGender politicsFeminismMale-dominated worldMarketizationSocio-cultural changes
... Sports inherently valuing men as holding more capital than women are a part of our habitus, something many are exposed to young and is reinforced throughout life. Organized sport has historically been a maledominated field (25) and has worked to reinforce opposition gender norms of masculinity and femininity (26). Rugby is an ideal sport to demonstrate these masculine qualities, being an extremely physical game (16,27,28). ...
Wheelchair rugby was developed in Canada in the 1970s and named an official Paralympic sport in 2000. Wheelchair rugby is one of the few Paralympic or Olympic sports that includes mixed-sex participation. Where historically women with disabilities have had limited access to elite sporting competition, wheelchair rugby provides the opportunity for women to represent themselves as competitive and physical beings, capable of the physicality and aggressive nature of the sport alongside men. This project looks to fill the gap in research considering women's experiences in these potentially highly gendered sport settings. This study uses a thematic analysis approach to explore female athletes' lived experiences of participation in wheelchair rugby. Five provincial athletes were interviewed and shared their complex experiences competing in wheelchair rugby.
... With this participation gap, girls are gaining much fewer benefits than boys from sports participation (Eder, Evans, & Parker, 1995). This is probably because female athletes are valued less, which decreases the benefits of sports (Messner, 1988). ...
Studies of eligibility regulation often focus on how, given inconclusive science, policymakers engage in ideological work to stabilize the women’s category. This paper considers the policy role of women athletes and particularly the “unregulated majority”: the notion that certain women are protected from eligibility regulation and benefit from a cisnormative, binary, and Global North-dominated system of sports competition. I examine a case from the 1990s, when a group of women athletes sought to reinstate gynecological exams and chromosome screening in track and field. Analyzing correspondence of the “Gender Verification Fax Club,” an influential group of experts, I consider whether meaningful dialogue was achieved. I reflect on how a feminist approach to dialogue could address the role of hegemonic femininity in eligibility regulation.
O objetivo desta pesquisa é analisar se os espaços públicos de lazer destinados à prática do skate em Belo Horizonte são acessíveis e acolhedores para as mulheres. A metodologia adotada baseou-se em uma abordagem qualitativa, por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas. Os resultados indicam que as participantes da pesquisa enfrentam diversas dificuldades decorrentes de sua condição de mulheres skatistas, incluindo a falta de apoio e representatividade nas pistas, a desvalorização do esporte feminino, manifestada por premiações desiguais entre os gêneros em competições, além de situações de assédio, preconceito tanto na sociedade quanto no ambiente familiar, e a falta de tempo devido às triplas jornadas de trabalho, entre outros desafios.
In 2015, Dr. Jen Welter became the first woman to coach in the National Football League (NFL). Other female coaches followed. Yet, sports-studies scholars know little about the media’s response to these football pioneers. This paper presents critical themes on how popular media discussed female coaches by analyzing the hiring announcements of four women who coach or have coached in the NFL. Utilizing a critical feminist lens, this paper demonstrates that media outlets reproduced conventional media tropes by reassuring readers that women have the requisite knowledge, trivializing women’s achievements, underscoring the need for male player support, emphasizing appearance, and permitting sexist comments. However, it is evident that online publishers are simultaneously making progress. In most cases, the articles represented the coaches in ways that differ from how female athletes have been historically depicted. This research reveals nonlinear and incremental progress toward gender equality in football.
The research investigates gender bias and societal prejudices in addition to the numerous challenges that these athletes face. Inadequate infrastructure and a lack of support are only two of the other challenges that they face. Even though India is growing more prominent in the international sports arena, cultural standards that favor male players tend to be deeply ingrained that have been passed down through generations. This mixed-method study comprised both quantitative surveys and in-depth interviews, and it was conducted with the participation of female athletes from a wide range of sports. According to the findings, systemic biases present themselves in a variety of ways, including the unequal allocation of resources, a lack of visibility, and weakened financial incentives of various kinds. Additionally, the social stigma that is associated with women's engagement in athletics has a severe impact on both the mental health of women and their ability to maintain a competitive career. The findings of this study indicate the necessity of modifying rules and cultural norms in order to establish a sports environment that is more welcoming to all individuals.
In this paper, I examine the ethical landscape surrounding tackle football, exploring the moral permissibility of the sport and the myriad ethical considerations it entails. This examination comprises the use of an ethical decision-making framework to analyze four key aspects: relevant empirical facts, affected parties, salient moral values/disvalues, and potential options. In pondering these aspects, I identify the ethical conflicts arising from factual disagreements, conflicting interests, and divergent values/disvalues concerning players’ decision to partake in gridiron football. In addition to emphasizing the importance of understanding and addressing such aspects and conflicts to devise potential solutions, I contend that ethical issues related to the permissibility of football ultimately stem from value-related conflicts, highlighting the necessity of examining and reconciling conflicting moral principles.
In its everyday operation, the law presumes to narrate trans stories and shape trans lives. This article shines a light on law’s claims to authority over transgender identities and transgender bodies, and offers an alternate, intimate account of one transgender person’s interactions with law and society. The stories recounted here offer glimpses into the life of Georgio. Written from the perspective of someone who has had the privilege of bearing witness to his journey, this article assembles incomplete fragments of the joys and frustrations of Georgio’s gender transition and invites deeper reflection on legal assumptions about the lives of transgender people. It represents an attempt to breathe humanity into law’s cold scripts of gender identity.
تعهد سازمانی میزان وابستگی افراد سازمان به سازمانی که در آن کار میکنند را نشان میدهد. تعهد کاری نقشی اساسی در تعیین این موضوع دارد که یک کارمند برای مدت طولانیتری در سازمان باقی بماند و با اشتیاق برای رسیدن به هدف سازمان کار کند. هدف از این تحقیق تاثير تعهد سازماني بر سيستم هاي حسابداري و عملكرد مالي سازمان (مورد مطالعه: بانک ملت) می باشد. روش تحقیق در این مقاله پژوهش حاضر از جنبه ی هدف، کاربردی و از نظر روش توصیفی و از نوع همبستگی است. در این پژوهش از هر دو روش میدانی و کتابخانه ای استفاده شده است در روش میدانی پس از بررسی روش ها و جمع آوری نظرات اساتید، ابزار پرسشنامه مناسب ترین روش تشخیص داده شده است. جامعه ی آماری شامل کلیه شعب بانک ملت در استان تهران می باشد که در یکی از ۴ سرپرستی شهر تهران طبقه بندی شده است در حال حاضر بانک ملت در شعب غرب داری ۱۰۵ شعبه در شهر تهران می باشد که ۱۰۴ شعبه در منطقه سرپرستی غرب طبقه بندی شده است. در این پژوهش برای تجزیه و تحلیل دادههای جمع آوری شده هم از روشهای آمار توصیفی و هم از روش آماری استنباطی استفاده می شود. برای تجزیه و تحلیل داده در سطح توصیفی و استنباطی از نرم افزارهای SPSS، smart-pls استفاده خواهد شد. یافته های تحقیق نشان دهنده تاثیر معنادار تعهد سازماني بر سيستم هاي حسابداري و عملكرد مالي سازمان می باشد.
This chapter examines what it means to play basketball “like a woman,” a concept that is shaped by a long legacy of gendered and racialised restrictions. Though it is commonly accepted, both by the general public and WNBA players, that women basketball players have a different form of embodiment and way of playing the game compared to men, WNBA players have a complicated and contradictory relationship with this notion. Drawing on the work of Iris Marion Young, I argue that WNBA players, despite being at the pinnacle of their craft, continue to be constrained by gendered discourses that limit their embodied possibilities. This chapter utilises both the practice and discourse of the dunk to argue for the continued relevance of Young’s work and the continued restrictions put in place that prevent women from engaging in certain embodied practices. By using new materialist ideas, I argue that these embodied restrictions should also include race and gender presentation, arguing that bodies like Griner’s “misfit” in certain locations, and that there is a need to consider the body as an assemblage. This chapter does emphasise the possibilities for embodied pleasure that physical sports like basketball provide, particularly through the assemblage of bodies, crowds, physicality, and creativity; however, I argue that who gets access to these pleasures, and in which context, is constrained by gender, race, and sexuality.
Dövüş Sporcularının Algılarına Göre Antrenör İletişim Becerisinin Sporcunun Sürekli Öfke-Öfke İfade Tarzı İle İlişkisi
Religion plays an essential role in people's lives in today's societies, but its function is not limited to individuals at all. Religion affects the relationships of individuals, societies, and even governments; therefore, it is effective in all areas of human life. The level of religiosity of people also differs from each other, but each level of religiosity has a direct effect on people's behavior, attitude, feelings, and thoughts. Women's participation in sports is another topic that sociologists and sports researchers have focused on in the last few decades. To identify any kind of relationship between religiosity and women's participation in sports in the countries of the world is of fundamental importance. With the knowledge of this topic, the present essay is dedicated to the physical activity of women in two Abrahamic religions, Christianity and Judaism, with a descriptive method. According to the findings of the research, both of the aforementioned religions place great value on the human body and have assigned rules and regulations to take care of and protect this divine ability; however, in the field of equality between men and women in physical activity and sports, especially in the contemporary era, they have a different approach. The statistics of Christian and Jewish women participating in the Olympic Games are a testimony to the difference in the views of the gender equality of these two religions in sports and physical activities.
Sport has historically furthered the myth of female frailty by making it the basis for women’s exclusion from early participation, and hitherto, for inclusion on restricted conditions. The article focuses on the gendered rules of play in cricket which manifest materially by altering an object, the space and temporality of play translating into the use of a smaller ball within a shorter boundary and lesser hours of playtime for women in comparison to men. While the historical and existing justifications for each of the differences in rules revolve around varied meanings of what ‘being frail’ entails for women, the supposed easing of conditions is also expected to encourage and enable women to emulate men’s style of play, and hence, make their game ‘exciting’. Drawing from fieldwork and interviews of women cricketers who represent the state of Rajasthan (India) in the Board of Control for Cricket in India domestic tournaments, the article unpacks the on-ground manifestation of the three gendered rules to argue that the altered nature of play makes the women’s version more challenging and hence, distinct and separate from the men’s version and its valuations. Foregrounding women’s layered experiences, the article shows the way women play sport cannot be captured within the imposed binary logic of frail and non-frail.
The past half‐decade has seen an exponential rise in proposed and debated anti‐trans legislation in the United States. These bills are often positioned at the center of divisive political debates between Republicans (who typically support these laws) and Democrats (who typically do not). In the process of discussing these debates, there has been widespread dissemination of anti‐trans rhetoric that has the potential to impact public opinion. In this review, we approach this rhetoric through the lens of social psychology with a specific focus on instances where anti‐trans legislation is portrayed as beneficial for the rights of other vulnerable groups of people, such as cisgender women and children. We identify psychological constructs reflected in anti‐trans rhetoric and then review existing literature on the consequences and beliefs associated with these constructs. Based upon this review, we argue that the kind of reasoning used to promote anti‐trans laws—specifically, essentialist beliefs and benevolent sexism—is actually associated with outcomes that are detrimental to the very groups these laws purport to protect. Given these potentially adverse effects of essentialism and benevolent sexism, we reflect on ways to reduce the impact of these psychological constructs in everyday life and suggest some alternatives to these laws that would improve the lives of both cisgender and transgender individuals. Next, we briefly discuss other forms of anti‐trans rhetoric and suggest ways that social psychology can be used to positively reframe rhetoric and policy to promote the welfare of transgender and gender‐diverse individuals. We close our paper with a brief discussion of limitations and summary of our ideas.
This article explores the experiences and identities of minority ethnic women at the UEFA Women's Euros (UWE) held in England in 2022. It does so at a time when women sports fans have become more visible in the historically male-dominated environs of football fandom, particularly in the United Kingdom (UK), and when questions of ‘race’, ethnicity and gender are longstanding, contested elements of British culture and society. Through a Black feminist thought methodology allied to critical race theory principles, the study contributes an essential intersectional account of minority ethnic women's sports fandom experiences at a major international event. The findings confirm that the growth of women's football in the UK, motivated minority ethnic women to attend the UWE. However, the current visibility and inclusivity of professional women's football demonstrates a lack of diversity and cultural sensitivity, which often inhibits minority ethnic women from presenting their identities to further engage with and support the game's growth.
Athletic organizations are under increased pressure to prevent violence against women committed by their athletes. There have been numerous high‐profile cases of athletes engaging in intimate partner violence and rape/sexual assault over the past 40 years. Explanations range from celebrity status and entitlement, to spillover of legitimate violence, and masculinity. Athletic organizations are now engaging in increased education and prevention efforts based on this increased attention.
Women’s pro wrestling in Japan has always been conducted by an independent organization of which the members have only been women. Their bodies are incredibly unique, transformed into those that deviate from the ideal female body image in Japan (i.e., young, thin, and cute-looking) to enable them to engage in pro wrestling. In addition, through professional training, they acquire “combat skills” (i.e., physical skills for defense against violence). This kind of physique is different from the body many women in Japan are encouraged to attain. The author has investigated how women wrestlers perceive their transformed bodies, how they apply combat skills to resist male violence in daily life, and the benefits they gain and challenges they face as they attain a “wrestler’s body” and perform pro wrestling. The author also expounds on whether their performance reproduces or transforms gender norms in Japan. This book finally suggests that women, constrained by the “ideal female body” image or narrowed by physical vulnerability, can liberate themselves from this normative image and recover their physical strength through “physical feminism.”
We explore the media representation of the involvement of Fenerbahçe, a football club in Türkiye, in the 2011 Turkish Sports Corruption Scandal . Specifically, the study focuses on the discursive construction of Fenerbahçe’s ‘innocence’ and ‘corruption’ through the central arguments of Fenerbahçe’s self-defense and how the newsprint media represents these arguments of innocence in Türkiye. The data consist of the council board speech of the club’s president after his release, the front-page headlines, and the news reports of Turkish daily newspapers featuring the speech. In the study, adopting the critical discourse analysis framework, we discuss that the newspapers either recontextualize the innocence arguments or set them aside to pursue their ideological stances. Besides, our analysis reveals that the newspapers ultimately ignore Fenerbahçe’s arguments about the existence of a secret criminal organization endeavoring to gain control of Fenerbahçe via match-fixing claims and the state via a civil coup .
American states began passing legislation that would ban transgender girls from competing on sports teams that match their gender identity in 2020. During legislative debate, supporters of transgender athlete bans adopted rhetoric that framed their arguments in terms of commonly held values. ‘Value frames’ establish connections between people and spoken values and have a powerful effect on the way that opinions about public policy are formed. We conduct a discourse analysis of video and audio footage from committee testimony and chamber debate from 18 US states to identify the major discursive themes used by the bans’ supporters. Themes include gender simplicity, male advantage, protecting women and preventing change. Our discussion and analysis connects these themes to long-standing value frames used by political elites, namely tradition, fairness and equal opportunity. The conclusion addresses the implications of this discourse for shaping the public’s understanding of sex and gender.
This chapter considers the communicative elements of masculinity. The prison environment restricts certain conventional means of expressing masculinity, obliging young men to find alternative avenues of masculine communication. The chapter describes how young men used language, hair, physique, shoes, clothes, scars, and other such matters, to do this.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any references for this publication.