Jason Collins first openly gay “active player in a major American team sport” (?)

This was the opening sentence in a story about Jason Collins. It was posted on ESPN on the day Mr. Collins came out.

“NBA center Jason Collins on Monday announced that he’s gay in a story for Sports Illustrated, becoming the first active player in a major American team sport to announce that he is gay.”

I have bolded two assertions I find interesting and maddening. First, it is clear, once again, that major American team sports is a label reserved for male competitive sports. In the United States, this includes football, baseball, basketball, and hockey. That means that even though there have been players competing in team sports while openly gay or lesbian, their stories have not been granted the cultural significance that  Mr. Collin’s has. Their sports are  neither “major”,  nor “team” sports. Moreover, some of the athletes in question are either not “active, and they might be  women.

Now, I am not surprised when mainstream publications like Sports Illustrated frame a story like this one as a momentous occasion. I am also not dismissing Mr. Collins’ coming out. Having gone through it myself, I know how difficult it can be. What really gets me, though, is when advocacy groups fall into this narrative as well. Take for example The Human Rights Campaign. This is an advocacy group that works for equal rights for the LGBT community. This is a screenshot of their website:

This is another image HRC used to call for support for Mr. Collins.

Maybe you’re wondering what my problem is. Well, I have a problem with double standards. A few weeks ago, WNBA star Brittney Griner came out, and there was barely a hiccup of attention. The New York Times noted as much in the aptly titled Female Star Comes Out as Gay, and Sports World Shrugs. Jim Buzinski, of Out Sports, explained that there was a reason for that. It’s because Griner is a woman. He then adds:

 “Can you imagine if it was a man who did the exact same thing? Everyone’s head would have exploded.”

That’s exactly what happened. Everyone’s head exploded, including those of the folks at HRC. Their acknowledgement of Griner’s coming out was basically a blog post. Where’s the call to share her image in support of her decision? HRC didn’t create one. Instead, they shared a link to the aforementioned blog post on their Facebook page. That was it.

Do we really believe that we can “dismantle the master’s house” by “using the master’s tools”*? I don’t. It takes more than that. It takes a profound willingness to alter the prevailing discourse, and that includes refusing to perpetuate the  sexist double standard that undervalues women sports, while overvaluing male variants of the same sport.

Brittney Griner and other female athletes should get the same consideration and support as that given to Mr. Collins. That acknowledges their decisions, which are just as courageous and deserving of attention as Mr. Collins’.

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*The original quote, from Audre Lorde is “For the marter’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change.”

Filed under: Commentary, basketball, Brittney Griner, discourse, ESPN, Jason Collins, LGBT, out in sports, sexism, sports, Sports Illustrated

Hegemonic masculinity

Tim Tebow is a demi god. He is the quintessential sports hero, the chosen one who reminds us that not all athletes are like Michael Vick, that American youth has a role model to emulate.

Now, I have to say that I’ve never watched Tim Tebow play. I don’t usually watch college sports, but I’m fascinated by the language of sports writers. As Nick Trujillo suggests, sports writers have the tendency to extol masculine virtues. The hegemonic masculine virtues, that is (Trujillo, 1991). The press lauded Nolan Ryan in the 1990s for his heroic endurance on the mound, his wholesome life outside the diamond, and his success. Nowadays, the press praises Tebow using much of the same language. In doing so, media shape representations of gender, which is, in itself, socially constructed (Lemish, 2008).

When we say that gender is socially constructed, we mean that there are “behaviors, expectations, perceptions, and subjectivities that define what it means to be a woman and what it means to be a man” (Lemish, 2008, para 1). Furthermore, these expectations are linked to biology, even though they are established by the culture (see Women in American popular culture). Hegemonic masculinity is one of the ways in which Western cultures construct gender.

Hegemonic masculinity, as summarized by Trujillo, is characterized by five elements: “(1) physical force and control, (2) occupational achievement, (3) familial patriarchy, (4) frontiersmanship, and (5) heterosexuality” (p. 291). Trujillo uses newspaper coverage of Nolan Ryan to illustrate how the media help perpetuate hegemonic masculinity. However, can we say the same about Tim Tebow? What are the parallels between Tebow and Ryan?

1. Physical strength: Nolan Ryan played through injuries; “Tebow’s entire role-model persona doesn’t work unless he can convey that, fundamentally, he’s better than you: stronger, more capable, more at peace, just basically happier” (Fagone).
2. Occupational achievement: Media describes the achievements of Nolan Ryan and Tim Tebow using a barrage of statistics. Ryan’s 300 victories and 5000 strikeouts are proof of his success. Tebow’s Heismann Trophy, national championship, TDs, equally show that he is a very successful athlete.
3. Familial patriarchy: Nolan Ryan is the head of his household; he is protective of his wife, and he provides for her. She, on the other hand, is absolutely dependent. Patriarchy does not appear to be the focus of the Tebow coverage; however, his family is a traditional patriarchal unit. The father, a preacher, works outside the home. We can’t be certain of what the mother does.
4. Frontiersmanship: Nolan Ryan’s exploits as a cowboy re-enact frontier mythology. In Tebow’s case, his family’s missionary work took him, as a boy, to a different frontier (The Philippines). Tebow’s father, furthermore, talks about the dangers of the mission (as in “If he were killed while preaching, it would be “the best thing that could ever happen.”").
5. Heterosexual: Both athletes are “coded” as heterosexual. Tebow’s religious faith, in fact, obscures any questions (as in, deeply religious people are not ever gay?).

There are some additional parallels. Tebow, for example, is the regular guy, which is a theme also associated with Nolan Ryan. Tebow is religious, which according to the protestant work ethic, results in blessings and success. Ryan is successful, hence, the opposite logic applies.

Is hegemonic masculinity absolute?

No, in fact, as any form of public discourse, hegemonic masculinity is challenged by different groups. This has led to the argument that, rather than talking about one form of masculinity, we should acknowledge different “masculinities,” or ways of “doing” masculinity” (Beynon, 2008). Furthermore, when we consider today’s media landscape, consumers have a bounty of options. This has led to increasing media fragmentation and specialization, which has opened the door to different forms of media representation.

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References

• Benyon, J. (2008). Masculinity and the Media. The international encyclopedia of communication.
• Lemish, D. (2008). Gender: Representation in the Media. The international encyclopedia of communication. Retrieved (2009, October 6) fromhttp://bit.ly/jER3d
• Trujillo, N. (1991). Hegemonic masculinity on the mound: media representations of Nolan Ryan and American sports culture. Critical Studies in Mass Communications, 8, 290-308.
• Fagone, J. (2009, August). Does God have a Tim Tebow complex?. GQ, Retrieved from http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_10597

Filed under: Class notes, Popular Culture in America, Glee., Masculinity, Nick Trujillo, Nolan Ryan, Popular Culture, sports, sports in American pop culture, Tim Tebow