This article proves to be very controversial, even two years later after it was written. Not just of sexual orientation in sports, mainly masculine sports, but in the general public. I think about the small population here at BGSU. There are hordes of people vying for LGTB rights, recognition, and appreciation. Growing up in a world where coming out is becoming a commonly acceptable way of living; it is not the same for the views of my parents. The 2007 Gallup poll shows just how different the generations are: “Among 18-34 year olds surveyed, just 23% disapproved of gay lifestyles, compared to a 51% disapproval rate amongst U.S. citizens aged 55 and older” (para 15). This quote is obviously geared towards the feelings of those who watch sports, but I feel is a pretty fair representation of the general public.
Now moving on to the actual sport’s teams which is the highlight of this article. The media plays a very large role in influencing the way people feel and think. Look back at the “Beyond the Perfect Body” and “Reading the Muscular Body” articles and how the views of people and their body types are very much influenced just by magazines. I know it is the job of the media to report various happenings and events, but I do not feel that they need to publicly announce their take on the issue, or lack there of. If a team knows or has a feeling that one of their teammates has a different sexual orientation, but it does not make a difference to how the team plays with each other, then the media should not be twisting the straightforward information. The article states that “many professional athletes already know gay teammates anyhow, and that this awareness had no negative effect on team morale” (para 28). Why is there such an issue if the team does not see one? I think the article should also do this study on the teammates of Amaechi to see how they feel after his outing and if they even knew beforehand.
As we initially began discussing this topic in class, I had a question when we were asked how many gay professional athletes we could name. “Do we not know of any openly gay athletes because there aren’t any, or is it because the media chooses to not report on it because they don’t feel it is newsworthy?”
ReplyDeleteIn the end, I think it is a combination of both fear and lack of interest. I think that while there is most definitely homophobia in athletics (at all levels), there is a lack of initiative and interest on the media’s part. I do think that if some major star (Tom Brady, LeBron James, Alex Rodriquez, etc…) came out, it would garner much attention and do much to break down barriers.
I have to disagree with Matt on the issue of lack of interest. I actually think that if the media was able to find an openly homosexual athlete in professional sports, they would announce it loudly. I don't watch women's college basketball, but when Kye Allums announced he was transgender, I remember reading about it on two or three different news sites without searching for it. It reminds me of every time a D-list actor comes out. They are not big enough stars to make the news normally, but for some reason whenever they come out, it gets headline coverage. So for whatever reason, the media seems to take a great deal of interest in stars sexual orientation.
ReplyDeleteI know gay athletes inside locker rooms was a huge issue of late, either with people coming out after their career ended, or have come out recently to their teammates. But what hasn't changed recently is the perception, or lack thereof, of femininity on the playing field. Iowa's visiting locker room was painted pink as a psychological dampener to opposing teams. Pink being a color most closely associated with femininity and having no clear association to Iowa, and breast cancer awareness doesn't count. If a Quarterback throws a bad pass, he throws like a girl, or if the receiver drops that pass, he's gay, or he has little girl hands. Another question to ask is when this perception will change? When Peyton Manning or Tom Brady come out of the closet?
ReplyDeleteRyan I agree with what you said about femininity on the playing field. I hate the stigma of you "throw like a girl". Because growing up and still today I can probably out-throw many men. When people would see me throw, they would say something about "how I throw like a boy". Therefore, what happens is that ALL boys are exceptional at throwing and ALL girls have are weak and uncoordinated. However, being a P.E. major and teaching kids I know this is NOT true at all. Until we change our language, the skill level of an athlete will always marginalize women in sport.
ReplyDeleteThese are some great observations about this article. Thanks everyone for sharing. I also wanted to comment on what Matt suggested about speculation that the media might not be as interested in writing about openly gay athletes. Like Anthony wrote, I think the media is very interested in finding someone to write about. I immediately thought about the media member on the east coast who made the suggestion several years ago that there was an MLB player who was gay--people speculated that he was referring to Mike Piazza. It was so upsetting to Piazza that he called a press conference to say that he was not gay. I still do not know if that was who he was referring to, but it certainly stirred things up.
ReplyDeleteLike Courtney, I also have a real problem with the phrase "throwing like a girl." When I was 11 years old, I was the only girl who played baseball with the neighborhood boys. I remember one of the boys I played with telling me that his father was watching us, and he said I threw like a girl. It was really upsetting to me, because even at that age, I knew it was an insult! There are a lot of girls I would not mind throwing like today--and Courtney is probably one of them:-)