International Review for the Sociology of Sport recent issues

The Big Drum: The Mutability of a Sporting Habitus: Mountaineering in Scotland as a Case Study

Brown, D. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:36:24 PST

There is some debate around structure and agency in Bourdieu’s concept of habitus. On reading Bourdieu’s work it can be understood why a great deal of empirical research suggests class reproduction in the context of participation in different sports. An examination of the changing nature of Scottish mountaineering, during the period from 1920 to 1960, however, gives an almost unique insight into how a class-based sporting habitus can be changed by the dialectical exchange of dispositions that can occur when the dominance of a class fraction is challenged by another.

Postmodernism, Queer Theory and Moral Judgment in Sport: Some Critical Reflections

Edwards, L., Jones, C. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:36:24 PST

The emergence of postmodern discourse, and more recently queer theory, has had a significant impact on sports feminism. Rejecting grand narratives and universal values, postmodern research attempts to explore the diversity of women’s sporting experiences in relation to identity concepts such as sex, gender, sexuality, race, and ethnicity. Such research often highlights important moral issues like intolerance and injustice. Postmodern and queer theories’ epistemological commitments, we argue, imply ethical relativism. This, we believe, undermines critical reflection and political action. We argue for an alternative, non-relativist ethical stance, which provides the necessary resources to evaluate critically certain problematic social practices in sport.

Fitness Cultures and Environmental (in)Justice?

Mansfield, L. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:36:24 PST

This article focuses on the environmentalist agenda in fitness cultures. The article is an initial critical exploration and limited to an analysis of the key principles of political ecology and environmentalism and the concept of sustainability in understanding the emergence of an environmentalist agenda in fitness cultures marked by shades and grades of green consumerism. Author involvement in outdoor military fitness regimes and a series of visits to activity holiday centres and health/fitness spas in the UK all of which make some claim to being ‘green’, ‘environmentally friendly’, and/or ‘natural’, provided the empirical context for the discussion in this article. It argues for further research from the political ecological field, exploring human/non-human dynamics of the environment, to advance an understanding about which sports and fitness cultures get developed where, how and in whose interests.

'They Light The Christmas Tree in Our Town': Reflections on Identity, Gender, and Adolescent Sports

Miller, K. E. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:36:24 PST

Sport occupies a prominent space in the public lives and private identities of US adolescents. Using the retrospective reflections of college students, this analysis explores two questions about sport-related identities during high school: Are ‘athletes’ and ‘jocks’ distinctly separate identities? Are these identities explicitly gendered? In four gender-segregated focus groups conducted in early 2005, 32 student-athletes from two upstate New York colleges discussed their high school experiences of sport, status, gender, and identity. Three primary themes developed with regard to differences between the ‘jock’ and ‘athlete’ archetypes: academic focus, teamwork, and cockiness/ aggression. Examining the intersection of gender, high-status/high-profile sport, and identity in both popular cultural imagery and the personal experiences of the focus group discussants provided support for the thesis of a ‘toxic jock’ phenomenon.

Glasgow Rangers Supporters in the City of Manchester: The Degeneration of a 'Fan Party' into a 'Hooligan Riot'

Millward, P. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:36:24 PST

On 14 May 2008 Glasgow Rangers and Zenit St Petersburg contested the UEFA Cup final at the City of Manchester Stadium. Zenit St Petersburg won the match but the event was marred by violent clashes between Glasgow Rangers supporters and Greater Manchester Police’s Tactical Support Group officers in Manchester city centre during the game. News coverage largely attached blame for the disorder upon Glasgow Rangers’ supporters, however, this article, principally drawing upon participant observation material supported by other relevant literature, will argue that responsibility is diffuse across a number of constituencies and that Rangers fans alone should not be blamed for the degeneration of a ‘fan party’ into a ‘hooligan riot’.

A Sociological Analysis of the Controversy Over Electric Stimulation To Increase Muscle Strength in the Field of French Sport Science in the 1990S

Terral, P., Collinet, C., Delalandre, M. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:36:24 PST

This article presents a scientific controversy in the world of French sport science. It focuses on electric stimulation, a technique used to increase muscle strength by using a device that sends electric impulses into the muscle. This technique has been the subject of numerous scientific studies, but the results stemming from such research are contradictory and have thus created a typical controversy. The controversy involves several actors, which this article will identify; we shall also address the arguments developed by each to impose their point of view. Through the analysis of 50 scientific papers and 15 interviews with prominent researchers involved in the controversy, this article examines the social processes at work in the construction and resolution of the controversy. These processes engage various conceptions of scientific research and particularly enhance the conflict between fundamental and applied science. The controversy is also based on axiological positions and values, in particular various conceptions of competitive sport, and the relationship between research and the sport industry. In addition, this article argues that the conflict can be better understood if one considers the social stance of the researchers in the field of sport science and the interests associated with their stances.

Review Article: Myth-Making and Myth-Breaking in Professional Sports: Roger Bannister and the Four Minute Mile: Sports Myth and Sports History, by John Bale. London: Routledge, 2004, 143 pp. $47.50 (paperback), ISBN: 041534607X. Professional Sports: Examining Popular Culture, edited by James D. Torr. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 2003, $22.45 (paperback), 192 pp., ISBN: 073771588X

Mason, F. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:36:24 PST

Book Review: Shattering the Glass: The Remarkable History of Women's Basketball, by Pamela Grundy and Susan Shackelford. London: The New Press, 2005, pp. 306 incl., bibliog., index, {pound}17.99, $26.95, ISBN 1565848225 (hbk). Give and Go: Basketball as a Cultural Practice, by Thomas McLaughlin. Albany: SUNY Press, 2008, pp. 250 incl., bibliog., index, $21.95, ISBN 9780791473931 (hbk), 9780791473948 (pbk)

Lake, R. J. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:36:24 PST

Sport, Intellectuals and Public Sociology: Obstacles and Opportunities

Bairner, A. — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:02:57 PDT

This article seeks to explain why it has proved so difficult for sociologists of sport to assume the mantle of public intellectuals even in relation to sport itself. Using a case study relating to sport in Northern Ireland and rooted in personal experience, the article examines alternative ways in which intellectual activity, albeit unconventionally understood, can influence the world of sport. Specifically, the analysis draws upon Antonio Gramsci's distinction between traditional and organic intellectuals. It is argued that only through engagement with organic intellectuals who exercise authority within the subcultures of sport can critical sociologists hope to influence sporting practices.

Apologetic Behavior Among Female Athletes: A New Questionnaire and Initial Results

Davis-Delano, L. R., Pollock, A., Ellsworth Vose, J. — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:02:57 PDT

Most studies that report apologetic behavior by female athletes employ observation or in-depth interviews. Although these studies provide great insight, they do not enable us to systematically compare apologetic behavior across a wide variety of athletes, sports, geographical locations, and time periods. The authors developed a questionnaire for such comparative purposes. The authors then used this questionnaire to study apologetic behavior on three collegiate teams. Most respondents reported that they either engaged in numerous apologetic behaviors on an occasional basis or a few apologetic behaviors on a more regular basis. The most common apologetic behaviors involved efforts to look feminine, apologize for aggression, and mark themselves as heterosexual. Softball players engaged in more apologetic behavior than soccer and basketball players. The authors urge others to utilize this questionnaire for comparative purposes.

Evaluation of the Elite Schools of Sport: Empirical Findings from an Individual and Collective Point of View

Emrich, E., Frohlich, M., Klein, M., Pitsch, W. — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:02:57 PDT

The German Olympic sport federation considers elite sport schools (ESS) to be beneficial for talented young athletes by offering school education and optimal training conditions, enabling pupils to perform at their best. An evaluation of ESS institutions systematically analyzed empirical data on ascribed and achieved aims with collected individual and collective data using questionnaires. On an individual basis, school performances and post-school occupational prospects, as well as competitive success of participants in the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2006 Winter Olympics were compared among ESS and non-ESS student-athletes. Age differences between the categories `continuous at ESS', `in stages at ESS' and `never at ESS' were not found. The results show that there was no difference in athletic performances between ESS pupils and others in the 2004 Summer Olympics, while in the 2006 Winter Olympics, there was a significant difference. Furthermore, there were no differences in school performances between the groups. Pupils at ESS often go on to pursue careers in the federal police and the armed forces, while many more non-ESS pupils work toward earning a university degree. The available data suggest that attending an ESS results in higher individual social costs which are not matched by comparable success in athletic competitions.

The Best Kept Secret in Sports: The 2010 Youth Olympic Games

Judge, L. W., Petersen, J., Lydum, M. — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:02:57 PDT

The International Olympic Committee seeks to reignite interest in Olympic sports in a generation of adolescents that are becoming increasingly overweight and inactive. International Olympic Committee president, Jacques Rogge, helped develop a plan for an Olympic Games for teenagers in 2010; the IOC general assembly approved the idea. But since its declaration on 6 July 2007 this new proposal has provoked loyal advocates and equally committed critics. This study examines the level of awareness of this event in the sporting community in the United States. This newly passed initiative will be examined for academic scrutiny from its very infancy, tracing and predicting impact and outcome from the perspective of athletes, coaches, parents and local and national sport officials in the United States.

Red Feminism and Propaganda in Communist Media: Portrayals of Female Boxers in the North Korean Media

Jung Woo Lee, — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:02:57 PDT

This article discusses the representation of female boxers in the North Korean media. Communists proclaim the liberation of women as one of their major political aims, and the media's portrayal of female pugilists appears to adhere to this political notion. No negative or sexualized description can be found in the North Korean media coverage of female boxing. However, a deeper analysis reveals that the media in this communist state ideologically underline a broader political structure based on state patriarchy. Moreover, the political use of female boxing is evident. In this regard, the priority seems to be given to nationalism over feminism. With respect to this, this article contends that while the North Korean media representation of female sport highlights active and skilful female athletes, such a portrayal must be seen within the limit of broader patriarchal politics. Thus, media coverage of female sport in `actually existing communism' appears to differ considerably from the genuine sense of increasing the social status of women.

Public Broadcasting, Sport, and Cultural Citizenship: The Future of Sport on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation?

Scherer, J., Whitson, D. — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:02:57 PDT

In this article we examine the recent debate over the continued role of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in airing National Hockey League (NHL) games on its iconic television show, Hockey Night in Canada (HNIC) . Specifically, we outline the heightened competition between the CBC and private networks for the most desirable sports rights in the context of the explosive growth of subscription television. We then review how the CBC was, in the face of this competition and to the surprise of many commentators, able to secure a new contract with the NHL in 2006. We argue here that, while Canada's public network will never again have the place in Canadian life that it had in the early days of television (Rutherford, 1990), HNIC remains an important investment because it acts as a critical promotional platform for the public network, as well as providing a sizeable revenue stream that subsidizes the network's other programming. We will also argue that providing free-to-air broadcasts of the sport that matters most to Canadians is an issue of cultural citizenship, and thus an important part of the mandate of a public broadcaster, and a matter of national interest.

Elite Women Wrestlers' Muscles: Physical Strength and a Social Burden

Sisjord, M. K., Kristiansen, E. — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:02:57 PDT

Wrestling is a male-dominated sport in terms of participation, commonly perceived as a masculine sport due to the requirement of muscular strength, courage, fighting spirit, as well as and the element of combat. Integral to achieving wrestling skills and physical capability is muscularity, something which may contradict common perceptions of feminine body appearance. The objective of this study is to examine female elite wrestlers' enactment of the wrestler's role and how they experienced enhancement of skills and bodily structure. This was done by means of a qualitative interview of eight Norwegian elite wrestlers comprising four females and four males in the age group 17 to 32 years. Since the wrestlers practice in a mixed gender setting the males were included as being part of the interaction. The study revealed different ways in which the female wrestlers were doing femininity which also seemed to be contextually bound. This was particularly related to strength training and overall performance as wrestlers. The seniors had apparently accepted strenuous strength training and big muscles, whereas the juniors were `holding back' giving priority to the `private body'. The seniors had accepted the `athletic body' and muscularity with its social costs.

Sport as a Vehicle for Social Mobility and Regulation of Disadvantaged Urban Youth: Lessons from Rotterdam

Spaaij, R. — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:02:57 PDT

This article addresses sport's contribution to social mobility of disadvantaged urban youth through an analysis of the Sport Steward Program in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Sport-based social intervention programs are conceptualized as potential vehicles for the creation of different forms of capital from which certain benefits can be derived that enable social agents to improve their social position. While the Sport Steward Program has contributed to objective and subjective social mobility of some participants, in most cases it is more suitable to highlight the relatively modest increases in participants' cultural, social and/or economic capital. However, rather than simply enhancing individual freedom and opportunity, sport-based intervention programs also serve as a form of social control and regulation. Sport is increasingly becoming a substantial aspect of the neoliberal policy repertoire of cities like Rotterdam aimed at generating social order in disadvantaged inner-city neighbourhoods.

`We Have all theBases Covered': Constructions of Professional Boundaries in Sport Medicine

Theberge, N. — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:02:57 PDT

Three professions that figure prominently in sport medicine in Canada are athletic therapy, physiotherapy and chiropractic. These professions are characterized by blurred occupational boundaries, arising from overlap in the content of practice and differences within the professions in the skills of individual practitioners. Accordingly, they face challenges in establishing jurisdiction over professional practice. This article examines the claims made by practitioners in these professions about the contributions of their own profession and how it is different from the others. The analysis draws upon interviews with 33 practitioners. Findings indicate that physiotherapy is positioned as the profession against which athletic therapists and chiropractors each locate themselves. Athletic therapists argue they are the sport specialists; this is challenged by the development of sport specializations in physiotherapy and chiropractic. Chiropractors assert specialized knowledge that enables them to contribute to athletes' performance. The increasing rationalization of sport provides a context in which chiropractors' assertions to contribute to performance offers a particularly meaningful basis for claiming a position in sport medicine.

A Content Analysis of News Coverage of Asian Female Olympic Athletes

Yu, C.-C. — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:02:57 PDT

Asian female athletes' prominent performances have caught the media's attention for coverage. Despite the success of Asian female athletes, stereotypes and expectations of feminine characteristics towards female athletes may still exist, especially in Asia where there is long history of a male-dominated society. The major purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of how the media covers Asian female Olympic athletes and to see if sports writers emphasize feminine characteristics in news coverage when reporting Asian female Olympic athletes. Content analysis was administered to review news stories of Asian female Olympic athletes who were reported in 266 sport news articles from 1 January 2000 to 31 August 2008. The results indicated that sports such as diving and the marathon are more likely to be covered although Asian female Olympic athletes have been successful in other sports. Topics and content related to athletes' achievements in sports, physical/athletic strength, and psychological characteristics were frequently included in the news stories.

Global Festivals Through a National Prism: The Global--National Nexus in South Korean Media Coverage of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games

Jung Woo Lee, , Maguire, J. — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:05:09 PST

This study investigates the global—national nexus in the media representation of the Olympic Games and examines the ways in which the notions of globalization and Korean nationalism are represented. Attention is paid to the South Korean media coverage of opening and closing ceremonies of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. While globalization was promoted through themes such as global friendship and fraternity, the media also framed the event with reference to anti-Japanese sentiments and an expression of unitary Korea nationalism — both of which are central elements of Korean nationalism. On this basis, it is clear that a complex interplay between the global and the national impetus is evident. The media coverage is investigated in a qualitative manner, and a thematic analysis is used. The research, from a process sociological perspective, offers a useful insight into understanding Korean national identity politics in the global era.

Campus Newspaper Coverage of Varsity Sports: Getting Closer to Equitable and Sports-related Representations of Female Athletes?

MacKay, S., Dallaire, C. — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:05:09 PST

This study examined the coverage of women's and men's varsity sport teams in the English- and French-language student newspapers at the University of Ottawa, Canada, during three academic years from 2004 to 2007. The analysis revealed unique findings, considering that previous research on campus print media had shown an enduring disparity of coverage featuring female athletes. In contrast, our descriptive statistics exposed few differences in the number or length of published articles and photographs of male and female athletes. In fact, female athletes tended to receive more coverage. Men's sports, however, were featured more often on the front page of the newspapers. A textual analysis of the coverage shows that sportswomen were not sexualized and were rarely trivialized. In general, rather than representing sportswomen as gendered subjects, the student-run newspapers discursively constructed them as `just athletes'.

Just a Few Rogues?: Football Ultras, Clubs and Politics in Contemporary Italy

Scalia, V. — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:05:09 PST

Two people, a policeman and a football supporter, died in Italy in 2007 after clashes between police and football supporters. Italian public opinion asked for more repressive measures to fight football related violence. Both politicians and football clubs supported this view, thus blaming ultras, as Italian organized football supporters are called, for wrecking football. That does not acknowledge the place of ultras in Italian football culture. Ultras are organized groups with an independent subculture that enjoys the legitimacy of other football supporters. Their organization, their reputation, made them suitable for a role of intermediation between supporters, politics and clubs. As a consequence of this, both politicians and football clubs use ultras for their purposes.

Protection of Children in Competitive Sport: Some Critical Questions for London 2012

Weber, R. — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:05:09 PST

Sport for children — although a popular and healthy free-time activity in general — under certain circumstances can be harmful. This article explores how children engaged in elite sport may suffer from health problems, lack of education and limited or no free time. Furthermore, it considers the ways through which they may be exploited by their training and competing environments and how their right to freedom of association is often limited. Adopting a human rights approach, this contribution seeks to examine national as well as international measures to protect child athletes. An analysis of existing regulation identifies shortcomings and is followed by suggestions on how to improve child protection in elite sport.

Sexuality as a Structural Principle in Sport Participation: Negotiating Sports Spaces

Elling, A., Janssens, J. — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:05:09 PST

In this article we present the results of a Dutch study about sport participation among self-identified homo/bisexual men and women, compared to a matched group of heterosexual men and women. It is argued that quantitative research can further enrich the existing knowledge in the field of sport and sexuality, which is mainly based on qualitative studies from a poststructuralist perspective. Findings both challenge and confirm stereotypical images of sport involvement by gays and lesbians. The results show that sexual `mappings' of different sports spaces do not only exist cognitively, but influence the actual sporting biographies of men and women with different sexual identifications. Gay men are underrepresented in mainstream club sports and traditional `masculine' team sports and over-represented in commercially based fitness sports. However, most non-heterosexual women and men have discovered mainstream sports spaces where they can participate without being confronted too much with homonegativity and heteronormativity. Simultaneously, many are reluctant to join `counter spaces', like LGTB sports organizations and reflect a certain compliance with heteronormativity.

Knowledge, Power and Politics: Contesting `Evidence-based' National Sport Policy

Piggin, J., Jackson, S. J., Lewis, M. — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:05:09 PST

This article analyses the sources of knowledge New Zealand sport and recreation policy-makers rely on when forming public policy. Specifically, utilizing a Foucauldian lens of governmentality, we consider how New Zealand sport and recreation policy is influenced by various sources of knowledge. Through analysis of official policy documents, media releases and interviews with senior New Zealand policy managers, we argue that despite claims of positivistic, `evidence-based' policy, writers draw on a wide range of knowledge sources. Thus, despite being governed by positivism, policy-makers themselves utilize other, multifarious sources of knowledge in order to construct national sport policy. We offer considerations for the future setting of such public policy, and in particular suggest the existing rationale for the formulation of public policy could be altered to acknowledge these wide ranging knowledges.

Book Review: David L. Andrews, Daniel S. Mason and Michael L. Silk (eds), Qualitative Methods in Sports Studies. New York: Berg, 2005, 202 pp. ISBN 97818 59737897 (pbk), US$28.95, 9781859737842 (hbk), US$89.95

Cove, L. — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:05:09 PST

Book Review: Neil Wigglesworth, The Story of Sport in England. London: Routledge, 2007, pp. xii + 208 incl., index, {pound}21.99, ISBN 978 0 415 37264 0 (pbk), 978 0 415 35381 6 (hbk)

Lake, R. J. — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:05:09 PST

`White Men Can't Jump': Race, Gender and Natural Athleticism

Azzarito, L., Harrison, L. — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 02:56:54 PST

This study examined the ways young people negotiate, take up and/or resist dominant discourses of race, athleticism and sport in school physical education contexts in the southeastern United States. The participants in this performance ethnography study were 28 high school students and one physical education teacher/coach. Data from multiple sources were collected, including field notes, and formal and informal interviews with each participant. The results of this study show that white boys complied with the notion of blacks' `natural' physical superiority, and black boys occupied an ambiguous position within dominant discourses of race and natural athleticism; while girls, in general, rejected racialized discourses of the body, instead adopting a liberal humanistic position. Considering these findings, we advocate for sport educators' and physical education teachers' adoption of critical media pedagogy to promote a democratic consciousness among young people in sport and physical education settings.

Discourses On Mass Versus Elite Sport and Pre-Adult Football in Norway

Helle-Valle, J. — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 02:56:54 PST

This article focuses on the discursive framework of pre-adult football in Norway. The analytical starting point features debates in two major Norwegian newspapers, started by the head of the elite division of the Norwegian national sport organization. His main concern is to discuss the conditions for elite sport — focusing on legitimation and talent development. This discussion serves as a focus for the investigation of the social anchoring of organized sport. It is argued that the state's interest in the population's health, the way sport is organized, and dominant values related to children, together form the discourse of pre-adult sport. The main characteristics of this discourse are that the values of mass sport dominate, the issue of mass versus elite sport is relatively mute, and that clear discursive positions are hard to detect.

Player Welfare and Privacy in the Sports Entertainment Industry: Player Development Managers and Risk Management in Australian Football League Clubs

Kelly, P., Hickey, C. — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 02:56:54 PST

In an era when games at the elite level are sports entertainment businesses many of the elite performers in different industries have evolved into celebrities: they exist as images, icons and brands whose every thought, action, change of style or partner is commodified and consumed. This article reports on one aspect of a research project that was funded by the Australian Football League (AFL) to explore the emergence and evolution of a `professional identity' for AFL footballers. Drawing on Foucault's later work on the care of the Self we focus on the ways in which player identities are governed by coaches, club officials, and the AFL Commission/Executive; and the manner in which players conduct themselves in ways that can be characterized as professional — or not. The article explores the roles of Player Development Managers (PDMs) in emerging processes of risk and player management that can be seen as intrusive in players' lives. The research we report on produced evidence of tensions between the paternalistic, profiling and reporting elements of various risk management practices at the Club level — in an environment where what it means to be a professional footballer is taking on new forms.

Benefits and Detriments of African American Male Athletes' Participation in a Big-Time College Football Program

Singer, J. N. — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 02:56:54 PST

The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the nature and status of four African American male athletes' educational experiences as participants in a big-time college football program at a predominantly white institution of higher education (PWIHE) in the United States of America. A focus group and individual interviews revealed that although these African American males felt that they derived certain tangible and intangible benefits from being participants in this football program, the term `student-athlete' was an inaccurate description of who they are, especially given the expectations and tremendous time demands their participation in football related activities placed on them. These general findings are discussed in terms of their implications for future research in college sport.

`Imagine, a Man Playing Netball!': Masculinities and Sport in New Zealand

Tagg, B. — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 02:56:54 PST

This article provides a textual analysis of selected media representations of men's netballers in New Zealand, an analysis of interviews with members of the Otago men's netball team, and a brief description of the author's participant-observation research in this area. The article discusses and challenges stereotypical representations of men who play netball — a sport originally designed specifically for women, and historically dominated by women — as either effeminate or gay cross-dressers. While the idea that men's netballers are perverse `gender-benders' remains widespread, the increasing popularity of social mixed-gender netball, combined with the determined efforts of established men's netballers, is beginning to challenge popular preconceptions. Men's netball provides recreational opportunities for both men who subscribe to hegemonic definitions of masculinity and for men who espouse more marginalized masculinities. Some evidence even suggests that despite altercations between homophobic Otago players and `queer' players from other teams during the 1990s, men's netball has actually provided opportunities for some players to challenge homophobia.