Warriors................

SPORTS, they are a pretty big deal here in the states and have a huge fan base which is very passionate about the teams that they support. But what do sports say about how we view masculinity? I found that a recent study conducted by the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles reports that 98 per cent of American boys between the ages of 8 and 17 consume sports media, that goes to show that even our young boys are being majorly influenced by what they see in sports and from the athletes themselves. Most sports are dominated by men from the coaches to the players so this is where boys will be influenced in there ideas of what is "masculine" and often times it is encouraged and praised to continue playing even after they are injured and according to recent studies this can reinforce ideas of "violent masculinity". The children will grow up believing that men are supposed to be "warriors" and that rivalry and aggression are what makes men, men. This will also reinforce that it is normal and natural to be violent and aggressive instead of being taught that masculinity goes far beyond the field or the court.
Besides the violent and aggressive side of sports there is also the fact that many athletes that people look to as role models have often been involved in scandals outside of the game itself, from adultery to rape and many athletes have had scandals with children and nonpayment of child support. For example basketball player Shawn Kemp has 7 illegitimate children by 6 different women, baseball player Danny Neagle who was married at the time was busted with a prostitute in his car and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was accused of sexual assault twice in 8 months.
It's sad to me that these men are our future's role models, nothing about rape or adultery or assault spells "real man" in my book. Sports will continue to be just as popular as ever for children and adults but as the adults of our society it is our responsibility to teach and show our boys how to grow up into kind, considerate "real men" and help erase the warrior attitude.