Customer Reviews

The Stronger Women Get, the More Men Love Football: Sexism and the American Culture of Sports

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I'm a woman who has been puzzled and bemused for a long time by the male fixation on sports. How can a man remember the batting averages of all the players in last year's World Series, but not know the shoe size of the woman he's been married to for 10 years? Why does a man buy a newspaper, read every word of the sports section, and throw away the rest without even glancing at it? Why is a professional basketball player paid a salary that rivals (and often exceeds) that of the CEO of a major corporation, who is responsible for managing a trillion-dollar budget and thousands of employees? And why, when a local writer received a major national award, was she relegated to a few column-inches in the Local section of the paper, while the firing of a high school football coach made the front-page headlines?
Nelson's book confirmed what I'd long suspected: as women have gradually broken through one glass ceiling after another, men have retreated into sports as the last bastion of traditional masculinity. It's a world in which "girl" is used as an insult, where men are permitted to express their affection only by punching each other, and where the only females allowed on the premises are decorative servants. But for those who claim that this is harmless male bonding and dismiss its critics as man-haters, Nelson shows the darker side: high school athletes who rape with impunity, glorification of mindless violence, and perpetuation of a concept of "masculinity" defined by behavior that would make a Neanderthal blush.
While it's possible to pick holes in some of her arguments (I know female sports fans who are as ardently partisan as any man), I think Nelson's analysis is generally well done and convincing. My only criticism is that I would have appreciated more suggestions on "Where do we go from here?" But I think awareness of the problem is more than half the battle, and she's certainly done an excellent job of that! Every parent in America should read this book.

I discovered this book only recently and it is a remarkable work. Nelson eloquently describes many of the obstracles of sexism that remain in women's sports today. While much progress has been made, many inequities remain as she clearly reports. While this book was initially published in 1994, it is still very relevant. The disparities in the money made by elite female athletes when compared to elite male athletes remain vast and disturbing. All feminists who also love sports will love this book.

This book is truly enlightening. While i know some of her claims are contestable (as all theory is), i still want to sew her thoughts into my brain so they will be available for instant access and referral. I have always been wary of our sports culture; Nelson tells me why. Nelson in no way condemns athletics or sports, but rather the sexism that has evovled around American sports culture, and the possible reasons for this evolution. Unfortunately i know that this book would not be palatable for many sports fans; for that reason it is so utterly poignant.

Nelson has an incredible way to convince, inform and provide insight to readers. The Stronger.... is an eye opening book that leaves readers wanting more nad wondering what affect sports can have on their lives. This book is a constant on my most read books and has a constant place in my memory as a source for statistics and information

This book does a great job of describing many of the obstacles faced by female athletes. It has greatly helped me redefine my athletic goals and understand what I may encounter as I continue my athletic pursuits.

I had the honor of interviewing Mariah Burton Nelson about this book when it was first published. I still have my signed, heavily dog-eared and annotated copy on the shelf, along with other excellent analyses of masculinity, sports, and violence.

Unfortunately -- though not surprisingly -- nothing has changed since 1994. Athletes of the "manly" sports continue to commit crimes out of all proportion to their representation in the population at large, and continue to get away with them. Their victims, most often of assault and rape, continue to be pilloried. Fans, coaches, parents, and officials continue to ignore or belittle these crimes and their consequences. Alcohol-fueled, testosterone-driven behavior at college parties is still the norm, locker room codes of silence still hold, the wink-wink nudge-nudge tolerance of "boys will be boys" is still accepted.

And those of us who've grown hoarse pointing it out keep plugging away.

Read this book for a comprehensive overview of the American culture of sports and the belligerence it breeds. Remember it especially the next time you hear somebody spouting off about "family values." (Oh, and the evidence of homoeroticism is alone worth the price of admission; that especially raises sports fans' hackles!)

Other excellent books in this vein are: OUR GUYS by the late Bernard Lefkowitz, FRATERNITY GANG RAPE by Peggy Reeves Sanday, PROS AND CONS by Jeff Benedict and Dan Yaeger, BEER AND CIRCUS by Murray Sperber, BOYS WILL BE BOYS by Myriam Miedzian, PUBLIC HEROES PRIVATE FELONS by Jeff Benedict, and MASCULINITIES, GENDER RELATIONS, AND SPORT by Jim McKay, Michael A. Messner, and Donald F. Sabo.

... While it does have some valid points regarding sexism in sports and sexism of male athletes, it takes things a little far. Reading for any prolonged period tends to give one a very negative view of men in general and athletes in particular. In addition, the author underestimates the strength of women, and discounts the possibility that being viewed as a sex object can be both stimulating and empowering to them. Her depiction of cheerleaders and topless dancers, among other things, were very shallow. The whole book is very one-dimensional, and seems to be written by the kind of rabid feminist that gives feminism a bad name. Not everyone out there believes that all men conspire to bring women down and subjugate them.