Fifteenth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

Old/er men are commonly treated - in both research and popular public discourse - as homogenous, a-gendered, and/or as not fitting hegemonic masculine scripts. Moreover, whilst sport is an arena where masculinity theory (and hegemonic masculinity as a concept) has been valuable for showing how men create and reaffirm masculine identities, such scholarship commonly privileges youth and appears ‘middle adult-ist’ (Bartholomeus and Tarrant 2016). Indeed, cultural guidelines for ageing as men remain insufficient or absent altogether. Drawing upon 54 interviews with older men who play walking football in the UK, we explore how their sporting experiences allow for a rescripting of masculinity in older age. Men’s reflections suggest, at times, an alignment with hegemonic masculine norms and values, with walking football offering an outlet for both competition and developing and displaying physical prowess. Their embodied performances, then, were vital for cultivating a masculine identity. However, men concurrently described modes of care, intimacy, and interdependence that disturb conventional conceptions of hegemonic masculinity. Friendships with other older men were crucial to their involvement in walking football, with considerable value placed upon establishing meaningful interpersonal connections. We conclude this study by championing for analyses of aging masculinity, both within and outside of studies of sport and leisure, as a worthwhile analytic pursuit.