5.3 Thematic analysis of the focus group discussion
5.3.3 Sport and gym
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When I took this picture I was walking. It kind of shows my mode of transport compared to someone else. The why I wanted the car was I’m gonna get a hot chick with the car, but obviously that’s not exactly what I’m going to go and buy a car, but I know it’s gonna help in future. Also I can go wherever I want. I don’t have to depend on no one. I don’t have a car now but if I wanna go to Durbs I can still go to Durbs, it doesn’t mean I have to have a car but I mean it is nice to kind of drive around you know, your music’s pumping and they are like ‘ah he’s got a car’ so it’s like a status thing, I guess as well. -PC (Coloured)
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The gym it seemed, serves different purposes for men and women. Men went to the gym to enhance sporting performance as well as to enhance their attractiveness to the opposite sex by getting bigger muscles. Women on the other hand went to the gym to be slim implying that women’s attractiveness to men is dependent on the size of their body where smaller is better.
This also implied that women who go to the gym to increase their muscle size would not be seen as attractive as they would now have a masculine characteristic.
MM took a photograph illustrating a basketball net, yet when he spoke about it, this photograph was merely symbolic for his interest in sport in terms of masculinity. Even though he can play basketball, what he felt defines being a man is rugby mostly due to its
‘hard’ and ‘contact’ nature. Basketball on the other hand it seems lack this masculine
‘contact’ and ‘hardness’ and therefore fails to be a sport which would adequately define him as being a man.
Umm this is sport, not really basketball. I can play basketball but not basketball.
Rugby is a real definition to me of being a man, you know, it’s hard, it’s contact, it’s everything and I’m like a rugby nut! -MM (Black)
Sport seemed to be an important marker of being a man, but it was important which sport was used to define this. In this case for MM rugby better suited that role due to its tough physical nature. Even though he played basketball, it was not as masculine as rugby and does not do as good a job of defining masculinity. MM went on further to explain why rugby was such an important definer of being a man for him. Rugby, in South Africa, is a sport which has been
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traditionally associated with white men, yet in this study MM who is a young black man identifies more with the sport which is traditionally a white man’s sport as opposed to identifying with soccer which has traditionally been a black man’s sport. This was owed to the fact that MM attended an Afrikaans medium school where he took on a white identity and the only sport being offered was rugby. He had no choice but to play rugby which resulted in him excelling in the sport and eventually loving it.
Well that’s because I went to an Afrikaans school you check so the only thing I grew up doing was rugby so and then I got my colours in it and whatever but so this is how I came about it wasn’t really like a choice it was it was played at school and it’s what I had to do so then loved it so ya -MM (Black)
The environment he found himself in and the resources he was exposed to determine how he positioned himself to rugby which also assisted in his formulation of masculine identity.
Masculinity was not just about playing sports. PT took it one step further by saying that masculinity was also about being good at a sport or most importantly being successful at a sport. In order to be successful in a particular sport, one needed to train therefore sport becomes a marker of success.
My helmet, cycling helmet umm because training and trying to be successful is on the sport side of masculinity -PT (White)
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Rugby not only provided a healthy platform in terms of providing exercise for SS, but it also provided a platform which was more social as he got to meet new people.
I enjoy rugby very much. I played rugby for Maritzburg varsity it’s like exercise its just the thrill of the game and meeting new people I enjoy rugby. - SS (White)
Physical appearance as a young man was very important and in order to achieve that, one must visit the gym or make use of gym equipment. With the reference to being able to carry heavy objects showed that the main reason why young men worry about their appearance to this degree was largely linked to building muscles and getting big and strong enough to be able to carry heavy objects. This particular activity could be taking place when moving from one house to another which could be the future house he might own once he is marries and has a family, moving items for friends and family and also moving of own items currently in the instance of moving to and from various university accommodation.
And here I think as a man u have to go to gym in order to work out I mean to carry stuff to carry fridges when you move out or whatever to a new house ya and that’s it- LB (Black)