Michael A. Messner

Michael Messner

@mam52.bsky.social

750 followers 530 following 90 posts

sociologist, author of books on gender and sports, men and feminism, gender-based violence, war and peace. New book examines 120 years of high school yearbooks: THE HIGH SCHOOL: SPORTS, SPIRIT, AND CITIZENS, 1903-2024.
https://www.thehighschoolbook.com/ .. more

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Michael Alan Messner is an American sociologist. His main areas of research are gender and the sociology of sports. He is the author of several books, he gives public speeches and teaches on issues of gender-based violence, the lives of men and boys, and gender and sports. .. more

Political science 37%

Sociology 36%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Michael Messner @mam52.bsky.social · 13h

Sad to hear of the passing of Wilson "Woody" Powell, Korean War vet, longtime activist in Veterans For Peace. His story of empathy and reconciliation with the Korean people was deeply moving. Short video clips from my interview with him here: www.guyslikemebook.com/powell?fbcli...

Reposted by Michael A. Messner

Tom Joad™️ @theoriginaltomjoad.bsky.social · 6d

This piece took me over 2 months to write.
It’s about a man given illegal orders that is impossible not to obey.
Please read.

open.substack.com/pub/joadt/p/...

0714

A Story About Illegal Orders

open.substack.com

Michael Messner @mam52.bsky.social · 15d

Timely new Latino Studies article by sociologists Fatima Suarez, Veronica Montes, Emir Estrada, and Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, "Relational Mentoring in Troubled Times." trebuchet.public.springernature.app/get_content/...

trebuchet.public.springernature.app

Michael Messner @mam52.bsky.social · 25d

In this My View piece in the Santa Fe New Mexican, I argue for honoring the original meaning of Armistice Day, as a commitment to peace. enewmexican.pressreader.com/article/2817...

eNewMexican

enewmexican.pressreader.com

Michael Messner @mam52.bsky.social · Nov 4

Bball season! I'm stoked that my favorite team, the USC Women of Troy, open tonite. Check out my short book teaser that spotlights the history of girls' high school hoops: www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMkR...

"The High School: Sports, Spirit, and Citizens, 1903-2024" ("Girl's Basketball")

YouTube video by Rutgers University Press

www.youtube.com

Michael Messner @mam52.bsky.social · Nov 2

Check out this short teaser for the new book by Fatima Suarez, Latino Fathers: What Shapes and Sustains Their Parenting: vimeo.com/1132672507?s...

Chapter 1. Working at Fatherhood

A teaser of Chapter 1 in Latino Fathers: What Shapes and Sustains Their Parenting

vimeo.com

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Rebecca Solnit, Jonathan A. Eisen , and 24 more Anna O. Law, Rebecca Solnit, Jonathan A. Eisen, Erich Fromm, Michael A. Messner, Euan G. Ritchie, Peter Murphy, Scott L. Greer, Steven French, Leigh Sparks, Cathy N. Davidson, Alan Clarke, David S. Cohen, Alan Richardson, R. M. Wilson, Laura Huenneke, Gerald Friedman, Robert B. Reich, Kate A. Ratliff, Els Torreele, Michael H. Whitworth, Anne Norton, Henry Jones, Sue Timmis, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Colin Woodard, Peter Bergman

Bookshop.org @bookshop.org · Oct 30

Amazon is helping fund a $300 million build of a ballroom for the White House.

Independent bookstores are donating to food banks and organizations that help with food insecurity.

They are not the same.

Michael Messner @mam52.bsky.social · Oct 22

A powerful Jewish refutation of "false accusations of antisemitism that abusively deploy our collective history to tarnish those with whom we stand together in the pursuit of peace and justice." jewsdemandaction.org

Jews Demand Action

jewsdemandaction.org

Michael Messner @mam52.bsky.social · Oct 21

A heartwarming time last week at my alma mater, Chico State U, talking with students, walking the lovely campus, and dining with faculty, including my inspiring teacher from 1974, Kathy Kaiser.

Michael Messner @mam52.bsky.social · Oct 18

Santa Fe NO KINGS even larger than the last one.

Michael Messner @mam52.bsky.social · Oct 17

This comes as a pleasant surprise, but make no mistake: USC's response was driven by a clear and powerful statement from faculty, staff, and students to say no to Trump's challenges to academic freedom. www.latimes.com/california/s...

USC rejects Trump education compact aimed at shifting the university to the right

USC interim President Beong-Soo Kim said in a statement that he had sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education turning down the Trump offer.

www.latimes.com

Michael Messner @mam52.bsky.social · Oct 4

Here is the recording of my Levan Center book chat about The High School, with Alice Echols, Jeff Montez de Oca and CJ Pascoe: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUco...

Levan Book Chat—Michael A. Messner, The High School

YouTube video by USC Levan Institute for the Humanities

www.youtube.com

Michael Messner @mam52.bsky.social · Oct 2

www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...

Contributor: I'm an intersex professor. Am I supposed to lie by teaching 'only male and female'?

A campaign against teachers who acknowledge realities of human biology forces a choice: Teach truth and risk your job, or lie and maybe keep it.

www.latimes.com

Michael Messner @mam52.bsky.social · Oct 1

www.borowitzreport.com/p/furious-ki...

Furious Kim Jong Un Claims Trump Stole His Idea of Gathering Generals

“That asshole totally ripped me off.”

www.borowitzreport.com

Reposted by Michael A. Messner

Rep. Ami Bera, M.D. @bera.house.gov · Sep 17

This is damning testimony from Susan Monarez.

She was fired from her job as CDC Director for refusing to rubber-stamp RFK Jr.’s unscientific orders.

Her testimony confirms what we already know: RFK Jr. is unfit to serve.

He must resign.

Reposted by Michael A. Messner

Tim Murphy @timothypmurphy.bsky.social · Sep 16

it's not great www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Trump's war on wind power has one very big exception

The president's sons are using scarce clean energy to mine for bitcoins.

www.motherjones.com

Michael Messner @mam52.bsky.social · Sep 13

a fun time at UT Austin, speaking with Chris Williams' undergrads and a sociology department colloquium about The High School, and then getting a tour of the Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports with Jan Todd, the strongest woman in the world.

Reposted by Michael A. Messner

Rutgers University Press @rutgersupress.bsky.social · Sep 8

"The High School: Sports, Spirit, and Citizens, 1903-2024" by Michael A. Messner

Watch this short video from the author of "The High School" concerning turbulent debate about violence and injury in high school football.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur6R...

#Sports #HighSchool #Football #FlagFootball

"The High School: Sports, Spirit, and Citizens, 1903-2024" ("Tackling Football")

YouTube video by Rutgers University Press

www.youtube.com

Reposted by Helen Jefferson Lenskyj

Michael Messner @mam52.bsky.social · Sep 6

But Trump obviously does not care about actual facts and crime data
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Trump claims Chicago is ‘world’s most dangerous city’. The four most violent ones are all in red states

Jackson, Birmingham, St Louis and Memphis had the highest murder rates in 2024 – all are Republican-led states

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Michael A. Messner

Frankie de la Cretaz @thefrankiedlc.news · Sep 6

As the Liberty continue pricing out their longtime season ticket holders (mostly POC &/or LGBTQ+), a reminder that I wrote about this very thing before the season began:

the gentrification of the WNBA

While “investment in women’s sports” is often uncritically celebrated among league owners and the media, reality is much more complicated.

open.substack.com

Michael Messner @mam52.bsky.social · Sep 6

Shithead

Kate Burns @katerqburns.bsky.social · Sep 6

And to clarify- it’s an anti-war protest www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/se...

Trump vows to remove White House Peace Vigil, which has endured for 44 years

President Trump pledged Friday to remove the makeshift blue tent that has sat directly across from the White House since 1981 and is the nation’s longest continuous peace vigil.

www.washingtontimes.com

Reposted by Michael A. Messner

Kate Burns @katerqburns.bsky.social · Sep 6

And to clarify- it’s an anti-war protest www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/se...

Trump vows to remove White House Peace Vigil, which has endured for 44 years

President Trump pledged Friday to remove the makeshift blue tent that has sat directly across from the White House since 1981 and is the nation’s longest continuous peace vigil.

www.washingtontimes.com

Michael Messner @mam52.bsky.social · Sep 4

Guardsmen have been frustrated to see money spent on “performative” deployments in LA and DC, a military birthday parade that “nobody cared about,” and an anti-woke campaign to change back military base names—all while “soldiers’ barracks are falling apart”...

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · Sep 4

“This is an encroachment on everything we signed up for and it feels like a violation.”

Schuyler Mitchell spoke with Alex, a National Guard recruiter, who said the DC mission has deterred potential recruits and pushed already-disillusioned soldiers to their breaking points.

The National Guard soldier pissed about Trump’s DC takeover

“This is an encroachment on everything we signed up for and it feels like a violation.”

www.motherjones.com

Reposted by Michael A. Messner

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · Sep 4

The National Guard soldier pissed about Trump’s DC takeover

“This is an encroachment on everything we signed up for and it feels like a violation.”

www.motherjones.com

Michael Messner @mam52.bsky.social · Sep 3

for kids, reading entire books for pleasure opens up worlds, helps to build empathy, as it enhances creativity.

The 74 @the74.bsky.social · Sep 3

Why are so few kids reading for pleasure? @gtoppo.bsky.social reports

Why Are So Few Kids Reading for Pleasure?

Doomscrolling. Poor literacy instruction. Overscheduling. These are some of the reasons cited for a generational decline in students reading for fun.

www.the74million.org

Reposted by Michael A. Messner

The 74 @the74.bsky.social · Sep 3

Why are so few kids reading for pleasure? @gtoppo.bsky.social reports

Why Are So Few Kids Reading for Pleasure?

Doomscrolling. Poor literacy instruction. Overscheduling. These are some of the reasons cited for a generational decline in students reading for fun.

www.the74million.org

Michael Messner @mam52.bsky.social · Aug 27

Looking forward to my September 18 USC Levan Institute Book Chat about The High School with CJ Pascoe, Jeff Montez de Oca, and Alice Echols. Register for this virtual event here: calendar.usc.edu/event/levan-...

Levan Book Chat—Michael A. Messner, The High School

calendar.usc.edu

Reposted by Michael A. Messner

Rutgers University Press @rutgersupress.bsky.social · Aug 25

A great op-ed about football and gender equity in the Los Angeles Times today by Michael Messner, author of THE HIGH SCHOOL: www.latimes.com/opinion/stor... @mam52.bsky.social