Football banter

Research undertaken during periods of high homohysteria has documented that men’s gendered terrains are severely limited (Field, 1999; Floyd, 2000; Plummer, 1999). Using Ibson’s (2002) collection of 5,000 images of men from the 1880s to the 1980s, Anderson (2009, p. 82) wrote that AngloAmerican culture “grew increasingly aware of homosexuality, men began to pry intimacy away from fraternal bonding.” Accordingly, boys and men have traditionally been discouraged from physical intimacy, such as holding hands, softly hugging or kissing, through fear of emasculation and homophobia (Connell, 2000). In contrast, a culture of inclusivity allows men a greater number of gendered behaviors without being homosexualized (McCormack, 2012a). Highlighting this, contemporary research has shown that heterosexual male athletes frequently engage in mock homosexual acts for the purpose of homosocial bonding (Anderson, 2014). Although such acts may contribute to a culture of heteronormativity in that they are ironic proclamations of heteromasculinity (McCormack, 2012a), these participants stress that these acts are not designed as a form of homophobia. Instead, these ostensibly heterosexual men indulge in these homoerotic acts as a sense of camaraderie, and, importantly, to celebrate the strength of friendship. Accordingly, Anderson (2014, p. 144) wrote, “Heterosexual men who engage in prolonged kissing can be viewed in terms of a juxtaposition of a semi-public performance with a semi-private meaning . . . it is symbolized by homosocial joking and repartee.” This degree of camaraderiecommonly referred to by some as “banter” (Baxter, 2004; Hein & O’Donohue, 2014)—also provides men with a sense of entertainment, particularly within an often impenetrable environment like football (Anderson, 2005a; Parker, 1996). This chapter examines how men across three football teams define the complex notion of “banter,” and ways in which they construct it with their teammates. I also discuss the ways in which these men interpret this humor, and how it may potentially alter in the presence of an openly gay player.