Gay football players in locker room

The world took notice in when All-American defensive end Michael Sam came out as gay to ESPN while still in college. But he said that had been an known fact in the Missouri Tigers locker room. In a new interview in which he reflects upon his time in the closet, reality star Colton Underwood, 29, says his fear of being outed made the football locker room a particularly awkward place for.

I kept my mouth shut when my teammates started throwing around gay slurs. I laughed along with everyone else when two players, one Black and one white, pretended to make out in the middle of the locker room. By the time I got to college, I was more comfortable with the homophobic/homoerotic matrix, mostly because there was no choice.

Homophobia in football: the views of fans across Europe | YouGov

The absence of openly gay players in football made him hesitant to come out, fearing it would be a distraction to his teammates and coach. He described the locker room environment as both homophobic and homoerotic, with mixed messages that made it a confusing and hostile place for someone closeted. “We played gay all the time. We played grab-ass, flippin’ towels, all the cheesy stuff that happens in sports movies where they lampoon an NFL or sports locker room.

How do football fans in Europe think people will react to male footballers revealing their sexuality? Another Premier League season, and a player is yet to come out. Photo: Getty.

Plenty of progress has been made regarding attitudes to homosexuality in football over the last few years, but the subject remains somewhat taboo and there is still work to be done in order to continue breaking down the stigma at all levels from the Premier League to grassroots. Close search. Explore Surveys Self-serve Surveys. Custom Research. Footballers are some of the easiest tabloid fodder out there. Martin, who came out as gay back in , has suggested that players may be more accepting in the US than they are in England as a result of the dressing room culture, which he believes should be examined in order to promote greater inclusivity for gay players and fans alike.

Why Are There No Out Gay Footballers? | Rainbow & Co

Post Views: 6, Our senior political specialists apply their expertise to provide projections and keep you up to date. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. Get the Mamba Newsletter Email. Lekoloane said that after struggling with a groin injury for weeks he took up an invitation to play with a team that he did not wish to name.

If fans can show up and be supportive of their teams and not feel fearful of showing up in their full selves, that will be important in progressing the sport as well. Share Article Share Article. At least football stadia are becoming more welcoming for gay fans though. Our study examines how many fans — and the wider population — see homophobia as a widespread and serious issue in professional football in their country, how that compares to other forms of discrimination, and how things have changed in the last 10 years.

It also looks at why people think gay footballers have decided to keep their sexuality secret, what kind of reaction they think footballers who reveal their sexuality will receive, and how likely we are to see footballers making such revelations in the next 12 months. Members I take surveys and earn points as a member of the YouGov panel. There is a remarkable diversity of views between fans in different countries on whose potential reaction is most responsible for keeping players in the closet.

Canadian Election Bundestagwahl German football fans are the least likely to think that homophobia is widespread within professional football in their country — perhaps an indicator of why the group coming-out is taking place there. Football has a huge problem with abuse on social media. Presidential Election While society has progressed and become more inclusive than when Justin Fashanu became the first footballer to come out publicly in , there is a reason that Thomas Hitzlsperger and Robbie Rogers did not disclose their sexualities to the wider footballing community until after they retired.

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