RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Love and sexual conquests often build the idols’ image in soccer. The flirtatious player’s stereotype conveys what one should expect from a man who is an athlete – and guarantees a player a virtually free pass to do whatever he wants. Could the celebration of this outdated masculinity model be contributing in any way to the relativization of gender-based cases of violence committed in sports?
This question on behaviors we tolerate in soccer does not seem to be leaving the scene any time soon. Particularly with the long history of rapes committed by players and people who are part of this universe.
More recently, the hiring of Robinho to play again for Santos, the club that discovered him, has rekindled discussions about misogyny. Robinho was sentenced in absentia by the Italian courts for taking part in the collective rape of an Albanian woman in 2013. Even under protests and questioning from fans and supporters, the club embraced the player and proceeded with his hiring.
Robinho’s return to Santos was championed by many of his colleagues, including the team’s manager, Alexi Stival, Cuca – himself also convicted of raping a 13-year-old Swiss girl in 1987 while playing for Grêmio.
Cuca and Robinho’s cases are examples of a past and a present in soccer where cases of violence against women are still trivialized, with the excuse that allegations of this kind can end the life and career of the accused. Due to the repercussions of the case, particularly after the release of excerpts from the proceedings, with a transcript of the player’s conversations with acquaintances, collected by the Italian police, Santos and the player suspended the contract.
If their performance in soccer is satisfactory, their reputations as womanizers and revelers are celebrated among players. For women involved with professional soccer stars, any suspected slip-up serves as an excuse to discredit her.
Therefore, allegations of violence against women are not always decisive for a player to lose prestige. The list of examples is not short. In addition to Cuca and Robinho, there was also the case of goalkeeper Jean, indicted for assaulting his wife in late 2019; and Bruno Fernandes, former Flamengo goalkeeper, convicted of first-degree murder of his ex-girlfriend, Eliza Samudio.
Ostentation of conquests
In photos and interviews, players brag about their amatory conquests. These range from the alleged five thousand women with whom Renato Gaúcho had sex when he was a player, to Ronaldo’s troubled relationships and Ronaldinho Gaúcho’s surreal affairs when he played professionally.
“In soccer we celebrate the masculinity conferred upon the heterosexual, womanizer man, who objectifies the women around him,” says Silvana Goellner, professor at UFRGS (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul), researcher and activist of women’s soccer. “Therefore, other forms of masculinity are rejected. The homosexual player is ridiculed or even the one who does not fulfill all the requirements of this kind of stereotype.”
A player’s love life should not be a guide to determining character or talent, but the celebration of the womanizer withstands behavior changes in society.
The public’s interest in the professional’s personal life is also determinant for the shaping of these stereotypes in the environment. According to Diana Mendes Machado da Silva, a soccer historian and researcher at USP (University of São Paulo), archetypes of professional players became more frequent in the 1930s, when the mythical figure of the player began to be shaped in popular perception – what we know today as a “star”.
“But since before the 1930s and the onset of this celebrity culture, there were such narratives we are so familiar with about the ‘good guys’ and the ‘bad boys’, legacies of the world of cinema, theater, politics, radio. The duality of the good boy and the bad boy is easier to be found in this media universe,” explains the historian.
Heroes above all
This behavior, including desensitization with respect to women, not only reflects the society and the environment they come from and live in, but also a complex relationship between money, success and social climbing that often comes early for professional players.
For Airan Albino, journalist and co-founder of the MilTons group which develops actions focused on the reflection of black masculinity, the early exposure to an environment of power and status is important to understand the source of the problematic relationships of so many players with women.
“There is no educational support for the Brazilian sportsman,” explains the journalist. “There are these expected macho behavior patterns, and people who engage in sports are highly exposed to them. They are men, mostly black and poor, who rise financially and never had time to reflect on all this.”
The cultural impact of soccer in Brazil also interferes with society’s reaction to reprehensible or criminal behavior. “The difficulty in seeing women as human beings stems from the fact that these people are placed in a position of heroes. They are viewed as superhuman. This makes them think they can do whatever they want,” explains Albino. In this context, gender violence is perceived as a “slip up” of players by the public and the soccer industry itself.
“Soccer is not just ‘boy garbage’ doing shit,” argues Isabela Venturoza de Oliveira, an anthropologist, doctoral student and researcher at the Pagu Center for Gender Studies at Unicamp. “But these players are reproducing the perspective of the world they have learned. This makes us think, and exposes the lack of reflection children and youths have regarding consent and pleasurable relationships. This discussion is urgent and needs to be implemented in all areas.”
A man is a man, a woman is a woman
According to experts, it is crucial to bear in mind that the male chauvinist environment in soccer is not the players’ responsibility. A team of advisors is at their side, helping to develop each one’s narrative – be it as a “good boy” or a “bad boy” – as well as a millionaire industry.
“The place of women in elite soccer is controlled, as much as the players’ image,” explains Diana Mendes. “It is also interesting to think about the following assumption: what if the advisors were women, more updated in the discussions? What would these players be like if their image were managed by women?”
Source: El Pais