The one thing that stood out to me the most in the author’s textual analysis of the sport-celebrity relationship between Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson was the media’s constant reinforcement of the two as adhering to traditional gender roles. This is rather problematic, as “the media representations of Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo were aligned with traditional, even outdated, social values, which upheld patriarchal ideologies framing the male as superior to the female” (Eliopulos and Johnson, 2012, p. 225). I agree with the author’s classification of these social values as outdated, yet I find it very interesting that these outdated values seem nowhere in our culture and society to be as persistent as in the realm of sports. On television and in film and music, we nowadays have a more diverse (re)presentation of different forms of masculinities and femininities. How come, then, that in sports time seems to have stood still when it comes to the representation of forms of masculinity and femininity that deviate from the hegemonic ideal? What are the aspects and facets about sport that encourage the construction, perpetuation, and validation of traditional gender ideals?
I think that Eliopulos’ and Johnson’s analysis of Simpson and Romo is very accurate as well as representative of the pattern of how gender is constructed in contemporary sports. Whereas Romo was constructed as expressive of the hegemonic form of masculinity, the macho alpha male, by the media (Eliopulos and Johnson, 2012, p. 223), Eliopulos and Johnson (2012) found that Simpson “became akin to the sporting wife, exuding characteristics of femininity, such as ‘nurturance,’ ‘dependence,’ and ‘passivity’ (Bouthilier & SanGiovanni, 1983, p. 100), and became simple in her general representation” (p. 220). The male (sport) part of the sport-celebrity relationship is herewith shown to have control over the inferior female party of the relationship (celebrity). Even more interestingly, both are constructed in a dichotomous way; it is assumed that if one of them is powerful and dominant (usually the male), the counterpart necessarily has to be powerless and submissive (usually the female). I think that these dichotomous constructions are very problematic, but I do not think that this is going to change in the realm of sports in the close future. American culture (as most Western cultures) is a culture that thinks (and is constructed) in binaries – this is particularly obvious when looking at the formation of gender in sport but can be easily transferred to other social identity markers in sport like race, sexuality, nationality, disability, or religion.
Yannick,
ReplyDeleteI immediately thought of multiple "sport-celebrity" couples when I was reading your post, such as: Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady, David Beckham and Posh Spice, and Eric Decker and Jessie James. The difference, however, is that two of the three couples do not fit the same mold as Romo and Simpson. Gisele is one of the most famous models in the world; therefore, she is not dependent upon Brady especially in terms of income. Also, Beckham does not meet the standards of the American cultural view of “hegemonic masculinity,” because many see him as “metrosexual.” I personally believe that Decker and James fit the mold more closely.
Decker is the Bronco’s wide receiver, and James is a country singer, but she is not very well-known/famous; therefore, she is not receiving those additional finiancial benefits of those who are renowned country singers. It may be interpreted that she could potentially be dependent upon him and his career (though NFL careers are typically short-lived). Someone may argue that she might just be passive in putting more effort in pursuing her own career because of his. These interpretations can be made simply based upon the fact that not many have heard of her before, and are actually making false accusations.
*financial
DeleteYannick,
ReplyDeleteFirst, I have to say I am always impressed with your analysis and expansion on most of the readings for this class. You make a lot of good points, bring in your own view points, and make great connections to other examples in society.
That being said, after reading the article I would definitely agree with the roles that Romo and Simpson played in their relationship, especially as portrayed by the media. Although we might not have great insight into their private lives as a couple, we can easily see that Simpson became somewhat of a "trophy-wife" to Romo. She was often seen at the games looking like the supportive significant other wearing her pink Romo jersey and cheering blissfully in her suite. She definitely has her own income as a singer and with her other business endeavors, but I would have to believe that compared to Romo's salary she does not make near an equal amount. Another comparable relationship would be Jay Cutler and Kristin Cavallari, where Cutler is the star quarterback of an NFL team making mega-money and Cavallari has some independence but definitely fits the role of the beautiful supportive wife with a smaller income and the "passive" nature. Cutler would fit the hegemonic masculinity role perfectly as his stoic, rough demeanor would suggest.
Also, I agree with Casey that there are exceptions to this like in the cases of Brady/Bundchen and the Beckham family. David Beckham is often seen with his kids, away from his wife, and is not the typical alpha male type we are used to seeing from prominent male athletes.
Joey Durant
Yannick,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Joey you have very good insight and i too are impressed with your analysis of our readings.
I also agree with you when you discuss media as a huge role in the relationship and the issues surrounding the relationship. The "Jessica Jinx" was fueled by the media and influenced fans surrounding the Cowboys at the time. For example, the video we watched in class today about the car dealer and his sign. i think it is absured that the news channel even put this on the air. It goes to show what sells and what doesnt. The doting good girlfriend does not sell as many papers and the "Jessica Jinx"
Maddy
Yannick,
ReplyDeleteAll this talk about celebrity couples got me thinking about other couples. I thought about how media portrays Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union’s relationship. She has been seen courtside at games cheering on her man, similar to Jessica. But I can not think of one time that I have heard something negative mentioned about their relationship. Dwayne Wade has been criticized in the last couple of season with Miami. Not once have I heard Gabrielle’s name mention in the rationale for his performance. Media has mainly focused on his age and injuries, which seems reasonable to me because that’s the truth. Wade is in his early 30’s, which is above the league’s average age. Why isn’t Wade’s relationship being attributed to his decline in performance? Even though Jessica Simpson is worth more than 5 times Union is, Union is still a big time celebrity. Is it because Wade is a NBA super star? Is it because he has multiple NBA championships? Is it because he makes more money than Romo? Do media outlets not want to come across as racist? Is it because society believes his relationship doesn’t affect his performance? I do not know the answer.
I believe that all of the talk about Romo and Jessica Simpson started with their trip to Cabo. It was the bye week before the Cowboy's playoff game in 2008. Many believed that the Cowboys' quarterback should have been preparing to play the winner of the Buccaneers & Giants game instead of going on this relaxing getaway. If Romo wasn;t struggling leading up to the playoff game, he threw 1 touchdown and 5 interceptions in the last 3 games of the regular season. The Cowboys would go on to lose that first game after the bye weekend to the Giants by a score of 21-17.
ReplyDeleteGood post, Yannick. In regards to what Ben has stated about Romo and Simpson's getaway in Cabo, I don't think that is Jessica Simpson's fault. To me, as a professional athlete he made a conscious decision to leave and go on a relaxing getaway rather than stay and train fro the playoff game. Obviously to play professional football you have to be a good athlete, and the fact that that was his decision reflects poorly on his character in my mind.
ReplyDeleteLike I said in Cam's post, I simply don't think it's fair to blame someone for another person's performance with situations like this. However I have to agree with Joey and Maddy; you always bring up so many different points for analysis, causing me to expand my ways of thinking. "Sport-celebrity" couples are interesting, yet another side of me doesn't understand why the media has to be so involved in their personal affairs.