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In the world of sports over the years there has been a striking difference in the way that men and women have been treated. This differentiation in treatment can be seen as a reflection of the way women in American society are engendered into specific roles. In order to further analyze this hierarchy of power in sport a specific anthropological method, symbolic anthropology, is necessary. Symbolic Anthropology is a unique perspective that aims to understand how people of a particular society give meanings to their reality and how it is expressed by cultural symbols (mnsu.edu). In essence the Anthropologist is attempting to use the “native point of view,” or the mindset of the particular group being studied, to interpret what certain behavioral or material representations mean to the people as a whole (naccarato.org). The meaning of these symbols is then used to explain the cultural nuances of the society that they are a part of. In short, the symbolic elements in the articles, “Being Physical: sources of pleasure and satisfaction in women’s ice hockey,” “Wives Incorporated: marital relationships in professional ice hockey” and “Billie Jean” apply to the gender roles and gender stereotypes that exist presently in the United States and Canada.
In the article, “Being Physical: sources of pleasure and satisfaction in women’s ice hockey,” the author Nancy Theberge attempts to explain the lack of physicality in the women’s ice hockey game. Physicality is the symbol for the overall understanding of women and their place in the hockey rink in this particular scenario. In the current women’s game intentional body checking is prohibited and fighting is altogether banned. This ruling was intended to make the women’s game different from the traditional men’s ice hockey game by eliminating the commonly perceived masculine traits of physicality, aggression, anger and intensity. These features are seen in the larger picture of society as manly, and unbecoming...