TW: Mention of Sexual Assault

In the world of sports, athletes work tirelessly to perform to the best of their abilities to gain many valuable assets, both physical and mental. Through their training, athletes learn the value of focus, perseverance, dedication, and teamwork. On a surface level, this appears to be a healthy environment, bringing out the best in athletes. Nevertheless, upon a deeper look, we can unravel a deeply rooted issue ingrained in the mentality of sports: toxic masculinity.

Very early on in their childhood, boys are often taught to suppress any vulnerability and channel aggression and dominance instead. These messages are used in even the simplest of sentences, that are thrown around in daily conversation to the point that they are normalized. These can include phrases such as "suck it up", "man up", or "boys will be boys". In the sports world, toxic masculinity is perpetuated, from coaches telling young athletes "you throw like a girl" or through the mentality male athletes are expected to have towards injuries, where they are praised if they play through one and considered weak if they don't. Therefore, the toxic masculinity mentality says they shouldn't cry when they get injured, and instead should be the toughest on the field. Winning is a priority for athletes, and the competitive mentality drilled into them pushes them past their limits, meaning any slight insult to how they play, act, or react, can feel like a threat to their manhood.

There is no denying the value of varsity sports for the athletes playing them, with the scholarships offered to them and the prestige associated with playing on a university team. However, the priorities these athletes have allows toxic masculinity to grow in campus life, feeding off of the local athletes that are considered to be "campus heroes". In fact, on average, college athletes are more likely to identify with hyper-masculinity than other students. This raises the question, what impact does this have on athletes and their peers?

Suppressing emotions and fearing vulnerability can severely impact mental health. If athletes consistently learn to avoid their problems without correctly processing them, their personal trauma can lead to depression and anxiety. In addition, since there is no acknowledgment of a problem, there is consequently no desire to seek help, and the cycle of poor mental health continues. The perceived threat athletes feel to their masculinity as they play their sport or attempt to express themselves can lead them to feel insecure, compare themselves to teammates, and set overly high expectations for themselves. Consequently, athletes are more likely to continue to spread toxic masculinity amongst each other. These personal struggles and mental health crises have a broader impact on forming the ecosystem of sports culture that enables unhealthy behaviour.

You have probably heard the term "locker room talk" thrown around before. It was infamously used back in 2014 by former US President Donald Trump as he failed to acknowledge the gravity of sexual assault by dismissing his predatory comments about women as "locker room talk." In a literal sense, we can see how this phrase is rooted in sports culture since athletes spend a lot of time in the locker room. The term seems harmless, but in this, it illustrates a broader issue: an environment in which bragging about sexual assault is normalized and consequently shapes how men view women.

In a campus setting, toxic masculinity is heavily related to violence against women. Not only does "locker room talk" encourage it, but low self-esteem resulting from this phenomenon makes young male athletes feel that using physical power allows them to regain control of their manhood. Combining these two elements, alongside the prestige and respect varsity athletes have on campus, sexual harassment can be pervasive and go unreported given the fear of being victim-blamed. In fact, only 1 in 5 college-aged women report their assault to the police. In the case where victims do decide to seek legal justice, many of the abusers are set free with little to no consequences, as athletes often receive lower sentences for this type of toxic behaviour for the sake of their athletic career. An example that received significant media attention was the 2016 case of Brock Turner. The college swimmer was found guilty on three counts of felony sexual assault but served only three months of jail time. Turner was given a more lenient sentence because, according to his lawyer, his actions should not derail his swimming career or his life, despite the trauma the events and the sentence would have on the victim.

In order to combat toxic masculinity in sports, its entire culture needs reforming, which can begin with positive coaching and holding athletes accountable for their actions. Nevertheless, for there to be an impactful change, we must look at the root of the problem, which goes beyond varsity sports. University athletes and young athletes look up to major leagues such as the NFL, NHL and NBA. Therefore, if professional sports leagues don't reflect these changes, neither will campus sports teams. However, the fact that a systemic change is needed should not stop us from trying to shift the narrative on a smaller scale. This could mean creating a safe space for people who need help to open up, calling out inappropriate language and behaviour with even our closest friends, and being more aware of the presence of toxic masculinity in our communities in general.

The Vicious Cycle of Toxic Masculinity in Varsity Sports

TW: Mention of Sexual Assault

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