My initial metanarrative understanding connects sports to masculine representation. Sports maintain masculine standards through an emphasis on endurance while promoting resilience and mental repression, which ties them to traditional representations of masculinity.  Male athletes learn from youth that their athletic toughness and sports participation define their acceptance as sufficiently masculine and establish them as true men. This argument reinforces the metanarrative that violence in sports remains an accepted practice. Physical strength and aggressive tenacity in sports receive constant praise as core values. These qualities have become recognized as key factors for sports success and function as demonstrations of masculinity. The general belief holds that sports frequently involve violence and aggression while male athletes receive greater admiration when they display brutal behavior. These metanarratives become highly problematic because they create exclusion for athletes who fail to meet established standards.

This image showcases numerous strong male athletes from the sports sector. My search results for “sports” immediately displayed images of male athletes who either represent their sport or endorse brands like Adidas, Nike, or Gatorade. The continuous display of male athletes in sports-related search results reinforces the stereotype that sports are primarily masculine activities. The lack of representation for women and gender nonconforming people in sports imagery creates the false perception that these groups lack athletic ability and cannot match men’s performance standards. In my view, sports advertisements and images display an unfair bias by predominantly showcasing top male athletes.

What makes this metanarrative important, then? The metanarrative holds significance for me because it plays a major role in shaping cultural practices during everyday interactions. Sports serve as a platform that strengthens gender norms that shape daily life by embodying masculine attributes. The overarching story creates specific gender expectations for both men and women in sports and everyday life and causes unequal treatment. This metanarrative has had a significant impact on my personal identity because I am a female athlete who participated in sports throughout her youth and it has also influenced numerous other women who share similar experiences.  Athletics served as a primary force in shaping my identity during my childhood years. The belief that athletic success needed masculinity shaped my entire athletic journey. Rugby was traditionally viewed as a masculine sport, which meant I learned to adopt aggressive male traits to achieve success despite this being totally off-base. This metanarrative proved harmful because it reshaped my entire sense of self and made me self-doubting while forcing me to present an unauthentic persona or to modify my behavior for a chosen group. The sports community may face significant exclusion problems that require an examination of masculinity concepts to understand their real impact.

However, I would contend that awareness of these presumptions and metanarratives is particularly crucial due to the importance of sport in our daily lives, the influence it has on our upbringing and worldviews, and…… [ finish that thought] because it shapes our perceptions of our own identities and our place in the world.

The photo I thought to implement is a photo and quote from the 23-time Gold Olympic Medalist, Michael Phelps. This photo depicts a quote in which Phelps is very open about his struggle with mental health, specifically with depression and anxiety. Thus, this demonstrates the intersection of sports and social justice through advocacy and activism. I also believe this belongs under the health and wellbeing section of our padlet, as this quote also demonstrates the priority he made to promote his overall wellbeing. Michael Phelps is a prominent advocate for mental health support for athletes and the general public. His stories highlight the importance of removing barriers to mental health assistance, highlighting the need for enhanced mental health support systems worldwide. Not only do Phelps’s personal experiences serve as a powerful platform to confront mental health stigma, but they also use advocacy in ways that allow for increased understanding and assistance for those experiencing similar difficulties. His activism motivates athletic institutions to create environments that support overall well-being. With Phelps’s advocacy work, he connects sports with social justice, promoting fair access to resources and support, allowing for the notion of sports and social justice to co-exist with each other. His personal journey serves as a powerful tool for impactful activism, advancing personal health and promoting social reform. His advocacy work highlights the power of athletes as leaders with the power to drive social change and promote acceptance and understanding of mental health struggles.

I decided to choose a different image rather then the ones given in Blackboard. When you look up feminism in the google search bar, this is one of the first images that pop up, in which I believe is a perfect representation of what the word Feminsim is and embodies.

Feminism stands as a worldwide movement fighting for equal rights for all women and gender non-conforming people without discrimination based on background. The movement opposes social inequality which targets women and gender non-conforming persons while striving for universal respect across all life areas. Feminism manifests through spoken word performances and art exhibitions alongside parades and stands as a collective battle for equality which focuses on intersectional identities. This approach investigates how multiple identities together influence people’s experiences with inequality and powerlessness.

The picture of women marching together under banners that read “Women of the World Unite” and “Sisters of the World Unite” shows the core feminist principles of unity and collective power. The image demonstrates feminist advocacy by uniting different voices to pursue common objectives like gender equality as well as reproductive rights along with workplace equity and protection from violence. The power of community action combined with intersectionality acts as an essential part of the feminist movement, which allows this image to resonate with me. I also belive this photo is a perfect representation of what Feminism is, for every individual. It incorperates all ethnicities, which is what makes the notion of feminism so powerful. For no matter the difference between who we identify as individually, collectivly us women can unite and come together to support a cause that is worth more then just our identifacations, as depicted by the photo chosen.

So why does feminism matter? Well, to me, feminism extends beyond personal conviction to become a movement that brings people together across international boundaries and diverse experiences to oppose systemic oppression.This can be seen within the photograph chosen, as the power of working together shows us that change can happen when we unite to fight for transformation. Feminism functions as both a social movement and a psychological approach that promotes fairness and empowerment for all people without regard to gender. Feminism works toward building a fairer world for everyone by opposing traditional norms while expanding opportunities and giving power to voices that have been historically suppressed.