Representation

     The way male athletes are represented in media is negative. Typically, male athletes are represented as stupid, loud womanizing partiers. This negative portrayal affects their image by creating stereotypes for people to characterize them by in real life, which in this case would be as stupid, loud womanizers. Jocks also are repeatedly represented as wearing athletic gear and jerseys most of the time through costume design. Male athletes in real-life though do not tend to fit this over-generalized, exaggerated representation, as is the case for most representation in media, it is not good nor is it fair.

The stereotype for male athletes can be broken down into sub categories by what sport they play. Different sports have different stereotypes. For example, Lacrosse players are thought to be "fratty" and cocky while football players are viewed as more aggressive and dumb based off of representation in media. The show "Blue Mountain State" perpetuated this negative representation heavily through the portrayal of the college student male athletes. In the show, the football players are focused primarily on partying, drinking, having sex, and playing football. In the few episodes that lacrosse players are shown they have the costume design of what a snobby rich boy would wear and the “flow” of hair that “lax bros”set as the ideal hairstyle. Both of the male athlete sub-groups though are negatively portrayed, which is unfair to the large percentage of male student athletes that do not fit into the stereotype set by the representation of the media.

A more specific example of a stereotypical jock in film is Steve Stifler in “American Pie.”Throughout the film, Stifler inappropriately hits on women, makes several raunchy jokes, is extremely cocky, and acts like a total jerk overall. This representation of male athletes is extremely harmful to their image, making others have negative early judgement about them. In order to change this representation in media, I would challenge the characteristic of the male athlete not being as intellectually invested as they are invested in their sport, showing that they can be just as focused in both. Sadly, the womanizing aspect of the representation has proven to have truth in it through the many cases of rape male college athletes have been put on trial for in real-life, so, I would retain it. I’d also retain the aforementioned representative costume design of jerseys and athletic gear.