Football has always been defined by the men who play the game and their masculinity and strength utilized on the field to defeat their opponent. A player’s sexual orientation should not be a weighing factor when determining how valuable an athlete is on the field. NFL players are typically defined by their masculinity and manly strength showcased on the field, making it a challenge for homosexual players to be open about their sexual preference out of fear of being ridiculed or being deemed a sub-par player. Michael Sam was the first openly homosexual player to be drafted to the league. Is it morally right to judge one’s ability because of their sexuality?
Recently, the stigma surrounding homosexuality has progressed a long way. Society has learned to be more
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The game’s various stereotypes make it hard for a man in the league to have a different sexual preference than the “normal,” heterosexual. Most people view football as the manliest sport, due to its constant physical contact of tackling one another. Many believe that this is a “man’s game,” and that there should not be homosexuals in the league, which causes a great controversy. Our nation’s view on homosexuality has gradually changed, so why shouldn’t football, an all American sport, also be able to progress and drop the stigma around having openly homosexual players in the league still be considered exceptional athletes? Another reason why the NFL might not be interested in drafting a homosexual player is because of the money. The league is interested in making hundreds of thousands of dollars and by selecting a homosexual player like Michael Sam, the NFL runs the risk of a large loss of money and a negative hit to the fan base, which is not something the league is willing to sacrifice. There also have been various speculations that the NFL is not ready to have an openly gay player in the
Topic: The NFL injury report was initially made to make information about player’s injuries available to the public. This was meant to discourage gamblers from getting close to players for the sole purpose of gaining inside information. This decision ultimately protected the players from getting involved in gambling but also added new issues. There are many inaccuracies found in the NFL injury report. By letting the public know which players are hurt and where they are hurt, opposing teams are using this to their advantage. As predicted, coaches are going to try to obscure their player’s health to mess with their opponents game plan, while at the same time still following the guidelines of the NFL injury report regulat...
... so many lives are suppressed, depressed and carry the plague of a negative stigma. Suppressed feelings, self esteem, and personal sexual choice is hindered by the norms and expectations of our society.
Last year, NBA player Jason Collins came out as gay. Collins is the first professional athlete from one the four major sports in North America. Not only is he gay, but he is also black. So being a queer person of color, Jason Collins would face a lot of barriers in his life. However, he seems to be breaking those barriers down, as depicted in Kevin Siers’ editorial, Another Barrier Broken. One could say that this picture aims to appeal to pathos, and hopefully Jason Collins (and this editorial) would inspire other queer athletes to break down their barriers and “come out”, however these barriers are not always easily broken despite having the right to do so.
The acceptance of “abnormal” sexualities has been a prolonged, controversial battle. The segregation is excruciating and the prejudice remarks are so spiteful that some people never truly recover. Homosexuals have been left suffering for ages. Life, for most homosexuals during the first half of the twentieth century, was mostly one of hiding: having to constantly hide their true feelings and tastes. Instead of restaurants and movies, they had to sit quiet in the dark and meet each other in concealed places such as bars. Homosexuals were those with “mental and psychic abnormalities” and were the victim of medical prejudice, police harassment, and church condemnation (Jagose 24). The minuscule mention or assumption of one’s homosexuality could easily lead to the loss of family, livelihood, and sometimes even their lives. It was only after the Stonewall riots and the organization of gay/lesbian groups that times for homosexuals started to look brighter.
Franchises of professional sports teams fork out millions of dollars to minority athletes every year. When dealing with huge amounts of money there is no question about discriminating against minorities. Franchises wouldn't pay out millions of dollars to athletes that aren't qualified. Athletes are constantly being traded and released from teams. These athletes may be of minority gender, but they are definitely not being traded or released because of race. They are most likely going to end up at another team that will pay them a good deal of money.
In the 1990's there has been what is called a "normalized movement"(Warner 41). This so-called movement has permeated into all aspects of the Gay and Lesbian movement's agenda. It has become increasingly clear in the realms of the media such as television, movies and magazines. The major objective for the proponents of this movement is to make the homosexual seem "normal." This would be done by not focusing on the sexual nature of the homosexual. Since their sexual behavior is considered deviant by society, any outward expression of it will be looked down upon. So, it has been the goal of some leaders of the movement as well as those who control the media outlets to separate the identity and sexuality of the homosexual as far as possible.
In the sports world, homosexual athletes are often forced to hide their sexual orientation and to keep it as a private matter. This is mainly due to the hegemonic masculinity associated with playing sports. Homosexuality is considered the direct opposite of this and therefore is not associated with sports. Also the way athletes talk to each other in the locker room makes it more difficult for gay athletes to come out. Guys jokingly call each other homophobic slurs or pump their chest by talking about women to express their masculinity. Female athletes, unlike their male counterparts, are considered to be more free to talk about their sexual orientation. But, there still exists the misconception that women who participate in sports are assumed to be gay. In college and professional men’s sports it is beginning to become more common for athletes to be more open to talking publically about their sexual orientation. This brings up the question as to whether or not things are changing in our society so that the acceptance of gay athletes will be more common. More acceptance by our overall society as a whole will lead to more gay athletes – both male and female – feeling free to step forward and be open about their sexual orientation.
Many people in society argue about the unfairness of transgenders competing in sports. Transgenders should be able to be on the sports team that matches their gender identity with medical documents proving they have gender dysmorphia. Many other athletes would argue that transgenders being able to compete in sports is unfair. A transgender woman who has higher levels of testosterone than the other women might seem to have an advantage over the other female athletes. Transgender women might have a little bit of an advantage, but they truly feel as if they are women, so they should be able to compete as women.
In today's society, there exists a mixture of issues which tend to raise arguments with people all over. There are a handful of topics that always seem to escalate these differences between people to the point where one who earnestly participates in discussion, debate and argument can direct their anger towards their feelings on the person themselves. Some examples of such delicate subjects are the death penalty, abortion, and euthanasia. An issue that has in recent years, begun to increase arguments, is the acceptability of homosexuality in society. Until recently, homosexuality was considered strictly taboo. If an individual was homosexual, it was considered a secret to be kept from all family, friends, and society. However, it seem that society has begun to accept this lifestyle by allowing same sex couples. The idea of coming out of the 'closet' has moved to the head of homosexual individuals when it used to be the exception. Homosexuality is nothing to be ashamed of and we should all come to realize this.
... that it is turning onto a social norm in Western cultures. Most religions in Western Culture have been basing their stances on how society changes and evolves. Christian churches are becoming more and more flexible with members who may identify as homosexual.
When one hears the words “LGBT” and “Homosexuality” it often conjures up a mental picture of people fighting for their rights, which were unjustly taken away or even the social emergence of gay culture in the world in the1980s and the discovery of AIDS. However, many people do not know that the history of LGBT people stretches as far back in humanity’s history, and continues in this day and age. Nevertheless, the LGBT community today faces much discrimination and adversity. Many think the problem lies within society itself, and often enough that may be the case. Society holds preconceptions and prejudice of the LGBT community, though not always due to actual hatred of the LGBT community, but rather through lack of knowledge and poor media portrayal.
I want you to become aware of what we have done and take action to stop people to be happy, to respect their way of thinking, acting, and living. My purpose in writing this paper is to present my points of view on how society has changed as the years go by. Also how homosexuals have fought for many years and all the different struggles they have managed to get the rights they deserve and one day had which were then taken away because they became themselves and also because of the ignorance of some people.
NFL players need an education in case of injuries or if they can’t play for any reason. Players can have a degree in any type of subject. If a player wants to play in the NFL, he has to attend a college or a university that has a good football program. Some players come from high school but most players come from a four year college (Field 11). If you have a son that is going to be in the NFL who wants to play linemen, he has to be about 6’8” tall and weigh around 350 lbs. Players have to know the game. They can’t hope to be a NFL player if they don’t understand how to play the game (Green 174).
Sexual orientation is the preferred term used when referring to an individual's physical and or emotional attraction to the same and or opposite sex. Heterosexual, bisexual, homosexual and pansexual are all sexual orientations. An individual's gender identity and expression is distinct from their sexual orientation. Throughout life as the individual explores the world around them, they are shaped by the unique experiences and influences that are imparted upon them. All people experience life subjectively therefore there is no monolithic way of viewing or defining one’s sexual identity, however, there are particular experiences that may shape and develop specific characteristics or tendencies that a group of people may share. Andrew Sullivan addresses this very issue in his 1995 book, Virtually Normal: An Argument about Homosexuality. In the prologue, titled “What is a Homosexual?” Sullivan ponders what exactly composes a homosexual life and why certain environmental factors are fundamental and exclusive to the homosexual experience. He sees self-control/subjugation as a crucial part of all human experience, however, he considers the homosexual (more broadly, the LGBTQ) experience to be unique in that early on they learn to make sexual/emotional distinctions out of a need for survival. They learn to function within the parameter of certain social rules in order to blend and eventually this becomes a sort of second nature that is hard to break.
Everyone in civil society has heard of the latest dispute at least once in the past few months – is homosexuality really a choice, or is it just the product of many genetic and hormonal differences? Some argue that homosexuality is a combination of both, but the scientific aspect argues that it is solely based on biological differences. Whether or not homosexuality is exclusively one or the other, the topic itself has caused a ripple of social unease and activist movements.