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More Than a Man: Richarlyson, Ambiguous and Non-orthodox Masculinities in South American Football

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Lesbian, Gay, and Transgender Athletes in Latin America

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Masculinity, Sport and Exercise ((PSMSE))

Abstract

This paper discusses the role of football, in the configuration of masculinities in Brazil. The paper examines the football Brazilian top-league to ask whether there is room for men who do not comply with the unwritten rules of being a ‘real man’ to play inside one of the country’s major cultural institutions. The story of Richarlyson, a professional player who was a target of severe homophobia by the São Paulo FC followers, is examined to address this query. The paper draws on data from in-depth semi-structured interviews with Richarlyson, as well as data from mainstream media outlets. Analysis is underpinned by Anderson’s theoretical framework on inclusive/orthodox masculinities in sport settings to show how Richarlyson’s life represents a crack in the orthodox and homophobic world of Brazilian football. By discussing Richarlyson’s trajectories, this paper helps other men to be as brave as him, hence refreshing the homophobic South American football environment.

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Correspondence to Jorge Knijnik .

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Knijnik, J. (2021). More Than a Man: Richarlyson, Ambiguous and Non-orthodox Masculinities in South American Football. In: Piedra, J., Anderson, E. (eds) Lesbian, Gay, and Transgender Athletes in Latin America. Palgrave Studies in Masculinity, Sport and Exercise. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-87375-2_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-87375-2_7

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-87374-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-87375-2

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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