Beer, Babes, and Balls: Masculinity and Sports Talk Radio (S U N Y Series on Sport, Culture, and Social Relations)

Beer, Babes, and Balls explores the increasingly popular genre of sports talk radio and how it relates to contemporary ideas of masculinity. Popular culture plays a significant role in fashioning identities, and sports talk radio both reflects and inspires cultural shifts in masculinity. Through analysis of the content of sports talk radio as well as interviews with radio production staff and audience members, scholar and avid sports talk radio listener David Nylund sheds light on certain aspects of contemporary masculinity and recent shifts in gender and sexual politics. He finds that although sports talk radio reproduces many aspects of traditional masculinity, sexism, racism, and heterosexism, there are exceptions in these discourses. For instance, the most popular national host, Jim Rome, is against homophobia and racism in sport, which indicates that the medium may be a place for male sports fans to discuss gender, race, and sexuality in consequential ways. Nylund concludes that sports talk radio creates a male bonding community that has genuine moments of intimacy and connection, signifying the potential for new forms of masculinity to emerge, while simultaneously reproducing traditional forms of masculinity."This rather brief yet ambitious book ... is ... readily accessible to a more general audience, and is a welcome addition to the growing literature on masculinity and the masculine identity creation process. " — CHOICE"Nylund's self-reflexivity (largely because he is trained as a psychotherapist) of both loving sport and sports talk radio, but standing firmly for his pro-gay, pro-women, and pro-racial equality beliefs, might position Nylund as the perfect spokesperson for opening up the airwaves, the third space, for the inclusion of those previously marginalized by sport. " — from the Foreword by Eric Anderson"Nylund examines the inner workings of the creation of Jim Rome's virtual radio culture in compelling and thought-provoking ways. " — Andrew C. Billings, Clemson University Beer, Babes, and Balls......Page 4 Contents......Page 8 foreword......Page 12 acknowledgments......Page 16 1.OPENING PITCH: Thinking about Sports Talk Radio......Page 18 SPORTS TALK RADIO......Page 19 THEORIZING MASCULINITIES......Page 22 DEVELOPMENT OF MANHOOD IN TWENTIETH-CENTURY UNITED STATES......Page 25 MASCULINITY AND THE SPORTS MEDIA......Page 27 MEDIA AND CULTURAL STUDIES......Page 31 CRITICAL RADIO STUDIES......Page 32 OUTLINE OF THE BOOK......Page 34 PART I. THE CLIMATE FOR SPORTS TALK RADIO......Page 36 2. THE SPORTS TALK RADIO INDUSTRY: From Rush to Rome......Page 38 RADIO DEREGULATION AND TALK RADIO......Page 39 SPORTS TALK RADIO: AN EXTENSION OF POLITICAL TALK RADIO?......Page 43 3. INSIDE THE SPORTS RADIO INDUSTRY: Ads and Lads......Page 45 INFLUENCE OF ADVERTISING, RATINGS, AND CORPORATE RADIO......Page 46 SPORTS RADIO AND PUBLIC DISCOURSE......Page 50 ROMANTIC BELIEF IN SPORTS......Page 54 HANGING OUT AT THE STATION......Page 60 PART II. READING SPORTS TALK RADIO......Page 68 4. THE JIM ROME SHOW: “Myspace.com” for Men......Page 70 JIM ROME: HIP SPORTS TALK RADIO HOST......Page 71 SPEECH CODES AND THEMES: LEARNING HOW TO SURVIVE IN THE JUNGLE......Page 75 THE “JUNGLE”: A SITE FOR THE PERFORMANCE OF MASCULINITY......Page 76 MALE RITE OF PASSAGE ON THE JIM ROME SHOW......Page 78 IN-GROUP HUMOR ON THE JIM ROME SHOW......Page 81 THE CONTRADICTIONS OF MASCULINITY......Page 83 5. RACE, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY IN THE JUNGLE......Page 85 GENDER: COMPETING MASCULINITIES......Page 86 GENDER: WOMEN IN THE JUNGLE......Page 89 QUEER EYE FOR THE SPORTS GUY......Page 92 THE RACE CARD......Page 107 ROME HAS NO CLASS......Page 116 JUNGLE NATIONALISM......Page 119 HEGEMONY OR HOPE? SPORTS TALK RADIO’S POTENTIAL......Page 123 PART III. THE AUDIENCE OF SPORTS TALK RADIO......Page 126 6. IN THE JUNGLE WITH THE “CLONES”......Page 128 INTERVIEWING THE “CLONES”......Page 129 THE ENTERTAINMENT VALUE......Page 134 HOMOSOCIALITY......Page 135 THE AUDIENCE DOES SOCIAL ISSUES......Page 137 7. WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME......Page 141 CHEERS TO MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL......Page 142 LOU FROM LODI......Page 147 A COMMUNITY OF CALLERS......Page 153 AMONG THE CLONES HOOLIGANS......Page 158 8. A SPORTS RADIO INTRUDER......Page 165 MY TAKE ON THE AUDIENCE OF SPORTS TALK RADIO......Page 168 9. MY FINAL TAKE......Page 172 SPORTS TALK AND CIVIC DISCOURSE......Page 173 SPORTS AND SEXUALITY......Page 176 MASCULINITY AND SPORTS......Page 178 Notes......Page 182 Bibliography......Page 190 C......Page 202 H......Page 203 L......Page 204 R......Page 205 S......Page 206 W......Page 207 Beer, Babes, and Balls 4 Contents 8 foreword 12 acknowledgments 16 1.OPENING PITCH: Thinking about Sports Talk Radio 18 SPORTS TALK RADIO 19 THEORIZING MASCULINITIES 22 DEVELOPMENT OF MANHOOD IN TWENTIETH-CENTURY UNITED STATES 25 MASCULINITY AND THE SPORTS MEDIA 27 MEDIA AND CULTURAL STUDIES 31 CRITICAL RADIO STUDIES 32 OUTLINE OF THE BOOK 34 PART I. THE CLIMATE FOR SPORTS TALK RADIO 36 2. THE SPORTS TALK RADIO INDUSTRY: From Rush to Rome 38 RADIO DEREGULATION AND TALK RADIO 39 SPORTS TALK RADIO: AN EXTENSION OF POLITICAL TALK RADIO? 43 3. INSIDE THE SPORTS RADIO INDUSTRY: Ads and Lads 45 INFLUENCE OF ADVERTISING, RATINGS, AND CORPORATE RADIO 46 SPORTS RADIO AND PUBLIC DISCOURSE 50 ROMANTIC BELIEF IN SPORTS 54 HANGING OUT AT THE STATION 60 PART II. READING SPORTS TALK RADIO 68 4. THE JIM ROME SHOW: “Myspace.com” for Men 70 JIM ROME: HIP SPORTS TALK RADIO HOST 71 SPEECH CODES AND THEMES: LEARNING HOW TO SURVIVE IN THE JUNGLE 75 THE “JUNGLE”: A SITE FOR THE PERFORMANCE OF MASCULINITY 76 MALE RITE OF PASSAGE ON THE JIM ROME SHOW 78 IN-GROUP HUMOR ON THE JIM ROME SHOW 81 THE CONTRADICTIONS OF MASCULINITY 83 5. RACE, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY IN THE JUNGLE 85 GENDER: COMPETING MASCULINITIES 86 GENDER: WOMEN IN THE JUNGLE 89 QUEER EYE FOR THE SPORTS GUY 92 THE RACE CARD 107 ROME HAS NO CLASS 116 JUNGLE NATIONALISM 119 HEGEMONY OR HOPE? SPORTS TALK RADIO’S POTENTIAL 123 PART III. THE AUDIENCE OF SPORTS TALK RADIO 126 6. IN THE JUNGLE WITH THE “CLONES” 128 INTERVIEWING THE “CLONES” 129 THE ENTERTAINMENT VALUE 134 HOMOSOCIALITY 135 THE AUDIENCE DOES SOCIAL ISSUES 137 7. WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME 141 CHEERS TO MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL 142 LOU FROM LODI 147 A COMMUNITY OF CALLERS 153 AMONG THE CLONES HOOLIGANS 158 8. A SPORTS RADIO INTRUDER 165 MY TAKE ON THE AUDIENCE OF SPORTS TALK RADIO 168 9. MY FINAL TAKE 172 SPORTS TALK AND CIVIC DISCOURSE 173 SPORTS AND SEXUALITY 176 MASCULINITY AND SPORTS 178 Notes 182 Bibliography 190 Index 202 A 202 B 202 C 202 D 203 E 203 F 203 G 203 H 203 I 204 J 204 K 204 L 204 M 205 N 205 O 205 P 205 Q 205 R 205 S 206 T 207 U 207 V 207 W 207

Beer, Babes, and Balls explores the increasingly popular genre of sports talk radio and how it relates to contemporary ideas of masculinity. Popular culture plays a significant role in fashioning identities, and sports talk radio both reflects and inspires cultural shifts in masculinity. Through analysis of the content of sports talk radio as well as interviews with radio production staff and audience members, scholar and avid sports talk radio listener David Nylund sheds light on certain aspects of contemporary masculinity and recent shifts in gender and sexual politics. He finds that although sports talk radio reproduces many aspects of traditional masculinity, sexism, racism, and heterosexism, there are exceptions in these discourses. For instance, the most popular national host, Jim Rome, is against homophobia and racism in sport, which indicates that the medium may be a place for male sports fans to discuss gender, race, and sexuality in consequential ways. Nylund concludes that sports talk radio creates a male bonding community that has genuine moments of intimacy and connection, signifying the potential for new forms of masculinity to emerge, while simultaneously reproducing traditional forms of masculinity.