GENDER EGALITARIANISM IN COED SPORT

Abstract

This article uses an ethnographic and case-study approach to examine aspects of egalitarianism between men and women in an American coed soccer league. We describe the formal adjustments of the league, the informal arrangements made by participants, and the conceptualization of the game by both male and female players. Our findings indicate that even in a highly egalitarian form, coed soccer remains dominated by males both on the pitch and in concept. Our results challenge the thesis of `American exceptionalism' about the failure of soccer to gain acceptance in the American sports scene. We also suggest that the involvement of men and women on the basis of egalitarianism and the unfulfilled promise of its enactment are consonant with patterns in American society at large. Furthermore, we maintain that the dominant meaning of American soccer can be best grasped by focusing on its recreational dimension rather than at the commodified level.