Conceptualizing embodied masculinities in global sport

What does it mean to be a man? What does it mean to be "masculine"? Why do some males feel a need to prove their sense of "manliness"? Such questions have attracted a growing body of scholarship over recent decades. This is not merely about academics; issues of gender identity are part of the daily lives of people globally (Heasley, 2013). There is often a desire for a simple conception of what men (and women) either "are" or "should be" and how they ought to conduct themselves publicly and privately in accordance with "routine" gender norms.