Sports Medias Effect on defining masculinity and femeninty in children

DECONSTRUCTING MASCULINITY

FORMULA IN SPORTS PROGRAMMING

By ____________________

Introduction

NFL , NBA , WBA , WWF . These acronyms can all be spelled in three letters : MEN

A man is not a man unless exposed to these sports . A woman is not a woman if she chooses to expose herself to these sports . Fortunately these are all fallacies

What does it take to be a real ' man or a real ' woman ? Can a woman be strong , tough , aggressive , and dominant ? Can a man be soft passive , aesthetically attractive , and sensitive ? Sports media 's

answer to this : NO

As far as sports media programming is concerned , only the man can be strong , tough , aggressive and dominant . Anyone who has opposite traits is definitely not a man

SPORTS MEDIA : HOW THEY REFLECT AND AFFECT MASCULINITY

A study conducted by the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles reported that 98 of US boys , ages 8 to 17 , consume sports-related media with 82 watching at least twice a week , and 90 watching televised sports (Boys to Men 4 . The same study indicated that on a regular basis , boys are more likely than girls to watch sports programs (p . 5 These figures suggest that sports programming , can inevitably shape boys-turning-men 's perception of what it takes to be a man and what women are like in the society

Riemer Visio (2003 ) found out in their studies that children perceive certain sports to be played either by a man or woman , or both . Their studies suggest that (1 ) most children perceive boxing as a sport exclusive for men (b ) most children label wrestling as a male sport (c ) more than half of the children perceive gymnastics as a sport for women (d ) only one child thinks that a man can engage in aerobics (p 193 . These figures show how children are able to clearly classify sports as either for men or for women , when in fact , these mentioned sports are not exclusive to any gender . Unfortunately , the implication of these findings can be more alarming than these results

The American children are the future of the most powerful country in the world . In this sense , how their values are molded is a significant and critical responsibility of today 's parents . Fortunately , or unfortunately , aside from the parents , other elements of society contribute to the shaping ' and reshaping ' of the youth 's values One of these elements is the media , including sports coverages , which are among the powerful forces that influence the values of the youth

How men and women are portrayed in sports programming can actually have impact on the viewers ' concept of what it takes to be a man or a woman Sports programming is not just about the game in the ring or in the court , but also includes some elements like the commentators and the commercials where the audience members are being exposed to

First of all , sports programs ' commentators are mostly men . Of course they are expected to behave and comment like men . As creative as...