Jock (athlete)

The term jock, when used primarily in the United States, refers to the classic stereotype of a male athlete. It is generally attributed mostly to high school and college athletics participants who form a distinct youth subculture. In sociology, the jock is thought to be included within the socialite subculture, which also contains the preps and Ivy-Leaguers. As a blanket term, jock can be considered synonymous with athlete.

Similar words that may mean the same as jock include meathead, musclebrain, and musclehead. These terms are based on the stereotype that a jock is muscular, but not very smart, and cannot carry a conversation on any topic other than one relating to sports or exercise.

Origin

The use of the term "jock" to refer to an athletic man is thought to have emerged around 1963. It is believed to be derived from the word "jockstrap," which is an undergarment worn to support the male genitals while playing sports. Since then, the concept of a jock has become ingrained in American culture as a negative stereotype of athletically-oriented males. It is likely that the pigeonholed image of male athletes is a result of the reductionist theory, which essentially states it is easier for one to simplify life into stereotypes than accept its complexities. Various news outlets over the years have agreed that the term jock is reductionist in nature.

Jocks are often contrasted with another negative stereotype, nerds. This dichotomy has been immortalized by countless references and themes in movies, television shows, and books.

Stereotypes

The following is a list which includes the various characteristics of the jock stereotype often borrowed by the media:

• Arrogant
• Handsome, muscular, and athletic, but unintelligent
• Competitive and aggressive
• Womanizer, or "player," who constantly cheats and cannot commit to a serious relationship
• Has an attractive girlfriend (usually a cheerleader)
• Popular among classmates or students similar to his own clique
• Generally popular with girls, but often despised by non-jock boys
• A bully who is hostile to those outside his social circle
• Often perceived as getting preferential treatment solely due to athletic ability (e.g., passing grades undeserved, bad conduct overlooked)

Portrayal in the media

Stereotypical jocks are often present in books, movies, and television shows involving high school or college. The stereotype is most prevalent in movies for teenagers such as College, American Pie, and Revenge of the Nerds. The stereotype extends beyond the high-school and collegiate age group, trickling down into media intended for younger audiences. Examples of this include the high school quarterback Dash Baxter in the Nickelodeon cartoon Danny Phantom. Other notable portrayals of the stereotype include the popular athlete love interest Tommy Ross in Carrie, the spoiled bullying antagonist Luke Ward in the first season of The O.C., and Kim's wealthy athlete boyfriend Jim in Edward Scissorhands.

The mass media borrows many stereotypical characteristics of jocks, and they are commonly used to portray a character who is relatively unintelligent and unenlightened, but nonetheless socially and physically well-endowed. Usually, jocks will play aggressive sports such as football or basketball. The main jock character often occupies a high position, such as the quarterback or captain of the football team. In many cases the jock is shown to come from a wealthy family: driving a fancy, expensive sports car or SUV, and wearing expensive, name-brand clothing; however, this is not always the case. In this regard there may be significant overlap with the preppie stereotype.

As a protagonist, the jock is often a dynamic character who through an epiphany or new understanding will lead to a change in the values of the jock. This change often means a cessation of athletics and/or some other equivalent social sacrifice which leads to the character no longer being considered a jock. Examples from movies include Randall "Pink" Floyd in Dazed and Confused and Andrew Clark in The Breakfast Club. Examples from television shows include Nathan Scott in the teen drama series One Tree Hill, Whitney Fordman in Smallville and Luke Ward in The O.C..

As antagonists, jocks can be stock characters shown as lacking compassion for the protagonist, and are generally flat and static. Often, in high school comedies or dramas where the main characters are not popular, the jock is the chief antagonist and cruel to the main characters. He is disliked by the nerds and other people considered unpopular, and usually has an unfortunate (and in some cases, violent) ending. Heathers' "Kurt" and "Ram" roles, the Spider-Man character Flash Thompson and Jean Grey's first boyfriend Duncan Matthews in X-Men: Evolution are such examples. There are also numerous jock antagonists found in teen dramas such as the rapist Dean Walton from Degrassi, among others.

Marketing

Although it is hard to trace the trend of the jock image from its root in the '60s to the present, it is definite that retailers have played a huge role in perpetuating the stereotype. The jock image has become an icon in both erotica and marketing, such as that used by Hollister, or the erotic photography of Bruce Weber, Steven Underhill, and others, who photographed jock archetypes like the Brewer twins (Keith & Derek), the Hall twins (Bruce & Seth), Peter Johnson, Jonathon Huether and "Marky Mark" Wahlberg.

The primary supporter of the jock image is Abercrombie and Fitch. Founded in 1892, the retailer targets the 18 to 22 year-old crowd. The following quote from a 2007 company report epitomizes how their brand image is derived from the jock stereotype: "The Abercrombie & Fitch brand personifies the privileged All-American collegiate lifestyle. A timeless juxtaposition of the Ivy League and the great outdoors."

These practices spurred a 2003 lawsuit against the company. The lawsuit stated that the retailer is prohibitive in its hiring of minorities and women. As a result, the company paid $40 million USD in damages. Jennifer Lu, an Asian American, claimed she was fired because she did not match the store's image. She was quoted as saying a corporate official came to the branch she was working at, pointed to one of the company's iconic images of muscular young white men, and said: "You need to have more staff that looks like this."

Education and athletics

The general perception that athletes are unintelligent is derived from the idea that athletic and academic success are mutually exclusive.

In 2005, Dr. Sabina Kleitman, a psychology professor at The University of Sydney and Herbert W. Marsh, employed at Oxford University for the same profession teamed together. The pair conducted surveys of over 12,000 American students to find a correlation between sports and grades. The following is a quote from their published results:

"Achievement can be measured in many ways—grades, homework, attendance, standardized test scores, and enrollment in college. In all of these areas except standardized test scores, even after controlling for economic status, race, and other background variables, athletic participation was significantly correlated to academic achievement. Even after controlling for academic success in 8th and 10th grade, athletic participation was still associated with positive academic outcomes in 13 out of 21 measures in 12th grade and 2 years out of high school. This suggests that athletic participation itself may be responsible for some academic achievement—the later achievement isn't completely explained by earlier academic success."

Despite the fact that many schools recruit for sports, they put stipulations in place that hold student athletes to high standards in order to maintain their scholarships. Schools such as Cornell College recruit students to their athletic teams, but require a student maintain a certain grade-point average in order to have the scholarship renewed. For many young athletes, this is imperative as they could not afford higher education on their own. Therefore, they balance proper study with the demands of their sport.

See also

• Hearties - the equivalent term at Oxford University
• Nerd - for many intents the antonym of 'jock'
• Anti-jock movement
• Ivy League