Baseball and the Social Construction of Gender

‘On me bed, son’: The (Re)presentation of (emphasised) femininity in English ‘tabloid’ newspaper coverage of Euro 2016

“…In her study of the construction of gender in baseball, Ferrante argued that although the role of the woman ‘is to bring comfort, meaning and identity’ to the male player (1994: 247) she is also afforded the role of the sexual temptress and so if the man fails in his contest with other men, ‘he is justified in blaming not himself but the woman, for it was she who interfered with his pure godlike state’ (Ferrante, 1994: 249). This contradictory narrative was identified by Clayton and Harris (2004) in media coverage of Victoria Beckham.…”

Role models, women's leadership and careers of women in the management of professional baseball.

“…The reasons for the lack of women leaders are closely related to various barriers women have to face during the process of moving into a leadership position. The significance of research on women working in MLB is that gender stereotypes limit both males and females since baseball is considered as cultural symbol defined as masculine (Ferrante, 1994) and very few women play the sport competitively.…”

“…Moreover, baseball historically was transformed from a mere pastime to an important cultural symbol defined as completely masculine (Ferrante, 1994). It is important to acknowledge these barriers and consider recommendations to overcome them.…”

“…If more women are in roles that could lead to general manager, then that could really change things" (Hill, 2013, para.6). Ferrante (1994) wrote about the United States and baseball, explaining that, "as baseball was transformed from a mere pastime to an important cultural symbol, it was necessary that it be defined as completely masculine" (Ferrante, 1994, p. 241). Women who work in professional baseball need to overcome gender stereotypes such as not understanding the game, being a secretary, and working in baseball to find a future husband (Hums & Sutton, 1999) This male-dominated portion of the professional sport industry segment has received little attention from researchers examining women in sport management and women working in professional baseball will be a perfect example to provide useful information on the status of women working in a male-dominated workplace.…”

“…The next section will, therefore, further examine the reasons why there are so few women leaders, and look into detail at barriers that discourage women from attaining leadership or (Hums & Sutton, 1999). Moreover, baseball was transformed from a mere pastime to an important cultural symbol defined as completely masculine (Ferrante, 1994). It is important to acknowledge these barriers and consider recommendations to overcome them.…”