Fantasy Football and Health

I have been interested in exploring the idea of masculinity and how it plays into men's health for a long time. The following blog post is an attempt to begin excavating this deep and complex social construct. By my own assessment, this blog post is rambley and not particularly well written. I decided that I had to start somewhere and so am releasing it in the hopes that future excavations will yield better results. 

There is a palpable masculinity crisis playing out in the United States.

Wait a second... I though you said this post was about fantasy football. Don't worry it will be, just keep reading.

As I was saying, we are in the process of re-defining masculinity in our culture. With that re-definition comes a period of instability with what it is to be a man and exhibit 'masculinity'.

The entire concept of masculinity is difficult to summarize in a quick blurb, but it's potency and importance is unquestioned in the mind of most men. To see this you can simply look to the lengths men have gone to in the past to preserve the abstract idea of their masculinity, not infrequently sacrificing life and limb. 

Alternatively, you can look to how savvy advertising agencies have leveraged the idea of masculinity to sell products. "Wear our clothing if you are a real man." "Smoke our cigarets if you want others to see you as masculine." " Real men drink our beer." And you know what, these advertisements work! And they work really well.

Why? Because they tap into something primal. This is not unique to men, but for this post I want to especially focus on the deeply ingrained desire to be masculine and to be accepted by society. I believe this has evolutionary origins the discussion of which are outside of the scope of this post.

Working with many men in my practice, a couple things have become clear. First, the idea of masculinity is important. Second, it is ill defined. What also becomes clear is that this lack of definition almost seems intentional. Perhaps it is because we have lost our mooring that was present for millennia in ancient cultures. Then again, perhaps it is because masculinity is a abstract concept that evolves to fit the needs of society, and our society is rapidly changing.  

As the health pillar of 'Life Philosophy' is central to my practice of medicine, the discussion of how a male patient defines and views their own masculinity comes up often. And the discussion is fascinating! Often there is rapid identification of contradictory tenants of masculinity. 

For one example: to be masculine is to 'handle your self stoically and not burden others with your emotion'. Simultaneously there is a tenant that to be masculine is to 'be vulnerable and show strength by being communicative about difficult and emotional issues.' 

Take another example: to be masculine is to 'seduce and have sex with an incalculable number of women', yet to be masculine is to 'show chivalry and take exquisite care, providing and protecting the life of a treasured life partner'. 

And yet another: to be masculine is to 'not take shit from anyone, and establish dominance in such a way that people bend to you will' yet to be masculine is to 'hold a safe space for others when all the world is in chaos around you.'

And the deeper you go the more rampant the contradictions seem to become to the point of absurdity... how is anyone actually supposed to successfully be masculine?!

To try and navigate this Minotaur laden labyrinth, I will give you my own current definition of masculinity which I live by. To be clear, every one of my male patients defines their own masculinity, so my definition is specific to me. I don't have the hubris to assert that my definition applies to humanity on some objective level, spanning across cultures or time. It simply works for me. 

Dr. McMullen's current definition of masculinity: 

Masculinity is defined by building personal mastery to remain powerful and agile to protect, provide for, and be with others in your tribe.

Doesn't resonate with you... No worries. There is a lot in those few words that connects me with much larger concepts. Abstract ideas of 'what is true power', 'who is included in your tribe', and 'what exactly are your providing' for me lead to the most interesting and insightful discussions. 

What's more, this is very different from my definition of masculinity I had two years ago, and it will almost certainly evolve into a different definition in the coming years.

OK, now we get to fantasy football. 

Wow, Mike quite an abrupt turn in the middle of a blog post with little to no transition.

Yes, I know, but I am still practicing my writing, so bear with me.

To have deep discussions of health and masculinity with other men requires a period of trust building. This can be difficult. With all the heterogeneity of American culture, there are few 'safe topics' that effectively connect men. Of note, I am under the impression that this is quite different from past cultures where there were strong mutually agreed upon cultural structures connecting men. In our present day and age politics are divisive, geopolitical views are varied, religion is often considered inappropriate to broach, and so many other topics are taboo. But football (amongst sports in general) remains a pillar of connection. It doesn't matter your ethnic origins, your political views, or your religious inclinations, when it comes to football it is safe to choose a team and either support or trash talk your fellow man. Time and time again, it has been a go to for me to connect with male patients in a safe way. 

Football initiates the small talk, that leads to the vetting, that then leads to the willingness to be vulnerable, which then leads to having the deeper discussions. It is almost like a choreographed cultural ritual between men, a dance that must be done to bond. 

So often I will notice a blue cowboys star on a hat, an eagles blanket laying in the back ground, or a 49ers emblem on a back pack. This is my cue to enter that cultural ritual, discuss football, and evolve the relationship. 

I now go out of my way despite my busy and often over burdened schedule to stay abreast of both college football and the NFL. I have been finding that fantasy football has been a key way of staying up to date on the biggest talking points of football. While I do enjoy the time spent, it is an investment that pays off.