In this essay, Helen Jefferson Lenskyj reflects on how heternormativity and gender identities have been characterized in sport media for more than a century. In light of these issues, Lenskyj reflects on why communication about sport may have particular importance in fueling heternormativity and a climate of homophobia. In reflecting on her journey as a scholar focused on the nexus of sport, gender, and media, Lenskyj notes that researchers have identified homophobia more readily than heterosexism, and lesbians’ experiences have been investigated in greater depth than those of gay men. The body of this essay focuses on trends in research, comments on the common perception that in sport “all the men are straight and all the women are gay,” considers heternormativity as social control, and assesses the potential of “the new muscular woman and the new metrosexual man” in the context of mediated sport. The conclusion focuses on more progressive trends in media treatment of sexuality issues in sport and considers both the standpoint and the key questions for future research.
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