Weight of Masculinity

The meaning behind man and how masculinity impacts society displays strengths and weaknesses that can lead to the leaders of the future or the protectors of the old text. Not all masculinity is necessarily bad for men to attribute themselves to. The idea of toxic masculinity is where the thoughts and actions begin to show the cracks in the form of elitism. The subject of man then becomes this figure that must be copied or one that claims to be a man must relinquish themselves from the exclusive club of the "true man". The article, Toxic Masculinity in Sports, by Lizz Darcy defines term as, "The difference between toxic masculinity and masculinity is that with toxic masculinity, men are shamed for behaviors seen as feminine or for not meeting the masculine ideal". This definition rings true for many activities that are seen as exclusive to men such as sports.

A hit against former Detroit Lions Wide-Receiver, Calvin Johnson, that subsequently knocks his helmet off. This type of hit is often praised by many fans that enjoy seeing the big hits in a game. In a so-called “man’s game”, this helps to display the masculine qualities of player’s as physical harm is important in preserving football. 

These attitudes start out for young boys that are often pressured to join sports because that is what boys are supposed to do instead of playing them for enjoyment. The ideas of toxic masculinity then become enforced by coaches and the surrounding environment as their development in the sports world continues. 

A popular quote from The Sandlot (1993) in which Hamilton “Ham” Porter (Patrick Renna) enforces a widely offensive insult to masculinity in the 1960s, the time period in which the movie is based. What used to be a more playground insult for many males growing, is more harmful than one might think as this reinforces the stereotype that women are weak. This also contributes to the idea that men should be as opposite from women as possible in order to retain their masculine dominance.

This theme is discussed in the theses, Looking Back at Looking Up: Unpacking the Production and Impact of Idealized Masculinity in Youth Hockey, by Martin Henry Rubin as he looks at the firm that hockey has been sculpted by masculine ideals. Much of the material that is described by Rubin is something that I can agree upon as I also came through the youth hockey system in the United States. Many of the coaches were fixated on this concept of masculinity that would often involve aggression being exerted verbally or physically by players and coaches alike. This would involve breaking clipboards, throwing trashcans, using homophobic slurs, denoting females as being less desirable. Not to mention enforcing this idea that all players should basically fight until they can barely breathe in many situations, especially playoffs. 

Goon (2011), a film that focused on the enforcer in hockey starring Seann William Scott. The film is generally well-received by the hockey community despite the position of the enforcer disappearing from the sport in hopes of deterring injuries. The enforcer also reflects the old-style of hockey that relished in physical violence over playing the game itself. These players were seen as the toughest and manliest on the ice because of their ability to dish out pain.

The language portion of the game was labelled as "chirping" or trash-talk, which would incorporate the use of words like pussy, bitch, or fag as insults because that was the social norm on the ice. Despite this rhetoric being frowned upon in public, on the ice was different as words were meaningless. This led to this language being regular vocabulary at the rink for nearly every player in the locker room. In contact sports there is also an emphasis on displaying the physicality as well as having the frame for the display. This creates stigmas that weigh on the smaller or physically weak players to feel like outcasts as they do not meet the standards of the men. In a progressive society, these once accepted practices from the generations of old have been labelled as toxic for good reasons. These toxic practices have also led to many athletes being untouchable, especially star athletes.

During an NHL playoff game in 2016 against the St. Louis Blues, former Chicago Blackhawk forward Andrew Shaw was caught using a homophobic slur on national television. For this incident he was fined and suspended for one game. To a national audience this behavior was both shocking disrespectful towards the LGBT community. To much of the hockey community the conversation was different as this type of language was common and it was more about getting caught for the offense rather than the act itself.

There have been countless cases of athletes being accused of assaults on teammates and other peers but more times than not they get off with a slap on the wrist. This leniency lead them down this path that they can do anything and by not reprimanding them they continue to not see the issues in their actions. As long as they remain unaccountable for the wrongs that they commit then they will continue to pursue these endeavors until informed otherwise. That is the core issue with the toxic masculinity issue in society as men are supposed to fit a mold that does not have room everyone. More times than not the ideas of man are harmful to peers that result in narrow-minded views and toxicity towards opposition. 

Current Chicago Blackhawk star, Patrick Kane, has not had the cleanest record as in 2009 he was involved in the assault of a cab driver in Buffalo, New York. In 2015 he was investigated for a rape accusation that never resulted in charges due to insufficient evidence. Each time the player was never reprimanded by the NHL or the Blackhawks’ organization. This leads many to believe that his celebrity status making him untouchable, not to mention him being a man. 

Being a man should not be necessarily resented but the definition should not consist of anyone's standard. By setting these lines in stone they are restricting people from carving out their own tales. Then everyone either feels isolated or panicked because they have to be able to fit in order to be a proper man. Again, there is no right answer on how to present oneself in society but the idea should not to be to conform to someone's idea on how to act. The idea is placed solely in the eye of the beholder in order to make their story in the shape that best fits them.

Works Cited

Joanna L. Grossman, Playing “Too Womany” and the Problem of Masculinity in Sport VERDICT (2013) Available at: https://scholarlycommons.law.hofstra.edu/faculty_scholarship/981

Clemens, Colleen. “What We Mean When We Say, ‘Toxic Masculinity.’” Teaching Tolerance, 11 Dec. 2017, www.tolerance.org/magazine/what-we-mean-when-we-say-toxic-masculinity.

Rubin, Martin Henry, "Looking Back at Looking Up: Unpacking the Production and Impact of Idealized Masculinity in Youth Hockey" (2018). Honors Theses - All. 2016.
https://wesscholar.wesleyan.edu/etd_hon_theses/2016

Darcy, Lizz. “Toxic Masculinity in Sports.” Unbalanced, 26 June 2018, unbalanced.media/toxic-masculinity-in-sports.