Masculinity and violence: approaches in the sports´universe

Abstract

The practice of the violence has been a quality assigned socially and culturally to the men in the course of history. They have used it to legitimize their power inside gender relations, from the hegemonic position they have in relation to women. Likewise, men are frequently violent with other men and against themselves, a characteristic in socialization process of their masculinities. Violence is a phenomenon expressed in several ways: physically, verbally, psychologically and economically. The scenes where it appears are various: relationships, home, school, mass media or sport practices. Sport practices have been influenced by several violent episodes in all sports’ fields. Men have been protagonists of these episodes in the sport universe, a space where the hegemonic masculinity model is legitimized. Fighting against violence and promoting a culture of peace is an essential objective to build a better world and to overturn the traditional hierarchy ruling men and women social relations. Among the actors and institutions working on it, education has a primordial role to reach these purposes.