Why There Few Openly Gay Athlet In Men's Profsnal Sports : NPR

gay pro soccer players

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.”

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

Rairs fensive end Carl Nassib publicly me out June 2021, makg him the first openly gay man to actively play the NFL. * gay pro soccer players *

As the World Cup go on a untry where homosexualy is illegal, many global football fans are havg to reckon wh the sports' 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 are some of the men who have e out, fightg those stereotyp, and pavg the way for LGBTQ+ athlet who e after them. He me out 2011, and won the seventh season of Swedish realy show Let's Dance, beg the first out gay person to w. In 2014, he beme Bra's hight-profile out, gay player, and was the first out, gay male player to play at Wembley.

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.

17-YEAR-OLD SOCCER PLAYER OUT, BEG THE UK'S ONLY OPENLY GAY PROFSNAL FOOTBALLER

In 1990, Jt Fashanu beme the first football player to publicly e out as gay. Sce then, only seventeen players have done the same. * gay pro soccer players *

"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.

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.

8 MALE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO DARED TO COME OUT AS GAY

Beg an out gay man and a soccer player is still somethg that’s greeted wh homophobia. See eight out and proud male gay footballers. * gay pro soccer players *

"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.

Atralian A-League soccer star Josh Cavallo me out as gay an October vio posted to his social media, beg hailed as the first current male top-flight profsnal soccer player to publicly do so.

"He ntued: "Growg up I always felt the need to hi myself, you know, bee I was ashamed, and ashamed I'll never be able to do what I love and be gay. In a September terview wh USA Today, 25-year-old mor league baseball player beme the only active baseball profsnal to be out as gay!

20 INSPIRG GAY AND LBIAN FOOTBALL (SOCCER) PLAYERS

* gay pro soccer players *

The 28-year-old Natnal Football League player and Rairs fensive leman ma history when he me out as gay on Instagram durg Pri Month, beg the first veteran NFL player to e out as gay while signed to a regular-season ntract. The Bachelor star and former football player (who was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted ee agent and was on the practice squad of the Oakland Rairs and the Philalphia Eagl) me out as gay April, sayg he had fally e to terms wh his sexualy and the "next step all of this was sort of lettg people know.

THIS GUY SAYS HE’S TALKED TO 20 GAY PRO SOCCER PLAYERS. ABOUT 11 PEOPLE BELIEVE HIM.

I'm a brother, son, iend, former pro footballer, entreprenr and annoygly petive lad. I'm a lot of thgs, and one of them is gay. * gay pro soccer players *

Corey Walsh, the 27-year-old pro BMX rir and Vans spokperson, said he isn't normally the type of person to "let people " on his personal life, but felt was important to e out as gay a March Instagram post bee "there are a lot of people still stgglg wh the same suatns" and he "jt wanted to let people know that they are not alone.

Champn long track speedskater Conor McDermott-Mostowy never hid beg gay om his fay, iends, and fellow athlet, but he also wasn't one to rate his locker wh rabow Pri flags eher. He ially feared negative stereotyp about gay male athlet but threw those ncerns asi after his two-tle performance at the U.

Jake Daniels, a forward for England's Blackpool Football Club, me out as gay on Monday, beg the UK's only active profsnal soccer player and first to e out 30 years.

HERE ARE EIGHT OUT AND PROUD MALE GAY FOOTBALLERS

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

In June 2021, NFL fensive end Carl Nassib me out as gay a vio posted to his Instagram, addg he donated $100, 000 to The Trevor Project, an anizatn that foc on suici preventn LGBTQ youth after he stggled wh his sexualy for 15 years.

"Sce Febary and my big announcement, this has been a whole [lot of] speculatn of the first openly gay football player, but you know what? The athlete quickly ma a name for herself a seri of TV terviews, where she voiced her support of women's rights and LGBTQ rights as an openly gay woman.

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

Josh Cavallo, the only active profsnal gay player, said he was done livg a "double life" and "uldn't be happier" now that he's out. * gay pro soccer players *

"I thk female athlet, general, are at the foreont of every prott general bee we're gay, we're women, we're women of lor, we're sort of everythg all at one time, " Rapoe told NBC news 2019. The thgs you hear as a child—every time you hear someone say 'f----t' or talk bad about a gay guy, or see somethg on TV and make fun of that. " He scribed hidg his sexualy while playg for the Utah Jazz, but said some teammat who spected he was gay were welg about a 2007 terview on "Outsi the L, " Amaechi, who played five seasons the NBA, said he thought there were other gay players the league, but said 's "terrifyg" for some to e out.

'"But a few months later, he joed the Los Angel Galaxy team and beme the first openly gay man to play a major US profsnal league. I showed jt bee I'm gay don't make me any different or ls of a person, " Denson told the Milwkee Journal Sentel 2017.

Greg Louganis won four gold medals and one silver medal at three Olympic Gam om 1976 to 1988 as a diver, but wasn't until 1994 that he me out as gay. ""If I n show that I'm out and I'm fe, then hopefully the younger generatn will feel the same way, " Grer said the same year, Grer recieved a multi-ln dollar al om Nike, and beme the first openly gay basketball player endorsed by the brand, acrdg to The married her wife, Cherelle, 2019. 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.

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

For the first time, pro baseball, basketball, football, hockey and soccer has an out gay male player unr ntract. * gay pro soccer players *

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. 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.

In 2020, durg the San Diego Loyal match agast Phoneix Risg FC, Mart released a story of homophobic sults directed toward him. One of the hight-profile male football players publicly clarg himself as gay is German footballer Thomas Hzlsperger. Likewise, he also participated the 7th edn of the realy TV show Lets Dance and beme the first-ever gay to w the ntt.

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

Two athlet recently g out has highlighted the arth of openly gay players the world of U.S. men's profsnal sports, often dubbed "the last closet" for s lack of LGBTQ reprentatn. * gay pro soccer players *

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. Therefore, a suable environment should be created through tn as a drivg factor, so gay footballers don’t feel prsured to reveal their sexualy. Fashanu ma headl October 1990 when he me out as gay to the public, beg the first profsnal soccer player to do so.

THERE ARE 0 OUT GAY PLAYERS AT THE MEN’S WORLD CUP. THERE WERE 40 WOMEN 2019

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. * gay pro soccer players *

There are some players on the list who a rear would expect to see bee they are well-known the world of lbianism and gays. He me out while playg for Leeds Uned 2013, 23 years after Jt Fashanu took the first step for gay soccer players around the world. Daniels ma headl May 2022 when he beme the send profsnal English soccer player to publicly e out as gay, 32 years after Jt Fashanu boldly claimed the tle.

Many high-profile English people praised him after he me out as gay, cludg Prce Harry, then-Prime Mister Boris Johnson, and England natnal team pta Harry Kane.

JOSH CAVALLO BE WORLD’S ONLY OPENLY GAY PROFSNAL SOCCER PLAYER

Not only is this Atralian pro the only openly gay player the 2022 World Cup, but he’s also GQ’s 2022 Sportsman of the Year.

This is where Matt Pacifici beme known through his Instagram announcement, a former Major League Soccer player who has e out publicly as gay an Instagram post troducg the world to his boyiend.

When he me out on Instagram January 2019, he beme the fifth openly gay current or former Major League Soccer player. In June 2018, he me out as gay, makg him the only openly gay player any of the big five Amerin sports leagu or any top-tier profsnal men’s natnal soccer league. Mart, 26, announced the news on Twter, statg that he had been openly gay to his iends and fay for years, but never on such a large sle.

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

Anton has been dubbed the “first high-profile Swedish footballer to announce that he is gay, ” as well as the “send active profsnal football player to e out, ” followg English footballer Jt Fashanu 1990. In December 2017, Davis publicly cricized ments ma by FA chairman Greg Clarke that “profsnal players who out themselv as homosexual would be takg a risk.

The 32-year-old has spoken out to enurage male gay footballers to not be aaid of g out, sharg his own experienc as part of Uefa’s Equal Game mpaign, which aims to promote greater cln and diversy the sport. He is a retired Amerin soccer player who, after his reer end 2011, beme the first male Amerin profsnal soccer player to e out as gay. Pter experienced homophobia om other players while playg for his lol club and was moted om the first to the fourth team after one of his teammat disvered he was gay.

Whenever people have asked me about publicly discsg the gay athlet they know pro sports, I always warn them of two thgs: 1) Don’t say a name and 2) Don’t say a number.

EACH OF AMERI’S BIG 5 SPORTS CURRENTLY HAS AN OUT GAY MAN THE PROS. THAT’S NEVER HAPPENED

Openly gay former Leeds Uned managg director David Haigh is makg a pretty outrageo claim as speculatn aga heats up England about gay pro soccer players.

Haigh has told Out News Global that 20 gay Premier League and Champnship soccer players have e out to him jt the last three years. Talkg to gay pro athlet over the years, many of them say they have spoken to zero or jt a uple men their sport. FA chief Greg Clarke has this very year said he has been able to intify zero gay men his sport who will talk to him privately and off-the-rerd.

It remd me of Brendan Ayanbajo falsely timatg he knew four gay NFL players who were talkg about g out publicly together. Sce there seem to be so many gay Premier League players Haigh is talkg to, hopefully he n open the ey of a uple of them to the benefs of g out. However, there have been several pneerg male gay footballers who cid to e out of the closet and proclaim their sexualy to the world.

WHY THERE ARE FEW OPENLY GAY ATHLET IN MEN'S PROFSNAL SPORTS

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.

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

“My advice to a young gay footballer at any level or any standard is jt to be themselv, ” Davis said that same year.

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. 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. 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.

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

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. 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.

Atralian footballer Josh Cavallo has e out as gay, beg one of the few profsnal men's soccer players the world to do so. 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.

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.

JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY

Gay rights are takg center stage at this year’s men’s World Cup, thanks to the host untry’s diabolil treatment of LGBTQ people.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY PRO SOCCER PLAYERS

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

TOP