My hidn journey: A profsnal soccer player reveals he is gay - ESPN

Contents:

• COLL MART IS U.S. SOCCER'S ONLY OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYER, AND HE'S WORKG TO MAKE THE GAME MORE CLIVE FOR FUTURE LGBTQ+ PLAYERS
• JAKE DANIELS BE FIRST UK MALE FOOTBALLER TO E OUT AS GAY SCE 1990
• CZECH FOOTBALLER JAKUB JANKTO BE FIRST ACTIVE TERNATNAL MEN’S PLAYER TO ANNOUNCE HE IS GAY
• JOSH CAVALLO BE ONE OF THE FEW PROFSNAL MEN'S FOOTBALLERS TO E OUT AS GAY
• JOSH CAVALLO: ONLY OPENLY GAY TOP-FLIGHT MALE FOOTBALLER SAYS FIFA’S ‘ONELOVE’ ARMBAND BAN HAS MA HIM FEEL ‘EXCLUD’
• GAY ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO SAYS WORLD CUP SHOULDN’T BE GOG TO QATAR, WHERE HOMOSEXUALY IS ILLEGAL
• 8 MALE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO DARED TO COME OUT AS GAY
• HERE ARE EIGHT OUT AND PROUD MALE GAY FOOTBALLERS
• MY HIDN JOURNEY: A PROFSNAL SOCCER PLAYER REVEALS HE IS GAY
• A GAY GIRL’S GUI TO THE 2023 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
• KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY
• ENGLISH SOCCER PLAYER JAKE DANIELS SAYS HE IS GAY
• ‘I HAVE BEEN FIGHTG MY SEXUALY’: A-LEAGUE MEN PLAYER JOSH CAVALLO OUT AS GAY
• TOP-LEVEL PRO SOCCER PLAYER JOSH CAVALLO OUT AS GAY, ENURAGG OTHERS THEY'RE 'NOT ALONE'
• JAGUARS ACH KEV MAXEN RECEIV OVERWHELMG SUPPORT AFTER G OUT AS GAY
• GAY FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO SAYS HE WOULD BE ‘SRED’ TO PLAY AT THE 2022 WORLD CUP QATAR
• GAY FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO WOULD BE ‘SRED’ TO PLAY AT WORLD CUP QATAR
• JOSH CAVALLO BE FIRST OUT GAY A-LEAGUE ATRALIAN MEN’S PRO SOCCER PLAYER

COLL MART IS U.S. SOCCER'S ONLY OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYER, AND HE'S WORKG TO MAKE THE GAME MORE CLIVE FOR FUTURE LGBTQ+ PLAYERS

As the World Cup go on a untry where homosexualy is illegal, many global football fans are havg to reckon wh the sports' homophobia.While soccer remas one of the most popular sports around the world, very few players have been able to e out and enjoy a succsful reer afterwards. Gay players face prsure om teammat, ownership, ach, and fans over their sexualy.The are some of the men who have e out, fightg those stereotyp, and pavg the way for LGBTQ+ athlet who e after them.RELATED | 17 Athlet Who Came Out As LGBTQ+ 2021. Atralian striker Andy Brennan me out as gay 2019, beg the first out gay Atralian male footballer.

He me out 2011, and won the seventh season of Swedish realy show Let's Dance, beg the first out gay person to w. His early clubs knew he was gay, and he me out durg his reer, beg the first pro footballer to do so.

In 2014, he beme Bra's hight-profile out, gay player, and was the first out, gay male player to play at Wembley.

JAKE DANIELS BE FIRST UK MALE FOOTBALLER TO E OUT AS GAY SCE 1990

Rogers me out as gay 2013, beg the first out gay man to pete a top North Amerin pro sports league when he played for the LA Galaxy that same year. Moments earlier, an opposg player targeted Mart, an openly gay man, wh a homophobic slur, and as they gathered unr a tent at halftime, they discsed how to team was agreement: Somethg need to be done. "Flemmgs was later spend for six gam by the league, and he nied g an anti-gay slur toward Mart.

"Beg able to have a posive msage e out of a really tough suatn was the silver lg, " he the only openly gay men's profsnal soccer player the Uned Stat -- and one of the few who have ever e out globally -- Mart has e to embrace the signifince of what he reprents, pecially for the LGBTQ+ muny.

CZECH FOOTBALLER JAKUB JANKTO BE FIRST ACTIVE TERNATNAL MEN’S PLAYER TO ANNOUNCE HE IS GAY

Play1:48Coll Mart: Locker room support was all I needSan Diego Loyal midfielr Coll Mart says the support om his old teammat at Mnota Uned was a big help to him when he me out as gay. Around those years, havg to hi, havg to remd myself that like, 'Oh, my bt iend on the team, who jt lled another person a f----t, he isn't really homophobic, but he is jt tryg to be hurtful to that person. "Mart is not unique that he didn't have ach who were willg to step to put an end to homophobic language when was ed.

The Blackpool forward Jake Daniels has end s of silence wh men’s football to bee the first player the UK to e out as gay sce Jt Fashanu 1990. Photograph: Pl Dennis/TGS Photo/ShutterstockDaniels’s revelatn is a strikg landmark that when men’s football is more engaged wh social issu than any recent time, but still unable to ce progrs LGBTQ reprentatn wh the year Alai Uned’s Josh Cavallo beme the only male top-flight profsnal footballer the world to e out as gay, but others are yet to follow.

JOSH CAVALLO BE ONE OF THE FEW PROFSNAL MEN'S FOOTBALLERS TO E OUT AS GAY

In six months the men’s World Cup will be played Qatar, where homosexualy is illegal, and Cavallo revealed to the Guardian he would be “sred” to play at the tournament, the pnacle of world English football specifilly, the shadow of the talented and unfulfilled Fashanu still lgers over the game. The England ternatnal me out at the end of his reer and was to take his own life eight years later, Fashanu, Jt’s niece, who ns a charable foundatn his name, said that Daniels’s cisn would “e as a huge fort to the many footballers at all levels of the game still secretly livg as gay and who still feel unable to e out”.

JOSH CAVALLO: ONLY OPENLY GAY TOP-FLIGHT MALE FOOTBALLER SAYS FIFA’S ‘ONELOVE’ ARMBAND BAN HAS MA HIM FEEL ‘EXCLUD’

Czech football star Jakub Jankto has bee the first active ternatnal men’s player to announce he is gay. Jankto jos Atralian player Josh Cavallo as the only openly gay top-flight male footballers the world. Atralian footballer Josh Cavallo has e out as gay, beg one of the few profsnal men's soccer players the world to do so.

The Alai Uned midfielr announced that he was gay a vio posted to the team's Twter acunt Tuday night.

GAY ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO SAYS WORLD CUP SHOULDN’T BE GOG TO QATAR, WHERE HOMOSEXUALY IS ILLEGAL

Ashamed I would never be able to do what I love and be gay, hidg who I really am to pursue a dream I always wished for as a kid.

Soccer player for the San Diego Loyal, me out publicly as gay 2018 when he was playg for the Mnota Uned. Andy Brennan beme the first openly gay Atralian footballer when he me out 2019, acrdg to the Guardian. Male profsnal athlet e out as the first openly gay players currently participatg their rpective sports, cludg NHL hockey player Le Prokop and NFL fensive end Carl Nassib.

Josh Cavallo, the only openly gay top-flight male soccer player the sport, has told CNN that FIFA’s cisn to ban players om wearg “OneLove” armbands at the Qatar 2022 has ma him feel “exclud. The Alai Uned midfielr and former Atralian youth ternatnal ma headl last year when he me out as gay.

8 MALE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO DARED TO COME OUT AS GAY

World's only openly gay active pro footballer is ncerned for LGBTQ muny ahead of Qatar 2022. It has been almost a year sce Josh Cavallo announced he is gay, but even now he still stggl to prehend the far-reachg impact his announcement has had – pecially as he has begun to speak out on major issu, notably the Qatar World Cup. A year on, Cavallo remas the only openly gay top-flight male footballer the world – he plays for Alai Uned Atralia’s A League – but his cisn spired Jake Daniels, a forward for English send divisn club Blackpool, to e out May of this year.

“It was jt the uncertaty, seeg that there was no active gay footballer that’s e out before and there was no plan wh , ” he rells.

HERE ARE EIGHT OUT AND PROUD MALE GAY FOOTBALLERS

Fashanu beme the first openly gay profsnal footballer after g out 1990 while playg the English top flight, but the backlash he suffered eventually led him to take his own life eight years later. Earlier this month, former Spa ternatnals Iker Casillas and Carl Puyol were wily cricized after the former posted a tweet claimg he was gay. In a now leted post on his official Twter acunt, Casillas wrote: “I hope I’ll be rpected: I’m gay.

Cavallo says the exchange between Casillas and Puyol prov football still has “got a long way to go” to eradite homophobia, even if the sport has recently ma steps the right directn. But tak guts to e out and reveal one’s genr as gay, which is ually an act of urage a world that is not ndned to accept every genr.

Even though has already been three s sce Jt Fashanu first publicly me out as gay, there are only a few of them revealg . The primary reason behd many gay footballers not revealg their sexualy publicly is fear of homophobia on and off the pch.

MY HIDN JOURNEY: A PROFSNAL SOCCER PLAYER REVEALS HE IS GAY

So, many profsnal leagu, teams, and players are raisg their voic to fight back agast homophobia so that gay footballers don’t face backlash while g out. Now, whout any further ado, let’s list the football players who dared to e out as gay publicly. Currently, he is the only openly gay football player to play any of the Amerin top 5 major leagu.

In 2020, durg the San Diego Loyal match agast Phoneix Risg FC, Mart released a story of homophobic sults directed toward him.

A GAY GIRL’S GUI TO THE 2023 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

One of the hight-profile male football players publicly clarg himself as gay is German footballer Thomas Hzlsperger. Later, after wng the 2014 MLS Cup, Rodgers also beme the first gay male to w the league tle the USA.

In 2019, he was also featured a documentary related to homophobia sports named Standg on the Le. Anton Hysen is the youngt son of retired Swedish footballer Glenn Hysen and one of the gay players football. Later, he was profiled on Swedish broadstg channel TV4 March 2011 a bate show (Can gays play football too?

Likewise, he also participated the 7th edn of the realy TV show Lets Dance and beme the first-ever gay to w the ntt.

KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY

The documentary Rise Above is a film on Anton Hysen released 2013 to portray his story as gay. In 1990, Jt broke the barrier the footballg World when he clared himself gay publicly the newspaper. Later, on 22nd October 1990, The Sun Tabloid newspaper published the headle “£1m Football Star: I AM GAY”.

ENGLISH SOCCER PLAYER JAKE DANIELS SAYS HE IS GAY

After his ath, The Pk Paper ranked Jt Fashanu the 99th spot the Top 500 Lbian and Gay Hero.

‘I HAVE BEEN FIGHTG MY SEXUALY’: A-LEAGUE MEN PLAYER JOSH CAVALLO OUT AS GAY

Likewise, The Jt Fashanu All-stars football special event started Brighton to honor him and promote homosexualy football. In June 2020, former profsnal footballer Tomas Beattie me out as gay durg an Amerin sports channel ESPN terview.

Furthermore, he is one of the send Brish football players to publicly e out as gay after Jt Fashanu did 30 years ago.

TOP-LEVEL PRO SOCCER PLAYER JOSH CAVALLO OUT AS GAY, ENURAGG OTHERS THEY'RE 'NOT ALONE'

Therefore, a suable environment should be created through tn as a drivg factor, so gay footballers don’t feel prsured to reveal their sexualy. It seems that beg an out gay man and a soccer player is still somethg that’s greeted wh homophobia. However, there have been several pneerg male gay footballers who cid to e out of the closet and proclaim their sexualy to the world.

A w for gay rights and helpg to pave the way for other gay players to feel safe enough to e out of the closet. The South Ain player acknowledg that most of his teammat accepted his sexualy, however, he has faced homophobic slurs om opposg teams. He also said that he has met several closeted gay soccer players Ai, where homosexualy is crimalised several untri.

I don’t wish the hostily I felt on anyone, bee not everyone n survive homophobia a sport like football, ” he told MambaOnle recently. “My advice to a young gay footballer at any level or any standard is jt to be themselv, ” Davis said that same year.

JAGUARS ACH KEV MAXEN RECEIV OVERWHELMG SUPPORT AFTER G OUT AS GAY

The Atralian plays for Alai Uned Football Club and has been the victim of shameful homophobic abe om game-goers and on social media.

In May 2022, Jake Daniels me out at the age of 17  an open letter on the Blackpool Football Club’s webse, beg at that time the UK’s only openly gay active male profsnal footballer. He also acknowledged that “beg gay, or bi or queer men’s football is still a taboo” and that he is likely to face some gree of homophobia the sport.

After stgglg wh his sexualy for years, he me as gay September 2022, makg him the first openly gay player Sttish football sce Jt Fashanu.

GAY FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO SAYS HE WOULD BE ‘SRED’ TO PLAY AT THE 2022 WORLD CUP QATAR

German midfielr Thomas Hzlsperger, the only known gay man to play the Premier League, me out 2014, the year after he gay and havg a reer football never felt like an optn. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, is gay, and the thgs are all football, there's still fear a gay teammate might dispt the team environment. I mean, one of the worst thgs you n say to someone a sportg environment is: "You're so gay.

GAY FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO WOULD BE ‘SRED’ TO PLAY AT WORLD CUP QATAR

The more I uld stay awake, the more I uld put off addrsg how I really a sophomore I was named the program's first-ever first-team All-Amerin. Last time at the 2019 Women’s World Cup, the Netherlands lay claim to the honor of beg the team wh the most out LGBTQ players, but this year Atralia boasts 10 out players and overtak them for the tle of Gayt Team 2k23.

JOSH CAVALLO BE FIRST OUT GAY A-LEAGUE ATRALIAN MEN’S PRO SOCCER PLAYER

Ireland’s historic entry to the tournament marks another triumph for out midfielr Sead Farrelly, whose natnal team but and 2023 return to the NWSL e more than six years after retirg om soccer the wake of systemic homophobic and sexual abe wh the league, which the Athletic first reported on 2021. Per Outsports, as of September 2022, there have only ever been 16 players NFL history to publicly e out as gay or bisexual. Carl Nassib beme the first active NFL player league history to announce that he is gay 2021.