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Paperback Publisher: State University of New York Press In the Game Gay Athletes and the Cult of Masculinity Eric Anderson - Author SUNY series on Sport, Culture, and Social Relations Summary Examines the relationship between gay male athletes, sport, and American masculinity.
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| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
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Anderson, Eric. "In the Game: Gay Athletes and the Cult of Masculinity", SUNY Press, 2005.
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Amos Lassen
I just came across Eric Anderson's book about gay athletes and was surprised that it had not yet been reviewed. Gay athletes have been in the news so I naturally thought that there must have been some interest in the topic. Maybe now there will be.
Anderson's work is based upon interviews with both openly gay and closeted athletes. He explains how homophobia is practiced in sports and how gay athletes manage to get around it. We read individual experiences and we see that athletes are slowly coming out, not being content to be treated as second class citizens. The views we have had of masculinity have changed greatly in the last few years and we no longer need a "don't ask, don't tell" on the playing field like some feel we need in the armed services.
Just as the gay lifestyle has begun to go mainstream and no longer regarded as a sickness so have gay athletes been able to come to terms with whom they are and thereby come out. This is only the beginning and I think there will be more coming out as time passes.
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