such, this perspective is more limited in its scope.
Edmund W. Vaz (1984) documents observations using this approach in his study of the development of the social culture of young, male hockey players. He notes, "Justification for . . . one's attitudes toward courage, toughness, the ability to endure pain, among others, are vital aspects in recognizing the developing professional hockey player" (p. 146). For the gender-oriented theorist, risk acceptance is part of the individual athlete's process of defining his masculinity. Playing well means being able to "take it like a man."
The structural functionalist perspective offers a third way of considering the process by which the athlete comes to accept pain and risk. In this view, acceptance comes to be synonymous with athletic achievement in the athlete's eyes: "No pain, no gain." As Jay J. Coakley (1998) writes, "We tend to view the motives of people in sports, especially athletes, as positive, because their behaviors are directed toward the achievement of success for their team, school, community, country
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