In the Game : Gay Athletes and the Cult of Masculinity

by Anderson, Eric

• ISBN13: 9780791465332
• ISBN10: 0791465330
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-01-06
• Publisher: State Univ of New York Pr

Summary

Examines the relationship between gay male athletes, sport, and American masculinity.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	xi
Introduction	1	(5)
Overview	6	(3)
Outline	9	(4)
Warming Up	13	(6)
The Link between Sport and Homophobia	13	(4)
Methods	17	(2)
Sport, Masculinity, and Hegemonic Oppression	19	(20)
One Athlete's Story: Dale, High School Football Player	19	(2)
Masculinity as Hegemonic Oppression	21	(3)
Masculine Capital, Orthodox Masculinity, and Hegemonic Masculinity	24	(1)
Maintaining Masculinity: Homophobia at Work	25	(5)
Hegemonic Masculinity in School Culture	30	(2)
Problematizing Sport Culture	32	(5)
Sporting Hegemony and Gay Athletes	37	(2)
The Relationship between Gay Athletes and Sport	39	(22)
One Athlete's Story: Aaron, Closeted NHL Player	39	(3)
The Relationship between Gay Athletes and Sport	42	(3)
Gay Athletes: Challenging Masculine Domination	45	(5)
Representation of Gay Athletes in Sport	50	(11)
Systems of Masculine Reproduction	61	(16)
One Athlete's Story: Terry, Retired Closeted NFL Player	61	(4)
The Structure of Sport	65	(1)
Sport as a Near-Total Institution	66	(5)
Sport as a Gender-Segregated Institution	71	(1)
Sport as a Closed-Loop Institution	72	(5)
Coming Out in Sport	77	(20)
One Athlete's Story: Blake, High School Basketball Player	77	(4)
Fear of Coming Out	81	(4)
Coming Out in Sport	85	(2)
Feelings of Liberation	87	(3)
Reverse Relative Deprivation	90	(1)
Homophobic Discourse	91	(3)
The Evolving Coming Out Story	94	(3)
Mitigating Gay Stigma	97	(12)
One Athlete's Story: Bob, Collegiate Track Star	97	(2)
Using Masculine Capital to Mitigate the Stigma of Being Gay	99	(2)
Increasing Masculine Capital through Performance	101	(1)
The Effect of Masculine Capital on Coming Out	102	(2)
Adopting All Other Tenets of Orthodox Masculinity	104	(5)
Don't Ask, Don't Tell: Resisting a Culture of Gay Athleticism	109	(10)
One Athlete's Story: John, High School Basketball Player	109	(2)
Don't Ask, Don't Tell	111	(5)
The Price of Don't Ask, Don't Tell	116	(3)
Factors That Influence Acceptance	119	(16)
One Team's Story: The Troubadours Cheerleading Team	119	(2)
Factors That Influence Homosexual Acceptance	121	(1)
The Coach	121	(2)
Social Support Networks	123	(3)
Institutional Attitudes	126	(2)
The Intersectionality of Race and Coming Out	128	(3)
Nature and Origin of the Sport	131	(2)
Other Factors	133	(2)
The Center of Masculine Production: Gay Athletes in Professional Sports	135	(24)
One Athlete's Story: Steven, Closeted NFL Player	135	(1)
Professional Sports	136	(1)
The Relationship between Professional Athletes and Homosexuality	137	(7)
Professional-Sized Fear	144	(2)
Professional Pressure	146	(3)
Gay Athletes and the Sport-Media Complex	149	(2)
The Employer	151	(4)
Cracking the Center	155	(4)
Doing Something about It	159	(20)
Research Findings	159	(3)
Factors in a Positive Coming Out Experience	162	(2)
How to Come Out to Your Team	164	(3)
Avoiding the Bisexual Trap	167	(1)
After Coming Out	168	(1)
Dealing with Uncomfortable Situations	169	(2)
On Being Attracted to Your Teammates	171	(1)
When Things Don't Go Well	172	(1)
The Importance of Comebacks	173	(1)
Specific Issues for Gay Coaches	174	(1)
Handling the Privacy Issue	175	(1)
Warming Down	176	(3)
Notes	179	(10)
References	189	(10)
Index	199	(8)
Suny series on Sport, Culture, and Social Relations	207