'IMAGINE, A MAN PLAYING NETBALL!' Masculinities and Sport in New Zealand

This article provides a textual analysis of selected media representations of men's netballers in New Zealand, an analysis of interviews with members of the Otago men's netball team, and a brief description of the author's participant-observation research in this area. The article discusses and challenges stereotypical representations of men who play netball - a sport originally designed specifically for women, and historically dominated by women - as either effeminate or gay cross-dressers. While the idea that men's netballers are perverse 'gender-benders' remains widespread, the increasing popularity of social mixed-gender netball, combined with the determined efforts of established men's netballers, is beginning to challenge popular preconceptions. Men's netball provides recreational opportunities for both men who subscribe to hegemonic definitions of masculinity and for men who espouse more marginalized masculinities. Some evidence even suggests that despite altercations between homophobic Otago players and 'queer' players from other teams during the 1990s, men's netball has actually provided opportunities for some players to challenge homophobia.