University of Antwerp

Faculty of Social Sciences

How sport contributes to male society

by Ioana-Andreea Lala

Theory Construction
Dr. Itamar Shachar

October 29th, 2022

 1. Introduction
Nowadays, more or less, sport is a big role in our lives. Whether you exercise at the gym or at
home, sports have ingrained themselves deeply into our way of life. Sports, such as football,
basketball, handball, WWE, and even golf contests, are not only based on people exercising but
also on people merely watching them on television. They demonstrate their commitment in many
different ways. The crowd will usually stand up when a goal is scored, and you'll often find men
hugging each other to show their happiness or disappointment that their team didn't score. This is
what sports do; It develops connections between individuals, especially men who can finally
express their emotions to one another.
I was watching a documentary about how a football team was beginning to stand on its own
again when a journalist mentioned the term "bromance". This inspired me to investigate the
subject further and discover how men's relationships may be influenced by sports to become
more intimate and how they can maintain genuine friendships. As I read more about this
occurrence, my interest in it rose. Since I, enjoy playing and watching sports, I decided to do
some research on the topic wanting to understand it from a man’s point of view.

2. Steps in a research project

Researching would be the first step I would take in social observation. As a result, I'll combine
the data I've already collected with some new ones gleaned from fresh inquiries. To learn more
about males and their bromance, I'd start by contacting the local football team. Athletics and
academics are two large and predominant categories in student-athletes lives, therefore it is
expected that the motivation of student-athletes in the two domains is connected. Understanding
student-athletes motives are crucial if we want them to grow into successful, lifelong learners,
professionals, and members of society. Understanding student-athletes motives are crucial if we
want them to grow into successful, lifelong learners, professionals, and members of society.
Collecting loads of data at once and fast is important, so surveys would be a good way to start
the research; (for example, applying questions rated on a scale from 1-5 – highly disagree -
highly agree). I would conduct two distinct focus groups to attempt and investigate this
phenomenon as part of the data research. Focus groups would be the best way to observe their
behavioral patterns and their feelings toward this phenomenon. Separating the ones who don’t
practice/watch any sports and the ones who do and getting into a deeper perspective to
understand it better. This would help us learn more about the emotional connection these men
have with sports and what motivated them to get into sports, or not.

3. Theorization
It is well known that men don’t like to express their feelings or thoughts so much with other
people. Straight white adult men have a low amount of friends overall, which is not surprising

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given the code of male friendship. Men usually tend to change their posture or voice as a way to
protect themselves and not look weak in front of others of the same sex.

While women are comfortable seeking vulnerability and closure from others, men are still
careful of whom they talk to emotionally. Our society has created a particular term to describe
the extraordinary phenomena of simply two men enjoying some time together since male
friendship is so complicated, and that is called “bromance”. (Plank, 2019, p. 117)
What keeps the distance between men and vulnerability? Why do men seek comfort in sports?

3.1 Heuristics applied

3.2 Frame by aspect

The first questions I asked myself were “Are there possible ways to make a difference between
men and their ways of acting? How do cases vary within a category?”. When discussing men and
their vulnerability, I would separate it into two aspects/categories, which is when this heuristic
comes to help. Those categories would be single-mom families and “complete” families (where
the father figure is present).
The boys raised by a single mother would be the first aspect. These people spend the majority of
their life being exposed to maternal care and love. The boys lack the father figure that a
"complete family" would provide for the child, teaching them how to fix the sink, play football,
and watch sports. They frequently observe the mother's activities, such as cooking, cleaning, etc.
They do ultimately develop an interest in sports, which quickly turns into their safe place.
When referring to a youngster whose father, for instance, supports a football team, the child
frequently acts more manly to mimic the father. Through those activities, the child in this
instance feels more connected to his father than to his mother, which creates an important goal,
the one to make the father proud and win his approval so that over time, comparable interests can
grow.
This led me to think that the strongest male friendships and close relationships arise when there
is a shared interest in sports. The mind changes and develops a new set of priorities as one grows
older and becomes aware of social inequalities. The boys grow up to be men. Their natural
impulse is to appear tough in front of others, display little emotion toward others, and keep their
issues to themselves out of a desire to show that they can handle things on their own without
assistance. Sports may override everything since that's when people can express their feelings.
They believe that everyone else in the stadium shares their desire to see their team succeed.

3.2 Think of temporality

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In order to learn more about this subject, I decided to historicalize and look for a connection with
your social phenomenon using this heuristic. I did this by considering temporality, which is what
sets things in motion.
I applied this heuristic by looking back hundreds of years because I am also interested in history.
Why can’t men just make friendships as easy as women do? It’s not that hard to say how you
feel. Asking myself that, I discovered that a man should be able to battle, flaunt his manhood,
and control his area. Ancient Greek sports are the best illustration. For example, consider
pankration, a combination of boxing and wrestling where any move was allowed. The winners of
these competitions improved the reputations of their families, communities, and themselves (The
Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2019).
This made me think that guys have learned and cultivated the ability to be tough and show no
emotion through time even since their early years, basically keeping them alive, along with their
‘winner ego’. So, a man’s “legacy” is to fight and not show his weakness but show his property,
which in a society is one of the most important things, like a man’s code. Since then, society has
required men to demonstrate their dominance while emotion is not permitted. They might be able
to grow mentally and physically through sports, which, on the other hand, allows them to show
their masculinity as well.

3.3 Study the literature

This heuristic is a good way to start your research because you can use the knowledge that is
already out and can help you understand better the topic you chose.
It is common knowledge that guys find it difficult to explain their emotions or thoughts to others.
Given the code of male friendship, it is not surprising that straight, white adult men have the
fewest friends overall. The "man intimacy paradox" is what Liz Plank refers to as the fact that
men desire and require greater vulnerability from their family and friends yet won't even dare to
ask for it. – “men pretend like they have it all figured out when they are around each other […].
The barriers to same-sex intimate friendship are fueling an epidemic of male isolation.” (Plank,
2019, p. 115).
Reading that made me think that what if men who aren’t into sports don’t have the opportunity to
create those bounds and open their vulnerable side because they are not part of a team that
requires a tight bond as sports do?
A football team would make a great illustration. I believe that a strong relationship and bond
between the players would lead to better teamwork and a more successful outcome. If the team
communicates well, they will know where each player should be during games based on their
individual skills. This allowed me to think that not only sports allows you to have a team that
requires a good bond for it to work well but it also gives men other individuals of the same sex to
bond with because of their common hobbies.

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 4. Aim of research
The purpose of this study is to learn how sports, which are a social phenomenon, enable men to
express their feelings and emotions with greater ease. My study could increase public awareness
of this issue and aid individuals in understanding how it affects others and allow them to have a
good introduction to the phenomenon.
This study is a sociological theorization since it explores the role of the family institution and
how it affects men and society, as well as social movements and stereotypes such as men and
their struggle to be vulnerable and create real connections. According to my research, sports can
help people build stronger social networks and create a welcoming environment for themselves. I
intend to implement in-depth research on this social phenomenon and develop it furthermore
with more information that I would gather in time.

5. Summary

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Bibliography

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2019, January 22). pankration. Encyclopedia

Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/sports/pankration
Plank, E., 2019, “For the Love of Men: A New Vision for Mindful Masculinity, pages 115-117,
St. Martin’s Press, New York, from https://b-ok.xyz/book/5241144/8f0dfb