Toxic Masculinity in Football
By Grace Crispin
Toxic masculinity is the cultural concept of masculinity that glorifies stoicism, virility and dominance and is present in practically every walk of life, especially in sport. The notion of toxic masculinity can be incredibly harmful to both men and women as it is socially maladaptive and damaging to mental health.
The term toxic masculinity originates from the Mythopoetic Men’s Movement and psychology circles who sought to analyse masculinity through the lens of Freud and Jung in the late 1980s. The patriarchy and toxic masculinity are closely tied as the patriarchy often oppose the social justice efforts such as gender and race income equality, MeToo and rape culture.
Extreme toxic masculinity behaviours include stoicism, promiscuity, homophobia, violence, dominance, sexual aggression, lack of emotion and not being a feminist. Stoicism refers to men having to be independent, self-reliant and physically tough, with not displaying these attributes supposedly making men unsuccessful in business and love. This is prevalent in football through the notion that the players and or coaching staff cannot display their more vulnerable emotions as it will make them seem like ‘less of a man’. Along with this, the lack of emotions from players, in a psychological sense, may allow the supporter to ridicule or abuse without considering the emotional impact and without any sense of guilt.
Sexual promiscuity is one of the biggest double standards in modern society, as in relation to men, it is often praised with those behaving in such a fashion being labelled a ‘stud’ or a ‘lad’. Whereas women acting in a similar manner are branded as ‘sluts’ and are shamed. Though the slutshaming aspect of toxic masculinity is not as prevalent in football, ‘lad culture’ is widely practised with promiscuous behaviour from players being praised with little to no ridicule.
Homophobia is a negative reaction to same-sex couples and is a harmful component of toxic masculinity. The patriarchy works to programme men to react negatively to homosexuality, as at a young age many men are taught that to be gay is to sacrifice their masculinity. Unfortunately, this example of toxic masculinity is very common in football. Research in 2016 by Stonewall found that 72% of supporters have heard homophobic abuse and one in five 18 to 24-year-olds stated that they would be embarrassed if their favourite player came out. Not only does this prevent players from feeling safe enough and accepted enough to comfortably come out, but it also makes a volatile atmosphere for any LGBTQ+ fans. Football is widely accepted as a place of escape for many in the UK, so the rampant use of homophobia only seeks to isolate a large group of supporters.
Violence is also a destructive example of the effect of toxic masculinity as the stereotypes of men as aggressive and dominant translate into real-life crime statistics. Studies state that men account for 80.4% of violent crime in the UK but also make up 57% of victims of crimes. These actions could be due to the pressures of idealised traditional masculinity and the subliminal need to use aggression to convey confidence. This, like homophobia, is also present in football and has been since the conception of the sport. Despite there being a 10% decrease in football-related arrests, in 2019 alone, there were 1,381 arrests. 38% of these arrests were for public disorder and 19% were for violent disorder, with Stoke City, Leeds United and Aston Villa leading the pack with the most arrests. However, when compared with the history of violence in football, these statistics convey a more positive trend.
The 1970s signalled the origin of organised football hooliganism, with firms like The Herd (Arsenal), the Chelsea Headhunters and the Burnley Suicide Squad forming in these years. In fact, the violent crimes committed in these years, such as the riots from Manchester United firm the Red Army and a Bolton fan stabbing a Blackpool fan, led to the introduction of crowd segregation and fencing in stadiums. The 1970s also rung in the age of racism in football, with an extreme increase in abuse towards black players, most notably John Barnes. The 1980s continued the trend of violence with the death of a supporter during a London derby between Arsenal and West Ham and the death of a 14-year-old boy after a Birmingham and Leeds match. The 1990s hailed a slight change, with English clubs being allowed back into European football by UEFA after being banned in 1985. Though, despite this, there were still consistent riots and an increase in drug-related crime throughout the 2000s and 2010s.
Dominance, in relation to toxic masculinity, concerns men needing to be verbally and physically dominant while having the last word. This could stem from the need to feel like a leader and to control the narrative. This isn’t as extensive as other issues coming from toxic masculinity, but I feel as if it is an issue that affects women in football. This mainly relates to the discourse surrounding Alex Scott as a pundit and the dialogue used towards women by general football fans (for example, questioning whether women have any footballing knowledge before having an actual conversation).
Feminism and toxic masculinity don’t often mix, with the perception that being a feminist is overly feminine, when in fact true feminism fights for the rights of both men and women. A prime example of this in football is the dismissal of Hector Bellerin as a feminist. Bellerin, who plays right-back for Arsenal, is consistently criticised for using his voice for women’s issues and his passion for the art of fashion. The notion that a footballer cannot use his voice for good, in this case, a harmful abortion bill in the US, is really dangerous and pushes those with platforms into silence. In addition, the perception that fashion is a purely feminine interest is steeped in ignorance, as many of the most powerful players in the fashion industry are men.
The conversation about toxic masculinity needs to happen now more than ever, with suicide being the biggest killer of men under 50. Toxic masculinity pressures men and by proxy women into conforming to traditional gender roles which can be detrimental to their mental health. The fear of being weak may lead to the reluctance to seek professional help, with many studies showing that men seek help at a far lower rate than women. Footballers are often seen as social heroes that men seek to imitate, so the rejection of toxic masculinity by those on the field could greatly impact those who watch, creating a better and more accepting environment for men and women alike.