The hero in trouble: (dis) building sports masculinities

• Grant number: 07/00937-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: August 19, 2007
• End date: October 18, 2007
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physical Education
• Principal Investigator: Jorge Dorfman Knijnik
• Grantee: Jorge Dorfman Knijnik
• Host Investigator: Christopher Hallinan
• Host Institution: Escola de Educação Física e Esporte (EEFE). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Victoria University (VU), Australia

Abstract

Nowadays, sport is the protagonist in the most popular events in the planet, so readers and spectators around the world are linked by the sport; it seems billions of people who are watching Olympic Games, or either the Soccer World Cup and the NBA finals, or the Champions League. With all these dissemination within all social classes, cultures and ages, sport became a great mean of transmition of messages to fans who are absolutely connected with the images and the body adventures of their Olympic heroes. These messages which seems each day becoming more and more commercials, and also promoting values associated to the bodies, the athletes attitudes and behavior; this ideal about being in the world as the great athletes who have been considerate as a paradigm of body beauty. It is from this framework that we are intending to study the constructions about masculine identities, as those values are really in risk in the beginning of XXI Century, and the sport has been using to construct some kind of masculinity, we intend to inquiry and work beside social sport scientists which are in direct contact of a country which is training and going to Australia, promoting sports all around the world. (AU)