Why are boys who don't play sports often ostracized in this society? There see

1. 82

   gmwilliamsposted 12 years ago

   Why are boys who don't play sports often ostracized in this society?   There seems to  be a quite
   
   negative connotation that boys who don't play sports and/or participate in athletic activities are deemed to be somewhat less masculine than boys who participate in sports.     Boys who don't play sports are often bullied and/or pressured in participate in sports by fathers, brothers, uncles, and other male authority figures.

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2. 71

   Jake4102posted 12 years ago

   I agree with your observations. When I was in highschool, I refused to go out for sports for the simple fact that everyone bugged me to. The principal would question the boys in the halls who did not go out for sports. The coaches would openly tell the students who were in sports that the students not in sports were lazy. I was discriminated against.
   
   I think this stems from the fact that, in our country, brawn has always been seen as the "backbone" of this society. Steel workers built the country, not mathematicians or writers (which is debatable). However, that is how things are seen so that is still the stereotype. Boys who don't go out for sports and are wimps who won't amount to much and boys who do will be successful.

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   1. 82

      gmwilliamsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      There is a book regarding this subject.  I think the title of the book is Last Boy Picked.   This book discusses how boys who do not play sports are often derided as being less than manly.

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3. 0

   Garifaliaposted 12 years ago

   It's wrong of course and unfair. People who resort to that type of behaviour be it for sports or anything else are people who have unsolved issues lurking deep inside them. Those issues make them see the world in the wrong light and so make (wrong) assumptions about everyone and everything while missing out on the true problem; themselves.

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4. 83

   mikejhcaposted 12 years ago

   Sports are a group thing.  They bring people together.  You get a lot of people doing something and then a few people that don't want to.  The people that play sports want other people to play sports.  Smokers pressure other people to smoke and people that drink pressure other people to drink.  I guess it is natural for people in groups to want other people to join them and it is also natural for people to want to be in a group. 
   
   The pressure is just a result of other people wanting the person to join in.  The bullying is probably because the person is setting themselves apart.  They are deemed as less masculine because most men play sports.  Men are also usually stronger than women.  So a boy is less manly if they are weak. 
   
   Boys that don't play sports are ostracizing themselves from society.  They chose not to be part of the group.

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