Sports and athletics are a way for men to show their masculinity and strength. Does this change if a man is a homosexual?
There have always been many controversies in this area. Men believe that those who are gay are more feminine and weak and therefore don’t deserve to play in the same level or league as other men. In the article Hegemonic Masculinity & Neohomophobia John Amaechi is reported to have played in professional basketball for eight years. In 2007, he publicly announced that he was gay. After eight years of proving his excellent basketball skills and abilities, in a few days his reputation was completely changed just by announcing that he was a homosexual. In studies it was found that some reporters, “‘Blamed the victim’ and presented Amaechi negatively in a number of ways, ultimately presenting him as incapable of competing in professional sports.” Why is he all of a sudden incapable of playing a professional sport after eight years?
Recently, Magic Johnson has announced that he is releasing a book and in it, he accuses previous Knicks coach Isaiah Thomas of calling Johnson gay. This has become a huge deal in that Thomas is very offended that Johnson would say this about him. In this article, Johnson says, “"How can a so-called friend question your sexuality like that. I know why he did it, because we used to kiss before games, and now if people were wondering about me, that meant they were wondering about him, too." Why are men so threatened with the idea of a rumor about them being gay?
My question to all of you is how would you handle a situation in which you were rumored to be gay? Or how would you react to teammates announcing their homosexuality? Would you accept them for who they are and continue to respect their athletic ability or would your perception change?
Another point is that, at this time it seems as though there are not too many homosexuals in sports at this time. Do you think that more will open up or just keep quiet if they are? It is hard for those who are not males to be seen as equals in a sport, just as blacks and women have in the past. In the article Women and the NCAA: Not Separate- Not Equal it says, “Why is it that whenever a group asks for equal rights, the dominant group's first reaction is defensive. The second reaction is to interpret equal rights for one group as diminished rights for another and finally, to stall [emphasis added). (U.S. Congress, 1993)”. Do you think that it is the same situation for homosexuals that once they ask to be treated equally, many officials will stall in executing this? What do you all think?
Homosexuality is something I try to always stay away from. I do not feel any hatred or discomfort around open homosexuals, but I do not like awkward situations. I feel that a teammate coming out before his team is a bad idea because it will almost without question, divide the locker room. Homosexuality is becoming more and more serious, and it would have a huge impact on a teams chemistry.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of me being called out myself, I would obviously shrug it off because I know what I am and what I'm not. At this point in my life, it would be very immature if a teammate were to call me out, because we are of the age where we should realize that it is not a joke, and although some of us disagree with it entirely, it is still there.
The terms "queer", "gay", and "faggot" are predominantly used by teenage boys in their own journeys to becoming men (sports columnists 5). Those who mock or make fun of homosexuals past this point in their lives should understand that not everyone is the same, and as a mature adult, even homophobes have to accept this.
There is going to be a biased in sports because officials or league CEO's may be homophobic to a certain degree. If an athlete is openly gay then they are at a disadvantage I think. Even though it sounds wrong, it might be a better idea for homosexuals to keep to themselves under these circumstances.
"Why is it that whenever a group asks for equal rights, the dominant group's
first reaction is defensive. The second reaction is to interpret equal rights
for one group as diminished rights for another and finally, to stall [emphasis
added). (U.S. Congress, 1993)" (Lovett and Lowry 247)
The majority of American culture would be considered the dominant group, with homosexuals acting as the secondary group. Fair or not, it is the way things are now and if it would benefit an athlete to keep quiet about his or her sexuality then they should do so. If they are just trying to make a stand for homosexuals, they better be prepared for the storm to follow.
Homosexuality is such a sensitive issue in sports, but it is a very serious problem. Men in sports are looked at from society as big, strong, and masculine athletes, but when someone comes out and announces that they are gay, society will look at them in a whole different way and that is very unfortunate. I do however don't think that should change anything as far as them being capable of playing professional sports.
ReplyDeleteJohn Amaechi played in over 300 games in the NBA, was one of only 7 players to be undrafted and start an NBA game in the 1999-2000 season, and scored over 1800 points in his career. Unfortunately for him when he came out and admitted he was a homosexual, a lot of his teammates changed their opinions on him. For instance Tim Hardaway came out and said, "I would, you know, really distance myself from him because, uh, I don't think that's right. And you know I don't think he should be in the locker room while we're in the locker room. I wouldn't even be a part of that." (Sports Columnists, 3) I think Hardaway is way overboard here. I can understand him being uncomfortable because to be honest, I would be pretty uncomfortable as well, but he still was a teammate of yours and that's not right to disrespect someone like that for his sexuality.
I think men are so threatened with the rumor of them being gay because I do feel media and the internet plays a big role. Some of the best athletes always face pictures online and questions from the media that threaten their sexuality. If you go on google and type in someone like Alex Rodriguez, you will always find pictures of him slapping another player's butt or something of that nature. Media will do anything to make a player uncomfortable even if it goes as far as their sexuality.
An interesting fact that I found when reading the article, "Hegemonic masculinity
and neo-homophobia in U.S. newspaper sports columns", was that more than 40 percent of NFL players in 1998 believed they had at least one gay teammate. (Sports Columnists, 8) If I was in a locker room where I felt that one of my teammates was gay, I would be a little weirded out, but it probably wouldn't change the way I view the person. If he can play the game at a high level on the court, I would back him up as I would any other teammate. It's terrible that society acts the way they do when viewing homosexuality, but I don't see it changing. People will always view male athletes as dominant, strong, and masculine men so when one of them comes out and says they are gay, there will be lots of people who change the way they view that person.
Homosexuals have been fighting for their rights for years. For whatever reason (religion, personal opinion, way you were brought up) homosexuality has been looked down upon in society. Within the field of sports, especially amongst men, masculinity is something a lot of athletes pride themselves on. John Amechi shocked the sports world by coming out, and stood proud to be a gay athlete. However, the amount of backlash he received was outstanding.
ReplyDeleteTIm Hardaway who was a very fine basketball player, didn't hold back when he was asked to share his feelings. Hardaway proclaimed, "I would, you know, really distance myself from him because, uh, I don't think that's right. And you know I don't think he should be in the locker room while we're in the locker room. I wouldn't even be a part of that" (Sports Columnists 3). His feelings received an extreme amount of attention.
However, with comments such as Hardaways makes it extremely hard for athletes to come out and feel comfortable in their locker room. Also as an athlete, the goal is to win games. If a gay athlete were to come out during the season, that would divide the locker room into two seperate sides. The last thing an athlete wants to due is ruin the season.
Homosexuality is a very difficult issue to tackle. Women receive $179 million dollars less then men in regards to grants. Joseph Crowley (President of NCAA) said, "This is a very complicated issue. It just needs further study" (Lovett and Lowry 246).
I think Crowley statement is what needs to be done in regards to homosexuality. Its almost as if all sports act like its not an issue. Conducting a study in each sport asking their personal feelings would allow the sport leagues to determine how severe it truly is.
As recent as this year, the NFL has seemed an increase of support amongst homosexuality. NFL linebacker Brendnen Ayanbadejo has recently shared his feelings toward the issue. This was a big step in the right direction, considering NFL is probably the most masculine sport. Ayanbadejo said,
“We will look back in 10, 20, 30 years and be amazed that gays and lesbians did not have the same rights as everyone else…If Britney Spears can party it up in Vegas with one of her boys and go get married on a whim and annul her marriage the next day, why can’t a loving same-sex couple tie the knot? How could our society grant more rights to a heterosexual one-night-stand wedding in Vegas than a gay couple that has been together for three, five, 10 years of true love? The divorce rate in America is currently 50 percent. I am willing to bet that same-sex marriages have a higher success rate than heterosexual marriages” (Perez Hilton).
Overall, i have no problem with homosexuality. As of last year, i had a close friend come out. Today he is the same person he was prior to coming out. If Players like Amechi can play the sport and be affective, what is the big deal. Players never accused him of being gay or never had a problem with him. Shore he had one breakout year and was over paid. However, thats the only thing someone can get mad at him for. He is just like any other person, human. He should have the same rights as everyone else, and be able to live in a care-free society.
However, as long as sports are around i can see this being a major issue. It wont be accepted until a premier athlete admits to being gay. Until then, it will be looked down upon.
Homosexuality and sports is such a controversial issue, but it really shouldn’t be.
ReplyDeleteSports are supposed to be about masculinity and toughness. Sports are about “overt displays of force and power,” (Sports Columnists, p. 2). The stereotypes that accompany homosexuality are not. This is where the problem lies.
The stereotype is that homosexuals are feminine and not “real men.” Femininity is associated with being “weak, passive, and subordinate,” - three things completely contradictory to what male athletes are suppose to exude (Sports Columnists, p. 2).
Sometimes players can get away with doing “girly” things if there is still some sort of competition involved. For example, Jason Taylor, Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Lawrence Taylor, Warren Sapp, and Michael Irving have all participated on the show Dancing with the Stars. Ballroom dancing and football are not supposed to go together, but these guys got away with doing it because they were either Pro-Bowlers or Hall of Famers and it was a competition.
While dance competitions may evoke little jokes here and there from teammates, doing something closely associated with femininity without a competition to fall back on generally leads to more. For example, Terrell Owens and Hines Ward were both criticized in the media and by fans for crying on camera, something “real men” simply don’t do.
Taking it a step further, doing something “feminine” is bad, but coming out as gay is sparks a new degree of radical comments.
When John Amaechi came out as gay, some teammates supported him. Others, like Tim Hardaway did the opposite. Hardaway claimed he didn’t think Amaechi should have been “in the locker room while we’re in the locker room,” (Sports Columnists, p. 3).
Players should be judged on their talent, not their sexual orientation. No one had a problem with Amaechi before he came out, so why should they now? He’s still the same guy. The only thing that matters is that he plays hard and is a good teammate. The fact that he is gay should not factor into the equation.
But it does and probably always will. It all goes back to the idea of femininity. Players want to seem manly, and many believe being around a gay teammate would hurt their appearance of masculinity.
Leagues claim they are diverse and welcoming, but that’s not really the case. In theory, perhaps, but players know that coming out would divide the locker room. As such, I have to wonder if leagues are working on ways to give homosexual players protection from bias.
The NCAA, for example, has developed a method to try a give females an equal say in league matters. For example, the NCAA says “the activities of the association should be conducted in a manner free of gender bias,” (Lovett and Lowry, 246).
One has to wonder if the next step is to protect against sexual orientation bias. With homosexuality becoming more accepted in wider society, it is possible to think that sports will have to face the issue sooner or later.
If the stereotypes of femininity were not there, gay athletes might be more apt to come out to some of the teammates. But in all honestly, I’m not sure that time will ever come. So perhaps it’s time for the leagues to take action.
I think that homosexuality in sports can be a very controversial topic. I think our society makes it this way. First, I think it was a huge deal when Amaechi came out and admitted he was gay. I think if this happens in a male sport it is much more controversial than if it happens in a woman's sport. Players in the WNBA have come out, admitting that they were gay, but no reaction was a strong or had as much of an impact as Amaechi. I think this has been made by society. This is how people feel towards homosexuality. This relates to some of the other blogs as well because maybe it is considered normal when a female athletes comes out of the closet.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I do not think it is a good idea for a male athlete to come out while he is still competing, for his own sake. You can see this just by some reactions from players that either played with Amaechi or against him. Tim Hardaway said, "I would, you know, really distance myself from him because, uh, I don't think that's right. And you know I don't think he should be in the locker room while we're in the locker room. I wouldn't even be a part of that. (Habib, 2007, p. 1A) Now Hardaway was the only one to react like this but I am sure other people were thinking some of the same things. Although in a perfect world everyone would accept everyone for who they are, it is not like that so it is probably not a good idea for a player to come out because there is the possibility that it could hurt their careers.
Overall, I think society has given the idea of sport to be very masculine, and performed by guys who are big, and strong, and very athletic. Therefore, women and homosexual men are judged differently in sport According to Nancy Theberge, "Research among male athletes, also shows how the subculture of boy's and men's sports emphasizes gender difference, and within this, the celebration of masculine prowess and denigration of women and gay men" (Theberge 327). I have great respect for John Amaechi for coming out and admitting his sexuality, but I think that because of the labels society gives to athletes, it could potentially ruin a career if a male athlete was to come out of the closet in the middle of his career.