Steve Sabo Article entitled Pigskin, Patriarchy, and Pain

   I have decided to speak about different types of discrimination in Pro and College football. For my first posting I will be using the article Pigskin, Patriarchy, and Pain by Don Sabo.

      In this article Sabo is talking shortly after having spinal cord fusion surgery after suffering a great amount of pain from playing years of football since he was 8 years old. He seems to focus on the notion that football is a male dominated sport that teaches the only way to rise up through the male pecking order is through pain and patriarchy. He states that many young men can only see themselves as being adored if they can be revered like the great football legends. He also claims that they gain this adoration through both inflicting and receiving pain, and domination over others. He said when he first started playing he had to go through several initiation rites such as “ prickling his flesh with thorns until blood was draw, having hot peppers rubbed in his eyes, Getting punched in the gut again and again, and wearing a jock strap around his nose.” (Sabo 424). He also said there was a constant need to prove yourself through things like “calisthenics until his arms would hurt, hitting hard and fast knocking the other guys down, and getting hit in the groin and not crying all teaching him that pain and injury are part of the game.” (Sabo 424). He said he was taught to be an animal and coaches only noticed the animals. He also argues that he was taught over and over again to punish the other guys. He feels that all the pain he and others had suffered was their linkage to the outside world. In a sense he is saying that what they are being taught is what they are teaching everyone else maybe just simply in a different way. He also contends that he is constantly taught pain is good and that pleasure is bad. That the pain of good is not more important than the goals of the team, but he argues that even nonathletic tough men even go through some similar situations. Sabo feels that he drank the Kool- Aid and feel in love with a societal urge to feed male domination. He feels that football teaches two patriarchal aspects. 1 is to dominate women. The second is inter-male domination. Sabo feels that many men and even women are forced to feel that pain is inevitable and a good thing that it enhances one moral character. He argues that most men heed this advice and take part as part of a survival. He said that these young males also soak in visions and values that their coaches are offering. “These coaches issue orders to take pain, take out opponents, to take the game very serious, take women, and take your spot on the team.” (Sabo 425). He also states that males are felt to believe if they cannot take the pain, nothing of fame glory and reward will be coming their way. Sabo states that; “ becoming part of the team fosters conformity to male chauvinistic- values, self-abusing life styles, contribution to the social structure based on patriarchal power, invokes male competition for prestige and status, and that they ultimately learn to take to internalize all these things which form their gender identity and conception of women and society.”  

In my opinion, I feel that both boys and young men are being taught and forced to take the pain. That the good and the goals of the team are more important that the pain or the good of one. I believe that too many coaches are just interested in their record and keeping their job not kids’ lives and bodies. I also feel that football is a violent, aggressive, and dangerous sport that you need to let out a little of your inner animal or you will not survive even wind up getting hurt. I feel that for the most part he speaks the truth when he talks about wanting to punish the other guy, suck up the pain, put team above self, take it serious and not gain pleasure from it. I can say I feel it is true because I have experienced it in my own life. I do feel that we are hiring the wrong coaches we are hiring coaches who have their own goals and status at heart. I believe these coaches don’t even teach the principles, nature, and environment of the game but how to control it. They also do not teach what they can take from this game into life and how it can relate.  I also believe that football is both nature’s way of bringing out the inner animal in man. I feel this because it brings out the struggle for life, position, power and control. Just like an animal in the wild. I also believe this is what society teaches and wants to see, because of both all the participants and spectators. I liken this to the gladiators of ancient Rome. The gladiators filled the blood lust of Roman society. I do not feel however that football teaches men to dominate women, but can demean and show women in certain ways. I do feel that they do teach about a patriarchal struggle but only within the team setting not society as a whole. As far as women being able to hack it in this type of an environment, I would say I do not see it. I do not want to discount all women I say that some would be able to but the majority would not. I think the experiment has been tried several times and failed.  

How do you feel? Do you agree with or disagree with Sabo? Do you agree or Disagree with me? Is there anything that either of us maybe left out that is very evident and pertinent to what he is speaking about? Please feel free to leave questions comments concerns or observations!

Citation:

 Rothenberg Paula, S. (2001). Race, class, and gender in the United States. (8 Ed.). New York: Worth Publishers.