Sex Object vs. Athlete: Boys’ and Men’s Responses Toward Sexualized Male Athletes

Using a between-participants experimental paradigm, the present study investigated U.S. adolescent boys’ (n = 96) and college men’s (n = 194) attitudes toward media images of male athletes as well as their thoughts about the athletes. Participants viewed either sexualized (i.e., skin exposed, sexual pose) or performance (i.e., in uniform and in action poses on the field/court) images of male athletes. They then rated the athletes’ competence,...