When Bodies Are Weapons

In: Peace review: the international quarterly of world peace, Band 4, Heft 3, S. 28-31

Abstract

The use of violence against others in sports appears to be a learned behavior that conveys contradictory social meanings. Participants in violent sports view their aggression as a natural manifestation of their God-given talents & physiological make-up, but at the same time, acknowledge the hours & years of training spent in developing their talents & bodies. The virile, muscular male (M) body also conveys messages of force & power, including the "natural" power of men over women. Violence in sports, even that resulting in serious injury, is viewed from a contextual morality which suggests that participants, as long as they follow the rules, are free from making moral choices. In fact, their aggression is viewed as being worthy of respect. Participants in violent sports are viewed as tough guys, willing to play when hurt, modern day gladiators at the top of the pecking order of M dominance.