Week 13

Nolan Ryan had a 27 year old baseball career. I feat many cannot say they even came close to. During his career he was an 8 times All-Star, had 5,714 strikeouts, and racked up 7 no-hitters. No wonder he was the face of masculinity in sports for decades! Times have changed though. Masculinity consists of a lot more now a days than “toughness and competitiveness”, “subordination of women”, and “the marginalization of gay men.” I mean what the heck! In 2013, athletes are held more highly when they are toughness and competitiveness only relates on the field, when they have an equal relationship with their significant other, and finally when these athletes are understanding and accepting of gay men in and out of their locker room. 

The word “faggot” is becoming more and more unacceptable in the athletic community, as the number of homosexual athletes coming out is rising. In the hockey community, this word has been unacceptable for a long time, and is worthy of fine or penalty. A notable case of this word being used or being excused of being used was in the 2011-’12 season when Sean Avery apparently called Wayne Simmonds a “monkey” and Simmonds came back with calling Avery a “faggot”. All outlets covered the comments pretty closely and it made national attention. Neither party was right and it’s neither here nor there. But, the understandingness of someone who is different than you is apart of the 2013’s definition of “masculinity”. Furthermore, being a player of women is now considered “beastly”. Consider Tiger Woods, he was in so-it-seemed committed relationship with his wife and two children, but when that hit the fan, boy did it hit the fan. 

Trujillo

Troy Maychuk
Sport Journalism
Pat Gordon
11/20/13

In this article, Nick Trujillo discusses the gender differences in the present day sports world. Trujillo also focuses on the picture of Nolan Ryan that was painted by the media. Nolan Ryan was touted as the absolute model for a dominant male athlete. Ryan pitched in the MLB for 25 years and gained the title “power pitcher” as the media used him as a scale to measure the masculinity and performance of others. It is very easy to see this in mainstream media, for women I feel like even more so. Women judge themselves against what the media provides as the ideal shape and size of what a ‘good’ woman should look and act like. For men sports provide an enormous influence to youth especially.

Rich, powerful athletes in perfect shape has become the ideal masculine model, the standard by which all others are measured. Ryan was also famed a modern day ‘cowboy’ furthering his male prowess and solidifying him in the hearts of true blue Americans. Ryan was basically a ‘good old boy’ and became the absolute pinnacle of manliness. Hegemonic culture dominates sports media- perfect example that comes to mind is lingerie football where women dressed in scant underwear tackle each other and emulate a standard football game. The media portrays these events as more of a soft core porno than a legitimate game. The cycle perpetuates itself because of the dominant male figure that is IDOLIZED in modern day media.

Week #13

Matt Snider

The article for this week by Trujillo focused on the portrayal of masculinity within sports. In particular, the author talked about how Nolan Ryan was glorified throughout the media and the five features of hegemonic masculinity. He talks about how Ryan was viewed as a powerhouse pitcher to define physical force and control, his records to define occupational achievement, Nolan Ryan as the patriarch of his family to define patriarchy, portraying Ryan in the off-season as a cowboy to embody frontiersman, and finally, his portrayal of being a good looking male throughout the media to define his heterosexuality.
I think that there are some legitimate items discussed in the article that still hold true today. In a sport like baseball for instance, the first feature is displayed prominently within the world of pitchers. More often than not a pitcher is immediately put on a pedestal if they possess the ability to throw hard. Guys like Chapman are revered for being good pitchers especially once they are unproven. It’s a similar situation whenever Justin Verlander throws 100 mph in the sixth inning. It is no doubt a great accomplishment but I’m not sure it warrants a five minute segment on Sportscenter.
Another similarity is the way athletes are portrayed constantly working out, and in relation, constantly building their strength. Nike and Under Armor have built their entire marketing campaign around showing athletes working out wearing their apparel. It is seen as the clothing choice if you are someone with strength or a tough male. In a similar sense if they ever show female athletes in these commercials they are often seen doing more of a cardiovascular workout like running as opposed to lifting weights or anything that would be strength gaining.
Finally, another common feature of hegemonic masculinity that is featured in the media and particularly advertisements has been the idea of the patriarch figure. It is seen often in big events like the Super bowl a few years ago when the Saints won. The image plastered everywhere from the event became Drew Brees holding his young son at midfield while the confetti pours down. Not only does this image paint Brees as the patriarch of his family but it also it shows his occupational achievement in winning the highest trophy a team can earn in a season. In addition to the Brees media picture a recent ad featuring Lebron James not just training at the court but also training with his sons. This is both portraying the patriarch figure as well as the power and strength James possesses.

Week 13 - Trujillo

               The article for this week written by Nick Trujillo is titled “Hegemonic Masculinity on the Mound:  Media Representations of Nolan Ryan and American Sports Culture.” This article discusses how media plays a big role in how the public views certain athletes, with this article focusing on how media represented Nolan Ryan as a masculine hero of sorts.

                Nolan Ryan is arguably one of the best pitchers in baseball history. During a career spanning parts of four decades, Ryan played for 4 different teams (Mets, Angels, Astros, and Rangers), and set many pitching records, including the most no-hitters by one pitcher in Major League Baseball history (Seven such games). Throughout his career, the media painted Nolan Ryan as an extremely masculine hero in various ways, in articles, advertisements, and features on TV.

                Hegemonic masculinity is defined as “the culturally idealized form of masculine character.” In American culture, hegemonic masculinity has five features, 1. Physical force and control, 2. Occupational achievement, 3. Familial patriarchy, 4. Frontiersmanship, and 5. Heterosexuality. In this article, Trujillo examined various pieces of media and how they portrayed Nolan Ryan in each of these five categories.

                Ryan’s athleticism was represented in stories saying that his pitches were recorded as some of the fastest in history. Stories about Ryan’s various baseball records pictured him as a tireless worker. Other stories would focus on Ryan as a family man, describing his great relationships with his wife and his two sons. He was also portrayed as a sex symbol in various advertisements.

                The media as a whole represented hegemonic masculinity through Nolan Ryan. If you had to pick a current version of this model, I would probably think about LeBron James first. His records are glorified, he is regarded as an unbelievably hard worker, the media portrays him as a great father figure to his sons. You could almost even go as far as to say that James may be the first black athlete to be viewed this way. I see a lot of comparisons between how Ryan was portrayed in the media and how LeBron is currently portrayed. 

Week 13 - Trujillo – Masculinity

Casey Yoos

Sports Journalism Blog

Week 13 - Trujillo – Masculinity

            In Truijillo’s article, he states 5 characteristics that describe “hegemonic masculinity”. These 5 characteristics are (1) physical force and control, (2) occupational achievement, (3) patriarchy, (4) frontiersman/outdoorsman (5) heterosexuality is defined. Sports have greatly influenced America’s idea of masculinity. The media is responsible for reproducing these ideas in the minds of Americans. Texas Ranger’s pitcher, Ryan Nolan, is known as one of the “ageless wonders” of baseball. His achievement in the sport and endorsements outside of the sport have made him a perfect example of how the media uses sports players to express what masculinity is. Trujillo looked over 250 articles in newspapers, magazines and sport-oriented magazines to describe how Ryan Nolan is expressed as an image of masculinity.

            When Nolan joined the Mets he had an extremely fast pitch and the media referred to him as “flame-thrower” and “power pitch”. Although he lacked control with the Mets, when he joined the Angels he gained control and began to win games and was a power hitter. The media emphasized him as a strong and great player, emphasizing his masculinity. When Nolan began to age, they described his playing as “will-power” and that he often “played through the pain”, changing the way they described him as masculine.

            The media also emphasized Nolan’s milestone achievements such as “no-hitter” and “strike-out” achievements. In his later years the media also complimented his work ethic and success. The media did everything they can to define Nolan as a hard-working man to the public. The media even went as far as reporting on Ruth Nolan and saying the Ryan Nolan was the breadwinner and that she chose not to or failed to follower her career path. The media emphasized his role as a father and the breadwinner in his family, almost defining what it means to be masculine.

            Following this even further, according to the article Nolan was described as, “a rural cowboy who symbolizes the frontiersmen of American”. He was even known in the media to be a real cowboy who owned and worked three cattle ranches. The media also reaffirmed his identity as a white male by presenting him as a white male to the public. The media, such as sports illustrated describe Nolan in articles as “handsome”, “a natural-born hero” and a heterosexual male who the women found attractive. The perception of masculinity in the American culture has made it extremely hard for women in sports, gays and lesbians.

Week 13 Trujillo

In Nick Trujillo’s article he discusses hegemonic masculinity in sports culture and the media representations of Nolan Ryan, specifically. Trujillo’s write about the media’s portrayal of Ryan as the ultimate male icon, or the pinnacle of hegemonic masculinity during his 25 year career and a pitcher in MLB. Trujillo analyzes five features of the media coverage of Nolan Ryan that reinforces this idea: the embodiment of the male athletic power, as an ideal image of the capitalist worker, as a family patriarch, as a white rural cowboy, and as a phallic symbol.

Trujillo argues that sports are the most influential to American’s sense of masculinity. With football becoming increasingly popular, the idea that men are strong, aggressive, and violent has definitely emphasized the idea of what hegemonic masculinity means in this country.

The media has portrayed Nolan Ryan as the “embodiment of male athleticism”, and have reaffirmed the power of the male body by referring to him as a “power pitcher” throughout his career. Nolan Ryan is an ideal image of the capitalist worker which is showcased by the media’s fascination with his pitching records both individual and as a team. Capitalism strives to breed the best workers possible and Ryan was definitely one of the best at his job. Third, the media portrays Ryan as the family patriarch, the bread-winner, the man of the house who works hard to support his family. Next, Ryan as a “cowboy”. The all-american cowboy is a classic image of an ideal man. Finally, there’s the media’s portrayal of Nolan Ryan as a sex symbol which is essential to being the poster-boy for hegemonic masculinity. 

            I think the notion hegemonic masculinity in sports is important to understand because it is everywhere. While advertisements for men’s sports I see are over-masculine at times, ads for female athletes can often be an extreme opposite in that they are hyper-feminine. I guess in the mind of the media that style tries to “make up” for the perceived masculinity of successful female athletes.

Week 11

     I found this week’s reading to be out dated. In the abstract alone it discusses companies implementing an interactive source to their website in regards to fantasy sports. The thing is most major website if not all have an interactive function to it, if not write-ups on fantasy sports themselves. Fantasy Sports is already a major industry where websites do not need much influence or help on how to reach their audience. 

     The study explored how the target Fantasy audience is mainly men. How is this a “finding” within a study. You can take a small survey of a random room and find out that men are the majority in Fantasy Sports. Or another finding in the study says the mass of the people surveyed said that they either “loved sports” or “liked it a lot”… Shocking. 

     Furthermore, some of the hypotheses such as: “the more hours a day a person spends participating in fantasy sports leagues, the more days a week a person spends following sports in communication mediums other than the internet,” and “as the number of times people check their fantasy sports scores increases, the more time they spend watching sports highlights,” are pretty obvious. I honestly find whomever did this study to have wasted their grant money.