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INTIMACY and MASCULINITY in AMERICAN FOOTBALL by Riley

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INTIMACY and MASCULINITY in AMERICAN FOOTBALL by Riley THE POWER PARADOX: INTIMACY AND MASCULINITY IN AMERICAN FOOTBALL By Riley James A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Journalism – Master of Arts 2019 ABSTRACT THE POWER PARADOX: INTIMACY AND MASCULINITY IN AMERICAN FOOTBALL By Riley James This thesis examines how intimacy—both physical and emotional—in American football affects masculinity. This research is important because it questions the role of masculinity in a sport considered the most popular in terms of participation, attendance at games, and broadcast viewership (Miaschi, 2017). Hegemonic masculinity theory and inclusive masculinity theory are used to explain how masculinity is constructed through football. Using naturalistic observation, interviews with seven Michigan State University (MSU) football players, and an analysis of photographs, I found that football players achieve more intimate relationships with other players on their team when compared to relationships they have with other men outside their sport. A few surprises I found during interviews include injury during football is not treated as harshly as it once was, being emotional is an important part of being a man, and more. I visually present the intimate and masculine aspects of football I witnessed in photographs I created as an employee of Big Ten Network during MSU football games during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, and I offer my analysis of intimacy and masculinity in this sport, which includes and explains the meaning behind the power paradox. Copyright by RILEY JAMES 2019 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my committee—Dr. Howard Bossen, Dr. Geri Zeldes, and Judy Walgren— for guiding me through this thesis and always helping when needed. Thank you to my parents, Elizabeth and Stephen James, for always pushing me to do my best. Thank you to my friends and roommates for helping me cope with stress by allowing me continuously talk about my research. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... vii INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................................................2 DEFINITIONS .........................................................................................................2 GENDER DIVISION...............................................................................................2 GENDER IN SPORTS ............................................................................................5 AMERICAN FOOTBALL ......................................................................................7 A MALE RITUAL ...................................................................................................7 THE MALE BODY .................................................................................................8 POWER THROUGH SPORTS ...............................................................................9 VIOLENCE IN SPORTS .......................................................................................11 INJURY IN SPORTS ............................................................................................12 JOURNALISTIC FRAMING ................................................................................13 SPORTS NORMALIZING MALE INTIMACY ..................................................14 HOMOPHOBIA IN SPORTS................................................................................16 THEORY ...........................................................................................................................17 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ...................................................................................18 METHODS ........................................................................................................................18 PHOTOJOURNALISM ETHNOGRAPHY ..........................................................18 INTERVIEWS .......................................................................................................19 RESULTS ..........................................................................................................................20 MSU FOOTBALL PLAYER INTERVIEWS .......................................................20 Shaping Identity .........................................................................................20 A Brotherhood ...........................................................................................21 The Father Figure .......................................................................................24 Physical Intimacy .......................................................................................25 Injury ..........................................................................................................26 Masculinity ................................................................................................27 Performance ...............................................................................................28 PHOTOGRAPH ANALYSIS ................................................................................28 Intimate Contact (IC) .................................................................................32 Violent Touching (VT) ..............................................................................34 Positive Reinforcement (PR) .....................................................................35 Positive Embracing (PE) ............................................................................36 DISCUSSION ....................................................................................................................38 CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................39 v LIMITATIONS ......................................................................................................42 APPENDICES ...................................................................................................................43 APPENDIX A: Interview Questions .....................................................................44 APPENDIX B: Consent Form ...............................................................................46 APPENDIX C: IRB Exempt Letter .......................................................................48 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..............................................................................................................49 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: IC, PE .................................................................................................................30 Figure 2: IC ........................................................................................................................30 Figure 3: IC, VT .................................................................................................................30 Figure 4: IC ........................................................................................................................30 Figure 5: IC, PE .................................................................................................................30 Figure 6: PE .......................................................................................................................30 Figure 7: IC ........................................................................................................................30 Figure 8: IC ........................................................................................................................30 Figure 9: IC ........................................................................................................................30 Figure 10: VT .....................................................................................................................30 Figure 11: IC, VT ...............................................................................................................30 Figure 12: IC ......................................................................................................................30 Figure 13: IC, VT ...............................................................................................................30 Figure 14: IC ......................................................................................................................30 Figure 15: IC, PE ...............................................................................................................30 Figure 16: IC, VT ...............................................................................................................30 Figure 17: IC, PE ...............................................................................................................30 Figure 18: IC, PE ...............................................................................................................30 Figure 19: IC, PE ...............................................................................................................30 Figure 20: IC, PR ...............................................................................................................30 Figure 21: IC, VT ...............................................................................................................30 Figure 22: IC ......................................................................................................................30
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