Sports and Gender Relations, Michael A. Messner

   Michael A. Messner's essay Sports and Gender Relations explored the realm of sport and its effect on personality, identity, and perspective.  His first main idea is that sports are not a naturally occurring institution; that they were created by men and contribute to boys developing masculine identities.  Messner then moves on to examine the relational effects of participating in sports.  He is very critical of the effects, suggesting that athletes lose capacity for intimacy and view social order differently due to sport, along with physical debilitation.  Messner's last idea is that a young man's decision to enter sport is based on an assessment of the achievability of forming a masculine identity.

   Messner disagrees with the view that sports are a natural realm in which males establish masculine identity. Contrarily, he believes that sport is a social institution that was crated by men and for men (Messner 49) and operates on certain beliefs and perspectives shared by those within the institution.

   Commitment to athletics breeds attitudes of masculinity consistent with dominant values of the male gender.  Bonding within sport depends on homophobia and misogyny, forming a mentality of superiority over females and males perceived to be feminine.  Athletic success requires physical prowess in some form (speed, strength), and endurance of pain, leading men to view their bodies as "instruments of power and domination - and to see other peoples bodies as objects of their power and domination." (Messner 49)  Men lose the feeling of humanity and empathy for others, as well as themselves.

   This distorted view is a result of the sacrifices males make when they enter the institution of sport.  In order to achieve masculinity, men are raised accepting a warped view of social identity, losing capacity for intimate relationships, and pay a heavy price in terms of long-term health.

   Boys enter sport primarily to connect with other males, but at higher levels bonding gives way to desire for public success, so much so that among men Messner interviewed, their identities became linked to that success.  In that desire, other men became viewed as other machines to be defeated and women as objects to be sexually conquered.  This institution of achievement within competition lacked an intimate connection with other people.  At some point, men in sport lose their ability to achieve these connection due to their distorted perspective on society.  Furthermore, athletics exacerbate insecurities, leading to addtitional erosion of capacity for intimacy.

   Within combat sports, men are required to use their bodies as weapons and endure suffering to achieve success.  Needless to say, physical damage is unavoidable, however, "it is extremely unlikely that a public illumination of the relational and health costs paid by male athletes will lead to a widespread rejection of sport by young males." (Messner 50)  In other words, males view these costs as a necessary and reasonable exchange for temporary limelight.

   Messner states that the decision to enter into sport is based on a rational evaluation of available means to acquire a masculine identity.  The dynamics of this assessment include race, class, and sexual orientation.  Among lower class societies, the perspective of boys is that athletic ability will carry them further than pursuing opportunities in higher education or the workforce.

   Contrary to popular belief, Messner says, gay men are interested and involved in sport.  Gay athlete David Kopay offered some explanation, "Young gay males are often attracted to sport because they are just as concerned as heterosexual boys and young men with constructing masculine identities."  (Messner 53)  The attitude, he suggests, is more erotic due to homosexual desires differing from the normal homophobic culture.