Homosexuality and the Heartbeat of a Locker Room: An Analysis of Quotations in the Context of Hegemonic and Inclusive Masculinity Theories

Abstract

This qualitative textual analysis examines the attitudes and beliefs of the U.S. sports industry reflected in news stories through quotations (n = 405) employed by writers in the media. The researchers analyzed quotations from U.S. national newspapers regarding Jason Collins (National Basketball Association) and Michael Sam (National Football League), the first openly gay athletes in their sports leagues, and their coming-out announcements. The findings from the quotations suggest that the National Basketball Association is more accepting toward the presence of gay male teammates than adhering to a more inclusive definition of masculinity. The National Football League, however, is more resistant to the presences of gay male teammates, with more attitudes aligned with a traditional hegemonic masculinity. Whereas both organizations openly state their support for equality, there are still obstacles to achieving GLBT equality in professional sports leagues.

The need for a violence prevention programme in ice hockey: a case study on how hegemonic masculinity supports and challenges violent behaviour in Swedish ice hockey

“…In Swedish and other contexts, researchers have confirmed the content of misogyny and sexism in male team sports (e.g. Alsarve & Angelin, 2019;Andreasson, 2006;Fundberg, 2003;Katz, 1995;Luisi et al, 2016;Messner, 1992;Messner & Sabo, 1994). With its focus on how to engage men and boys in violence prevention, Flood's (2019) work helps us to understand such content as a fundamental and initial step in eradicating men's violence against women and other men.…”

“…Flood's work thus underlines the importance of changing degrading attitudes and language at an early stage before they escalate. Flood's broad understanding of violence puts the often violating attitudes that are prevalent in male ice hockey teams, and are interpreted as patriarchal and hostile gender norms, in a problematic light (Allain, 2008(Allain, , 2014Luisi et al, 2016;MacDonald, 2018;Pappas, 2012). For some players, a group's heterosexism, diminishing jokes or offensive attitudes could lead to attitudes and behaviour that result in illegal actions, such as assaults (Fields et al, 2007;Flood, 2019;Flood & Pease, 2009).…”

“…(Flood, 2019, p. 239) Beaton, 2019;Campbell, 2019;Higgins, 2019). Researchers have long highlighted how male team sporting cultures can construct an arena in which boys and men learn how to or risk becoming aggressive, homophobic, sexist and/or misogynous (Katz, 1995;Luisi et al, 2016;Messner, 1992;Messner & Sabo, 1994). Comprehensive research has highlighted the imprints of sexism and homophobia in North American hockey cultures (Allain, 2008(Allain, , 2011(Allain, , 2014Pappas et al, 2004).…”

Improving Wellness for LGB Collegiate Student-Athletes Through Sports Medicine: A Narrative Review

“…Furthermore, many collegiate sporting activities take place in close proximity situations involving direct male-on-male physical interaction in contact sports, locker rooms, showers, and recovery whirlpools, and evidence finds that men use this time to reinforce their heteromasculinity through male bonding [ 60 ]. Studies of “locker room talk” over the past three decades repeatedly suggest an environment that reinforces hegemonic masculinity, revealing dialogue that traditionally objectified women, promoted sexist attitudes, and resulted in gay-bashing [ 1 , 2 , 61 , 62 ]. Worthen reported a significant relationship in the collegiate environment between males participating in athletics and the Greek letter fraternity system and negative attitudes towards LGBT individuals [ 60 ].…”

“…Many professional athletes have been celebrated in the media for “coming out” with their sexual identities in recent years which has seemingly fostered increased visibility, acceptance, and awareness for lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) athletes across American sport culture. Some prominent examples include Jason Collins who received significant media attention for coming out as the first openly gay National Basketball Association (NBA) player after retiring in 2013 [ 1 , 2 ], Brittney Griner who came out as lesbian after being the first pick in the 2013 Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) draft [ 1 , 3 ], and Michael Sam who became the first openly gay prospect entering the National Football League (NFL) draft in 2014 [ 1 , 2 ]. These notable validations, while a significant gain in the positive direction for LGB awareness, may send a false perception that the Western culture of collegiate sports has also become more open and accepting of gay and lesbian athletes.…”