Hannah Hecht's Blog

Summary

The two different readings for this week focused on the negative aspects of sports. The first, “What’s Manly, What’s Not for Athletes,” describes how society tends to view professional athletes. People sneered at and scorned Mark Sanchez for his modeling photoshoot with GQ, Sergio Romio for taking paternity leave, and Landon Donovan for seeking alimony. The article states that all of these athletes should be able to model, see their children being born, and look for funds to help support their kids without their manhood being challenged. The author also comments on the high levels of sexism in sports.

The second reading shows how watching professional sports can be an incredibly negative influence on young boys. Themes in televised sports, such as pro wrestling, the NFL, the NBA, and Major League Baseball include: racism, sexism, violence, and recklessness. The article invents a formula for “A Real Man,” as portrayed in televised sports. “A Real Man” compromises his own well-being by playing while he’s hurt and taking enormous risks. “A Real Man” is aggressive and tough, on and off the field. “A Real Man” “wins” the attention of women. And above all, one can only be “A Real Man” for a short amount of time; he’s only as good as his last game.

The final piece of the assignment is a Youtube clip of TSN’s Top Ten Most Creative Hockey Goals. This video shows some of the most amazing feats of recklessness, cunning, and athleticism ever performed in a hockey game.

Response

I totally agree with the author of “What’s Manly, What’s Not for Athletes.” Fans shouldn’t belittle Romio for sitting out a game so that he could see his child being born. A true “man” is a good father, not necessarily a good athlete. The same goes for both Sanchez and Donovan. Athleticism does not make the man; there are many more qualities that are much more important. In regards to the sexist comments, the people with those opinions are both maddeningly conservative and incredibly chauvinistic. Women have been looked down upon by men for centuries. It is about time that men and women received equal treatment.

I also agree, for the most part, with the argument that the second author presents. The media, especially sports media, has a way of portraying “real men” as sexist, reckless, and aggressive. These are not values that need to be instilled in young boys. The part that is the most maddening is the sportscasters’ idea that athletes who play injured are the most heroic. These athletes have no regard for the future and will probably end up shortening their athletic careers and having long-term medical problems.

There is one thing that I disagree with about this week’s readings. While the readings portray sports as “the bad guy,” I feel that there truly is value in athletics, especially for kids and young adults. Sports help instill a passion for hard work, camaraderie, and a pursuit of perfection in children. There truly is beauty in working toward a goal, through good times and bad, and eventually attaining it. In the end, sports are not the bad guy. The true problem lies in chauvinistic attitudes.