tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780438929797577.post3094041334855703436..comments2024-03-21T00:30:32.509-07:00Comments on From A Left Wing: Notes from an alienated fan: Why I want a feminist, anti-homophobic WPS & a more progressive, anti-nationalist/pro-migrant MLSUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780438929797577.post-73976338420942766712010-08-31T19:32:13.948-07:002010-08-31T19:32:13.948-07:00I admit having been infected by the soccer/footbal...I admit having been infected by the soccer/football bug thanks to the WC 2010, having avoided it for years. My parents are Korean immigrants to the US, so naturally, they are obsessed with football. I also tend to avoid sports precisely because of the sexism, homophobia and classism that run rampant through sports in the US. <br /><br />But being sucked into el futbol, always good to know that there are still thoughtful people crying for change. Cos I just read this whole entry going "Duh, doesn't everyone think this?" Preach! Even though I do get some shallow pleasure from gawking/objectifying the very fit footballers.<br /><br />Definitely excited to check out the recs of books and DVDs, although I am more likely to read the books first.Jae Younghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06931486423447616383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780438929797577.post-64816652300205625302010-05-01T20:18:31.532-07:002010-05-01T20:18:31.532-07:00Nice. You have officially won yourself a new fan....Nice. You have officially won yourself a new fan.Juanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14558586761446328866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780438929797577.post-79157951840468266692009-08-30T11:46:45.852-07:002009-08-30T11:46:45.852-07:00Good point James. In fact, it's very much all...Good point James. In fact, it's very much all about the sponsorship deals, etc. Intriguing for me is how companies seem to weather all sorts of antics on behalf of famous footballers in their personal lives, but women are expected to be squeaky-clean, spotless examples of female virtue - sort of like athletic nuns.Jennifer Doylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05004554513454749517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780438929797577.post-74677920000992084482009-08-29T05:20:25.846-07:002009-08-29T05:20:25.846-07:00What if it isn't just WPS and the media keepin...What if it isn't just WPS and the media keeping players in the closet, but their sponsors as well?<br /><br />Players like Marta (Puma), Wambach (Nike, Gatorade), and others have endorsement deals and may keep their private life private due to fears that it will hurt their earning potential.James Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04181293044620877342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780438929797577.post-41444621268602734592009-08-28T12:00:52.412-07:002009-08-28T12:00:52.412-07:00Chris, this is a great question!
I've been wr...Chris, this is a great question!<br /><br />I've been writing about this, in the academic sense.<br /><br />Basically, there is something fundamentally "queer" about the spectacle of women athletes playing together on a team sport - both in terms of what it means to see strong, muscled women doing physically aggressive things like tackling, and what it means to see women working together as men do (women are normally represented as in direct competition with each other, not as banding together unless it is as housewives talking about husbands and kids). Anytime women athletes become visible, there is a need to "straighten" their image out - and this just isn't something men have to deal with. A female athlete is pressured to reassure people that she isn't gay - to reassure people that she is "really" a woman. <br /><br />With men, it's the opposite. The assumption is that they are straight. And that assumption is so seemingly sacred that men who aren't are threatened with radical isolation, public humiliation, and violence should they be anything other than a "real" (straight, macho, etc) guy.<br /><br />There is a link to my article for X-TRA in the section "Hors Jeu" - it's about art, but it's also about lesbian visibility and sports. There are a few LGBT & sports links in my blog roll, too. I recommend "It Takes a Team".<br /><br />The life of a gay male athlete playing a high profile team sport is hard to imagine. And yet so much sport imagery is incredibly homoerotic - plus, in Europe especially we seem to have some spectacular examples of footballers who really, really "read" as gay - C. Ronaldo, in gold lame hot pants? And there's amazing stories like Ronaldo (sr.) caught out with transexual prostitutes! <br /><br />If you want to see a campy treatment of these issues, I really recommend (the very un-p.c.) "Footballer's Wives" - esp. the season where the Beckham-character in essence turns out a black player on the team (reference to Sol Campbell & the rumors & vile chants?). If you want something a bit more in the line of melodrama, there's the L Word & it's storylines around tennis player Dana. <br /><br />Photographer Jeff Sheng has a wonderful ongoing project - "Fearless" - portraits of out gay and lesbian high school athletes. Sheng was a competitive tennis player who took up photography when he came out & felt he had to quit playing tennis.<br /><br />Oh, and of course I want an anti-homophobic feminist MLS too!Jennifer Doylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05004554513454749517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780438929797577.post-54548014711728122112009-08-28T10:48:09.199-07:002009-08-28T10:48:09.199-07:00Isn't it funny how we discuss homosexuality wi...Isn't it funny how we discuss homosexuality with regard to WPS, but not MLS? That we "guess who is gay" in the women's league, but not in the men's?<br /><br />Surely young gay men also "feel that if their teammates found out ... they'd have to quit the team", and need a Natasha Kai-esque role model?<br /><br />Why is the players' sexuality of such import when the players are women? I guess it's just a good old fashioned (er, <i>bad</i> old fashioned) double standard. In a patriarchy, question #1 about any woman in public view is whether or not she can be lusted after.<br /><br />In any case, hear-hear to your assertions, Jennifer. The sooner the leagues pull their heads out about these issues, the better for all of soccer, fans & players.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04252978091059394089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780438929797577.post-19702649672200496262009-08-28T09:36:54.888-07:002009-08-28T09:36:54.888-07:00Hi Even & Nick - For me, the crucial thing is ...Hi Even & Nick - For me, the crucial thing is to imagine what it feels like to be a gay fan - or a queer kid, and what a difference it makes to see LGBT players. You can't of course see them if they are kept in the closet by the media & the WPS. <br /><br />Nick - I think your attitude is really probably representative of a lot of men who follow WPS. I don't think most guys care one way or another - and so wouldn't be put off at all if the most famous players promoted their team by attending, for example, a gay pride march. <br /><br />Thanks for your comments - and for reading that abornormally long post.Jennifer Doylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05004554513454749517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780438929797577.post-87754261586243724772009-08-28T07:04:47.015-07:002009-08-28T07:04:47.015-07:00As a fan of WPS, I've noticed that we have a d...As a fan of WPS, I've noticed that we have a decent amount of LGBT fans, which is cool. To me, guesing who is gay in WPS is sort of lame (but admittedly, I do it anyway) - I don't like certain players because of their attitude, not because of who they sleep with. Conversely, Being a fan of the Red Stars means to me, they're "our girls" - I want to see them win, do well off the field and feel that they're part of "the family" without having to romanticize them.Nickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01759538470122313864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780438929797577.post-68735348041601827022009-08-27T16:16:11.848-07:002009-08-27T16:16:11.848-07:00Thank you.
I think that most of the people at B...Thank you. <br /><br />I think that most of the people at Big Soccer (and fans in general) can't comprehend being a supporter of soccer without being a fan of a particular team. And, somewhat related to that, is the evangelical desire to see MLS "grow." Some people seem to have an inferiority complex at being a soccer fan in the US, so that if MLS or soccer were more popular, talked about on ESPN and sports talk radio, that somehow they would be personally validated. <br /><br />Interestingly, I never really notice these people putting the same energy into seeing the WPS or women's soccer in general grow. As you say, there's the sense that women's sports aren't "real," like men's sports are, that women athletes are "not equal" to men. To bring this back to me bashing on nameless Big Soccer posters (sorry, it's a pastime of mine), on that messageboard you can list what teams you support under your posting name. Very often you see American fans that specify "USMNT"--U.S. Men's National Team. Not "USA," or "USNT," but specifically the men's national team...as if they're going out of their way to make sure that people don't get the impression that they care about how the women's team does.Evanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07547211277547266241noreply@blogger.com