It's All for the Kids: Gender, Families, and Youth Sports / Edition 1

by Michael Messner

Overview

Today, in a world quite different from the one that existed just thirty years ago, both girls and boys play soccer, baseball, softball, and other youth sports. Yet has the dramatic surge in participation by girls contributed to greater gender equality? In this engaging study, leading sociologist Michael A. Messner probes the richly complex gender dynamics of youth sports. Weaving together vivid first-person interviews with his own experiences as a volunteer for his sons' teams, Messner finds that despite the movement of girls into sports, gender boundaries and hierarchies still dominate, especially among the adults who run youth sports. His book widens into a provocative exploration of why youth sports matter—how they play a profound role in shaping gender, class, family, and community.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520257108
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	03/18/2009
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Michael A. Messner is Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies at the University of Southern California and the author of several books including Taking the Field: Women, Men, and Sports.

Table of Contents

Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgments

1. “It's All for the Kids”: Gender, Families, and Youth Sports
2. “Looking for a Team Mom”: Separating the Men from the Moms
3. “We Don't Like Chick Coaches”: Women at the Helm
4. “You Don't Have to be a Drill Sergeant”: Men at the Helm
5. “They're Different-and They're Born Different”: Engendering the Kids
6. “It's a Safe and Fun Place for Kids”: Youth Sports, Families, and the Good Community

Appendix 1. Demographic Description of Interview Subjects
Appendix 2. Racial/Ethnic Composition of South Pasadena LLB/S and AYSO Coaches and of the City of South Pasadena
Appendix 3. Proportion of AYSO and LLB/S Women Head Coaches in Communities Surrounding South Pasadena
Appendix 4. In the Field
Notes
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

Amazing. . . . A heartfelt, perceptive, and thoroughly enjoyable study.

Choice

This book is a treat.

Howard P. Chudacoffn Studies Journal

Messner’s engaging writing style draws the reader into the fine details of what he observes.

Men & Masculinities

“This book is a treat.

American Studies Journal - Howard P. Chudacoff