‘Boys, when they do dance, they have to do football as well, for balance’: Young men’s construction of a sporting masculinity

The construction of masculinity and identity for young men is often complex. The role of sport for young men’s construction of a ‘valued’ masculine identity mirrors this complexity, and sport is often viewed as the paradigmatic space for displaying dominant forms of masculinity. This paper explores how young men construct their masculinity within the field of sport. Using Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus, field, capital and illusio, this paper draws on semi-structured interview data with 70 young people from 3 schools in North East England (33 young men/37 young women, aged 15–16 years). The key principle is that young men are able to manipulate and manage their sporting identities, whilst being mindful of how broader gendered expectations (‘etiquette’) can influence which gendered identities, sports and bodies are socially valued and rewarded. Young men expressed a strong desire to conform to broader social norms which equate sport with masculinity, thus reinforcing gender-appropriate sports as more acceptable. Young men are constantly undertaking ongoing identity work to present a version of masculinity that is context and field-specific. However, the physical use of the body in a sporting field remains a paradigmatic way in which masculinity is promoted and valued for young men.