Tuesday, April 8, 2014
"Why the 'Mans Mans' Game is an Insult to Men"
The movie titled "Training Rules" examined the Penn State women's basketball team during the 80's and 90's. The team's coach made a slogan "No drinking, no drugs, and no lesbians" while at the university. The problem wasn't solved or even really noticed until this documentary put a spotlight on a former team member who publicly came out to speak upon the issue.
Is sport a safe space for LGBT athletes?
After watching the documentary it seems as if the inclined answer would be no. In my opinion, I believe that it wasn't until a couple of years ago the answer would be no. Due to recent publicly open gay athletes such as pro basketball player Jason Collins and exceptional college football player Michael Sams I would say that sport is a safe place for LGBT athletes.
Why now and not then?
America has drastically changed from legalizing marijuana to legalizing gay marriage. American culture has provided a new attitude towards LGBT lifestyles and is now widely accepted and seen as normal. Through culture in America it became possible to change the old views on the LGBT community.
I believe the only strategy to creating a more inclusive culture in American sport is through providing education to everyone about other cultures and of wrongful oppression in the histories of America and other countries. In my opinion, most people are anti-gay because they are ignorant to gay cultures and lifestyles. It seems irrational to believe that more people are naturally hateful and bad than they are good.
Music, pop culture, and education have paved a way towards a more progressive culture in American sport.
-Brandon Fukutome
References:
"Training Rules"
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/17/opinion/pearlman-wheres-jason-collins/
ESPN and Sports Radio discussions of Michael Sams
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I agree with your possible solution. I think that providing individuals with more information on this topic is a great idea. The more individuals are informed that more they are willing to accept.- Brandan Brisco
ReplyDeleteI see what you are saying and I agree to a certain degree. I think it currently is not a safe place for LGBTQs because that are a lot more people involved than just teammates and other athletes, like the fans. There are still currently a lot of people that disagree with homosexuality and are very homophobic. I think our generation has made a lot of progress but there is still a lot to do and it will be much longer before sports are a safe place for LGBTQs. - Tyler Martin
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