“I work him harder than the majority of women will ever work in a ballet setting," his current instructor, Stephanie Kibler told the paper. "He does it well. He might have sweat dripping off him and looking at me like I'm crazy, but he does it. He really works hard. It's almost like he's mastering the craft of ballet. He's not in there just for football."
And he’s trying to keep himself injury-free. In fact, he says the ballet has strengthened his knees, ankles and feet so much that he can tell the difference when he hasn’t taken ballet in a while.
There is an NFL precedent for this, by the way. Herschel Walker and Lynn Swann were known to take ballet, but of course, neither was as big a specimen as McLendon. That’s why you shouldn’t believe McLendon is anything less than manly. Because, as Michael Vick found out in the above picture, McLendon can deal out the hurt whether he's sacking the quarterback or simply pirouetting in ballet slippers.
Text from Article -http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/steve-mclendon-ballet-is-harder-than-anything-else-i-do/
This article dose highlight an important fact about Ballet in that, McLendon should not be criticised for taking up Ballet as he is attempting a sport that is hard and takes a certain level of endurance. Also he is a footballer , which in most societies is seen as a very male dominate sport , so doing something that is seen as effeminate is brave and takes guts as he would be very open to criticism. It also has a certain amount if unexpect surprise that defies what is seen as the norms.
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