Citation

Miller KE. Int. Rev. Sociol. Sport 2009; 44(4): 363-380.

Affiliation

Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, 1021 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA. kmiller@ria.buffalo.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, International Sociology of Sport Association, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1012690209342007

PMID

20835368

PMCID

PMC2936478

Abstract

Sport occupies a prominent space in the public lives and private identities of US adolescents. Using the retrospective reflections of college students, this analysis explores two questions about sport-related identities during high school: Are 'athletes' and 'jocks' distinctly separate identities? Are these identities explicitly gendered? In four gender-segregated focus groups conducted in early 2005, 32 student-athletes from two upstate New York colleges discussed their high school experiences of sport, status, gender, and identity. Three primary themes developed with regard to differences between the 'jock' and 'athlete' archetypes: academic focus, teamwork, and cockiness/aggression. Examining the intersection of gender, high-status/high-profile sport, and identity in both popular cultural imagery and the personal experiences of the focus group discussants provided support for the thesis of a 'toxic jock' phenomenon.

Language: en