How Manly is a Man Who Cries?
During the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) basketball tournament earlier this year, Adam Morrison, the leading scorer of the league, cried after a close loss that ended his season. Afterwards, his masculinity and toughness was called into question by critics and because of this incident, they expected to see him ranked lower in the upcoming NBA (National Basketball Association) draft.
The prevailing view of masculinity in the United States, at least in the media, is that men are not supposed to cry, especially in public. And if he cries, he is showing signs of weakness and a lack of dependability. A man should not be emotional or sensitive or display any other characteristic that would be considered a feminine trait.
On the other hand, the Japanese public seems to find it acceptable for male athletes to cry in sporting events. Nakata Hidetoshi made the headlines when he shed tears after Japan’s loss against Brazil at the World Cup. However, the media attributed the tears to his passion for winning and his frustrations with losing. Nothing was said about his masculinity.
Whenever Morrison was mentioned in an article, there is, most often, a negative comment about him crying. But not everyone thought it was a bad thing. He ended up being picked third in the draft by the Charlotte Bobcats. The most famous basketball player in the world and now, a part-owner of the Bobcats, Michael Jordan, had some comments about Morrison’s famous incident. “That to me was more of a showcase of passion for the game. So what, he’s emotional? He’s emotional because he pours his heart into it. That was a positive factor for me.”