{"id":{"repo_id":"oxford-brookes","oai_identifier":"tle:fb52d6ac-6b0d-4b5b-ba5a-7443afa9ba0b:d6bd9758-527a-46cd-bfe2-c433766e8fca:1"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/oxford-brookes/tle:fb52d6ac-6b0d-4b5b-ba5a-7443afa9ba0b:d6bd9758-527a-46cd-bfe2-c433766e8fca:1","repository":{"repo_id":"oxford-brookes","name":"Oxford Brookes University","base_url":"https://radar.brookes.ac.uk/radar/oai"},"display":{"title":"Identifying hegemonic masculinity in youth ice hockey programmes and investigating its effects on male players’ conduct on and off the ice","abstract":"This research investigates how hegemonic masculinity is constructed, reinforced, and contested within youth ice hockey programmes, and how these gender norms influence male players' behaviour both on and off the ice. Drawing on in-depth qualitative interviews with adolescent athletes and a thematic analysis of their experiences, the study explores the ways in which youth sport serves as a formative environment for the development of masculine identity. Situated within the theoretical frameworks of Connell’s hegemonic masculinity and Anderson’s inclusive masculinity, the research critically examines how cultural expectations of toughness, emotional stoicism, dominance, and heterosexuality are embedded in the institutional and social structures of youth ice hockey. Findings reveal that these programmes function as key sites for the reproduction of hegemonic masculine norms. Physical aggression, emotional suppression, and hierarchical team rituals such as rookie treatment and locker room banter were found to shape not only players' sporting behaviours but also their broader social conduct. However, the research also uncovers emerging tensions, as some players express discomfort with exclusionary practices and display a desire for more inclusive and emotionally expressive forms of masculinity. These findings suggest that youth sport is both a site of social control and a potential space for renegotiating gender norms. Methodologically, the study employs a qualitative, ethnographically informed approach that privileges the voices of young athletes and situates their experiences within broader socio-cultural contexts. The research contributes to a growing body of scholarship on gender in sport by highlighting the early stages of masculine socialisation and the lasting effects of sport-based identity formation. It concludes by calling for further investigation into intersectional and cross-cultural dimensions of masculinity in youth sport and advocates for more inclusive coaching practices and institutional reforms to challenge exclusionary gender norms.","abstract_html":"This research investigates how hegemonic masculinity is constructed, reinforced, and contested within youth ice hockey programmes, and how these gender norms influence male players' behaviour both on and off the ice. Drawing on in-depth qualitative interviews with adolescent athletes and a thematic analysis of their experiences, the study explores the ways in which youth sport serves as a formative environment for the development of masculine identity. Situated within the theoretical frameworks of Connell’s hegemonic masculinity and Anderson’s inclusive masculinity, the research critically examines how cultural expectations of toughness, emotional stoicism, dominance, and heterosexuality are embedded in the institutional and social structures of youth ice hockey. Findings reveal that these programmes function as key sites for the reproduction of hegemonic masculine norms. Physical aggression, emotional suppression, and hierarchical team rituals such as rookie treatment and locker room banter were found to shape not only players' sporting behaviours but also their broader social conduct. However, the research also uncovers emerging tensions, as some players express discomfort with exclusionary practices and display a desire for more inclusive and emotionally expressive forms of masculinity. These findings suggest that youth sport is both a site of social control and a potential space for renegotiating gender norms. Methodologically, the study employs a qualitative, ethnographically informed approach that privileges the voices of young athletes and situates their experiences within broader socio-cultural contexts. The research contributes to a growing body of scholarship on gender in sport by highlighting the early stages of masculine socialisation and the lasting effects of sport-based identity formation. It concludes by calling for further investigation into intersectional and cross-cultural dimensions of masculinity in youth sport and advocates for more inclusive coaching practices and institutional reforms to challenge exclusionary gender norms.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Drobny, Michal"],"institution":"Oxford Brookes University","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Phelan, Simon","Whigham, Stuart"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":null,"date_issued":"","date_published":null,"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:42:11Z","subjects":[],"languages":["en"],"rights":["All rights reserved"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://doi.org/10.24384/2tge-mq32","outbound_label":"DOI","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Phelan, Simon","Whigham, Stuart"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Drobny, Michal"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Oxford Brookes University"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["thesis"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["All rights reserved"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://doi.org/10.24384/2tge-mq32","https://radar.brookes.ac.uk/radar/file/fb52d6ac-6b0d-4b5b-ba5a-7443afa9ba0b/1/Drobny2025HegemonicMasculinity.pdf"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["This research investigates how hegemonic masculinity is constructed, reinforced, and contested within youth ice hockey programmes, and how these gender norms influence male players' behaviour both on and off the ice. Drawing on in-depth qualitative interviews with adolescent athletes and a thematic analysis of their experiences, the study explores the ways in which youth sport serves as a formative environment for the development of masculine identity. Situated within the theoretical frameworks of Connell’s hegemonic masculinity and Anderson’s inclusive masculinity, the research critically examines how cultural expectations of toughness, emotional stoicism, dominance, and heterosexuality are embedded in the institutional and social structures of youth ice hockey. Findings reveal that these programmes function as key sites for the reproduction of hegemonic masculine norms. Physical aggression, emotional suppression, and hierarchical team rituals such as rookie treatment and locker room banter were found to shape not only players' sporting behaviours but also their broader social conduct. However, the research also uncovers emerging tensions, as some players express discomfort with exclusionary practices and display a desire for more inclusive and emotionally expressive forms of masculinity. These findings suggest that youth sport is both a site of social control and a potential space for renegotiating gender norms. Methodologically, the study employs a qualitative, ethnographically informed approach that privileges the voices of young athletes and situates their experiences within broader socio-cultural contexts. The research contributes to a growing body of scholarship on gender in sport by highlighting the early stages of masculine socialisation and the lasting effects of sport-based identity formation. It concludes by calling for further investigation into intersectional and cross-cultural dimensions of masculinity in youth sport and advocates for more inclusive coaching practices and institutional reforms to challenge exclusionary gender norms."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Identifying hegemonic masculinity in youth ice hockey programmes and investigating its effects on male players’ conduct on and off the ice"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Phelan, Simon","Whigham, Stuart"],"dc:creator":["Drobny, Michal"],"dc:description":["This research investigates how hegemonic masculinity is constructed, reinforced, and contested within youth ice hockey programmes, and how these gender norms influence male players' behaviour both on and off the ice. Drawing on in-depth qualitative interviews with adolescent athletes and a thematic analysis of their experiences, the study explores the ways in which youth sport serves as a formative environment for the development of masculine identity. Situated within the theoretical frameworks of Connell’s hegemonic masculinity and Anderson’s inclusive masculinity, the research critically examines how cultural expectations of toughness, emotional stoicism, dominance, and heterosexuality are embedded in the institutional and social structures of youth ice hockey. Findings reveal that these programmes function as key sites for the reproduction of hegemonic masculine norms. Physical aggression, emotional suppression, and hierarchical team rituals such as rookie treatment and locker room banter were found to shape not only players' sporting behaviours but also their broader social conduct. However, the research also uncovers emerging tensions, as some players express discomfort with exclusionary practices and display a desire for more inclusive and emotionally expressive forms of masculinity. These findings suggest that youth sport is both a site of social control and a potential space for renegotiating gender norms. Methodologically, the study employs a qualitative, ethnographically informed approach that privileges the voices of young athletes and situates their experiences within broader socio-cultural contexts. The research contributes to a growing body of scholarship on gender in sport by highlighting the early stages of masculine socialisation and the lasting effects of sport-based identity formation. It concludes by calling for further investigation into intersectional and cross-cultural dimensions of masculinity in youth sport and advocates for more inclusive coaching practices and institutional reforms to challenge exclusionary gender norms."],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://doi.org/10.24384/2tge-mq32","https://radar.brookes.ac.uk/radar/file/fb52d6ac-6b0d-4b5b-ba5a-7443afa9ba0b/1/Drobny2025HegemonicMasculinity.pdf"],"dc:language":["en"],"dc:publisher":["Oxford Brookes University"],"dc:rights":["All rights reserved"],"dc:title":["Identifying hegemonic masculinity in youth ice hockey programmes and investigating its effects on male players’ conduct on and off the ice"],"dc:type":["thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:42:11Z"}