Ninth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

With heightened attention on sexual assault in college sports, this study seeks to understand the impact of conformity to masculine norms and sexual relationships among college athletes. Using a secondary data-analysis, 795 undergraduate students in the northeast region of the United States completed an anonymous survey that included items from the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory (CMNI) scale. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to assess the impact of dominance, violence, and success and winning on feelings on sex and relationships while controlling for ethnicity, race, gender, year in school, and type of sport. Preliminary results indicate that college athletes with greater masculine attitudes such as dominance and violence have less appreciation for sex and relationships. Meanwhile college athletes with higher attitudes on success and winning had greater appreciation for sex and relationships. Males were also more likely to have higher acceptance of dominance, violence, and success and winning than females. More research needs to be conducted on the attitudes and behaviors of college athletes as it relates to masculine traits and the possibility of sexual violence. These findings also point to the need for increased training on healthy masculinity and sexual assault prevention in college sports.