‘Power in the arm, steel in the will and courage in the breast’ – a historical approach to ideal norms and men’s dominance in Swedish club sports

Abstract

From both a quantitative and qualitative perspective, research shows that men and masculinities have dominated the Swedish sports movement for a long time and that sport as a so-called 'democratic people's movement' has been criticised for being a male movement. Given the self-made claims of the Swedish Sports Confederation's fostering of inclusivity and democratisation, this study encompasses a critical and historical perspective on the inclusive and exclusive dimensions of sport. The study object is a Swedish sports club and the specific aim is to analyse the prevailing norms and ideals and how they eventually helped to reproduce men's domination in a local sports club. Chronologically, the paper uses a historical comparative approach studying the club's 1910s-1920s and 1970s-1980s. The research questions put are: What characterised the norms of the ideal member and collective membership in terms of gender and did these change over time? Is it possible to find specific examples of inclusion and exclusion techniques by studying the club's photographs and stories? The main result shows subtle and explicit power techniques that reproduced (some) men's superior position at the club level.

Capturing homosocial worlds in the photographs of the Rugby Club, 1885–1920

“…According to Daniel Alsarve, male spectatorship of photographs strengthens homosocial bonds because sporting figures become 'potential role models' who 'are more complete, powerful and desirable male objects'. 100 Charles Allum was one such working-class figure and, for Donald, illustrative of the Club's hegemonic masculinity. He was pictured more than any other club member but was also shown as a sporting hero (see Figure 3).…”

A gang of ironworkers with the scent of blood: A participation observation of male dominance and its historical trajectories at Swedish semi-professional ice hockey events

“…Ice hockey -and sport in general -has long been promoted as an arena in which men are given opportunities to exhibit characteristics that can be interpreted as powerful, heroic, courageous -and masculine (Allain, 2008;Alsarve, 2018;Gilenstam et al, 2008;Kidd, 2013;Lorenz, 2016;Messner, 1992). By highlighting how phenomena like muscularity, aggression, toughness and fearlessness are interpreted as expressions of 'real' masculinity, researchers have argued that sport, as an institution or place, upholds men's hegemony (Connell, 2005;Messner, 2007, Tivers, 2011.…”

Martial Arts Leadership: Cultural and Regional Differences in Motivations, Leadership & Communication

“…Studies conducted before the mid 1990s indicated clear similarities in their conclusions, in which length of training was found to have a positive impact on the personality traits of martial artists [Vertonghen & Theeboom 2010]. Characteristics that are rewarded in many sports have been connected to hegemonic masculinity production and have, for example, emphasized strength, speed, toughness, risk-taking and durability [Alsarve 2018]. The question of what characteristics are seen as being of value in leaders and what martial arts practitioners seek to gain by practicing martial arts is the focus of this study along with the question of whether this differs across countries or regions of the globe.…”