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I have a paragraph as follows:

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All of us are very receptive to adopting beliefs when we are young, but the idea that “males have to earn females” is not something that is only hammered into kids as they grow up; this is an ongoing process, and most are unaware of it. Our culture is full of expressions that are based on these beliefs and used without any thought of their implications, such as, “that girl is out of your league,” “win her heart,” and “you do not deserve her”. To refer to a woman as being “out of your league” implies that she is unreachable and not even worth pursuing because she is too good for you. In line with this theme of competition comes the expression “win her heart.” This implies that a male must compete for females in some way.

What does the highlighted sentence mean in this paragraph? I rarely find that "In line with" is put at the first of the sentence. Does the writer use inversion in this highlighted sentence? What is "this theme of competition" here? And if I have to rewrite it, how can I do? (sorry because I ask too much and this topic can make some people uncomfortable)

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  • The phrase means "The expression grew out of this theme of competition". The author tries and fails to persuade the reader that the expression "win her heart" is based on the supposed inculcation in young men of the notion that women are objects to be competed for. This is bullshit. Men are no more innately competitive than women, and a woman is just as likely to "win a man's heart" as a man is to win a woman's. This is dime-store sociology at its most egregious.
    – P. E. Dant Reinstate Monica
    Nov 2, 2016 at 4:26
  • @ P. E. Dant. So your meaning will be "The expression, “losers do not get laid” grew out of this theme of competition", right? But if so, I think "this theme of competition" will refers to the competition of the expression “out of your league”, but not refer to the competition of the expression "“win her heart.” How do you think about my opinion?
    – thegioibian
    Nov 2, 2016 at 5:38

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The sentence here means that the expression "win her heart" comes from the social conditioning of males to think of females as a prize to be won. Where do you win prizes ?

Competitions

The writer establishes the "theme of competition" when he mentions other sports-related phrases such as "league". Sports is thought to be a competitive affair -- which is what differentiates "sports" from "games".

If you want to rewrite the passage, you will need to mention what and why you are trying to rewrite. that part of your question is too vague.

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In line with this theme of competition comes the expression “win her heart.” This implies that a male must compete for females in some way.

Does the writer use inversion in this highlighted sentence?

Yes. The main subject is "the expression 'win her heart'". The main verb is "comes". "In line with this theme of competition" is a prepositional phrase modifying the subject. So without inversion, it would be "The expression 'win her heart', which is in line with this theme of competition, comes." It could also be interpreted as "The expression 'win her heart' comes in line with this theme of competition." Both are bit clumsy, and the inversion obscures this clumsiness.

What is "this theme of competition" here?

Many sports are divided into hierarchical leagues. For instance, baseball has "major league" and "minor league". The players in the former tend to be better than those in the latter. Minor league teams don't play major league teams, and if they did, they would have little chance of winning. Thus, the phrase "out of your league" alludes to the competition of sports such as baseball: it means that you shouldn't try to get the woman to date you, and would be unlikely to succeed if you did try.

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