Contemporary Sport in North America - Essay Example

Sociology of Sport Discuss how some of the points made in the movie Tough Guy might apply to contemporary sport in North America. Jackson Katz, director of the movie Tough Guise stated that masculinity was a problem of public health. In the movie, men go through great feats in getting respect from their peers, which is similar to what happens in North American sport (Tough Guise: Violence, Media, and the Crisis in Masculinity). Society has had a great role in making women and men feel that they have to go to great lengths in search for ultimate respect and acceptance. Three main themes are prevalent in the movie: society makes men feel that they have to be dominant, men strive to give the appearance of being tough, and the world influences the violence that is so prevalent in the media. Since toughness has become necessary in the life of men, men in contemporary sport have been led to seek out respect by showing ultimate physical strength (Tough Guise: Violence, Media, and the Crisis in Masculinity). For example, football players will celebrate a teammate taking out an opponent through sheer strength, while ice hockey players will indulge, in fights, to satisfy their fans and to show off their masculinity. Most athletes and sports-persons will also strive to be huge with bulging muscles in order to intimidate their opponents through their masculinity. Katz also claims that in the environment that surrounds us today makes men believe that they have to show a knack for violence, as well as the fact that any show of pain is considered as a weakness (Tough Guise: Violence, Media, and the Crisis in Masculinity). In professional wrestling, young men are taught that violence is the best way to show their masculinity. For example, men will slam each other to the canvas floor, and batter their opponents to submission. In rugby, the toughest and most rugged tackles are met with the greatest roar from the crowd, as well as congratulations from teammates. All these actions in contemporary sport show that violence, however, cultured it is, acts as a show of masculinity and, as such, superiority and dominance over one’s rivals. Katz also contends that the sports culture is fundamental in teaching young boys and men how to become men. Because of sports pervasiveness in today’s society, young girls and boys are able to learn a lot about teamwork from a tender age (Tough Guise: Violence, Media, and the Crisis in Masculinity). While there are various positive lessons from this, the violence and aggressiveness that has pervaded sport teaches them from a very young age that to be a successful sports-person, one has to show these traits. Baseball and hockey fights are two excellent examples of this point of view. Any person joining sport expects that this is the norm as a player. However, there is another conclusion that can be made from the film with regards to contemporary sport in North America. What is being taught to young sports men is not only that aggression and violence are important as a sportsman, but that in order to be a real man; one should be controlling and intimidating on the pitch or court (Tough Guise: Violence, Media, and the Crisis in Masculinity). This is visible in Basketball, for instance, when a player commits an “in-your-face” slam-dunk over an opposing player before proceeding to rub it in his face. Sport in America, just as Katz contends in his film, has various lessons to teach about contemporary manhood; one can gain respect through disrespecting an opponent or rival. In professional wrestling, it is hard to argue with Katz’s assertion that violence and aggression are celebrated as a projection of masculine power. Examples and implications of using sport for nationalism and nation-building With the end of colonialism and the withdrawal of colonial enemy forces, new states established in the 20th century were faced with the problem of bringing their people behind common goals other than the colonialists (Keim 51). This was especially important because previously assumed divisions according to religion, wealth, tribe, and race surfaced. Sport became a way for some of these countries to control these divisions, allowing their expression through ways that did not affect the fragile stability of their states and subsuming them by creating a greater loyalty to nation and state. Particular sports, therefore, came to be representative of certain nations, for example, cricket, and rugby in South Africa. Sport has a pervasive role in creating and reinforcing national identity through “sportive nationalism”, which has outlived sport’s political manipulation under regimes in the former Eastern Bloc countries (Keim 52). The GDR and the USSR, for example, used sport in the development of socialist nationalism. Sport was used by the GDR in order to foster a distinct national identity to West Germany, as well as develop a distinctly socialist personality. Modern states also utilize sport for other nationalist reasons apart from national distinctiveness and unity. Sport is used on the international stage by states to project their national identity using various cultural symbols like their armed forces, flags, and national anthems in demonstration of their individuality (Keim 52). Hosting and success in a sports event has also been used by various states in order to parade their national achievements and increase nationalist feelings in their citizens. An example of this can be seen in the recently concluded London Olympics that was used to parade various British contributions to the world, such as the industrial revolution, major movie franchises like James Bond, and diverse sports like soccer and rugby. This, coupled with a presentation of the Great Britain football team, was meant to improve nationalist feelings among the British and show their national identity to the rest of the world. Another example is the Football World Cup in France, which France went on to win, gave the French government the opportunity to show the values of public service, the successful integration of France’s diverse ethnic and racial groups, and traditional values of the French to the rest of the world (Keim 53). However, reduction of sport to a tool that fosters false consciousness is inaccurate and crude. It risks undervaluing how much shared identities and experiences are fostered independent of political manipulation in sport (Bairner 44). Sport has the ability organize potentially oppositional and progressive activities around it. For example, during Japan’s colonization of Korea, the Koreans used sports groups as a way to organize against the politico-cultural hegemony of the Japanese, while also encouraging total independence from them. Therefore, the implication of using sport to promote nation building and nationalism is that it allows for maintenance of national identity. However, in the process of using sport as a vehicle for nation building and nationalism, there is the probability that it could also end up separating different nations along ethnic lines (Bairner 45). While this outcome rarely leads to all out war, it could lead to the widening of fault lines between different nations. A good example is the case of Serbia and Croatia, in which football matches between the two countries end up causing riots and violence because they become an avenue for them to show their national identities. Deviant over-conformity and why it pervades organized sport Deviant over-conformity refers to an action that involves accepting rules without critically analyzing them. If these actions become too extreme, there is a chance they would create conditions of blind faith. There are various reasons why deviant over-conformity is prevalent in organized sport (Yiannakis & Melnick 61). For one, sports-people who indulge in deviant over-conformity feel that they have a higher chance of being selected into the team. Those in organized sport who are most likely to show deviant over-conforming tendencies are those with low self-esteem, especially as they believe that sacrifices in sport will lead to acceptance and respect from their peers. Athletes, who see sport as the only way to be successful, have a higher vulnerability to deviant over-conformity, this is a special case involving sports-people from low-income minority groups. In addition, some sports coaches will create an environment in which sports men and women are uncertain about their position in their team (Yiannakis & Melnick 61), which keeps them in a perpetually dependent state that leads to over-conformity. The so-called “sport ethic” is also a contributor to deviant over-conformity, especially if sports men and women adhere too tightly to it. This involves the need for them to make the ultimate sacrifices in games that could risk injury, which means that they have to show maximum commitment, the expected attitude from their fans and coaches, and the need for them to perform to the expectations of the team’s fans and management (Yiannakis & Melnick 62). Sportsmen and women in organized sport also strive for distinction from their peers, which could cause them to over-conform in the hope that this will give them the required boost to be the best. This could also mean that they have to play through pain and accept the risks that come with exerting themselves to be the best. The increased emphasis in organized sport that there are no limits also leads athletes and other sports people to over-conforming in order to be the best (Yiannakis & Melnick 62). However, over-conforming in sport is sometimes rewarded as the ultimate professionalism. Deviant over-conformity also occurs when sports men and women seek to do anything possible in order to play for as long as they can, especially when they love their sport so much that they do anything to be involved longer (Yiannakis & Melnick 64). Rewards, accolades, and praise that accompany those who show deviant over-conformity also encourage this behavior. Coaches and managers normally reward those who are willing to show over-conformity, which involves being picked for the team and new improved contracts. Sponsors will also look for the “most committed” athletes to advertise their products, which usually results in rewarding of deviant over-conformity. Those who over-conform are also known to exceed what is thought possible, which is exciting for fans and encourages sports men and women. In addition, there is the chance that sports men and women over-conform in order to be accepted by other over-conforming sports-people, especially senior teammates (Yiannakis & Melnick 64). However, majority of sports men and women in organized sport do not view over-conformity as being deviant in nature. To the contrary, it is viewed as a re-affirmation of their commitment and identity as sports men and women. Work Cited Bairner, Alan. Sport, Nationalism, and Globalization: European and North American Perspectives. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2011. Internet resource Tough Guise: Violence, Media, and the Crisis in Masculinity. Dir. Sut Jhally, Perf. Steve Austin, Marlon Brando, James Caan, 1999. Film. Keim, Marion. Nation Building at Play: Sport as a Tool for Social Integration in Post-Apartheid South Africa. Aachen [u.a.: Meyer and Meyer Sport, 2010. Print. Yiannakis, Andrew. & Melnick, Merrill. J. Contemporary Issues in Sociology of Sport, Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2001. Print. Read More