Robbie Rogers: why g out as gay meant I had to leave football | Football | The Guardian

Contents:

• GAY SOCCER STAR ROBBIE ROGERS: LIVG CLOSET 'CREAT THIS MONSTER SI YOU'
• ROBBIE ROGERS: THE AFTERMATH OF A GAY FOOTBALLER G OUT
• 8 MALE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO DARED TO COME OUT AS GAY
• ROBBIE ROGERS TAK FIELD AS 1ST OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYER U.S. PRO SPORTS MATCH
• ROBBIE ROGERS: WHY G OUT AS GAY MEANT I HAD TO LEAVE FOOTBALL
• IN SEARCH OF A GAY SOCCER HERO: THE SECRET FOOTBALLER ON HOMOPHOBIA
• U.S. SOCCER STAR ‘ OUT’ AS GAY
• GAY FOOTBALLER ROBBIE ROGERS REVEALS THAT HE ME OUT TO SAVE HIS OWN SANY
• ROBBIE ROGERS, FIRST OPENLY GAY MALE PROFSNAL ATHLETE US PRO SPORTS, RETIR
• ROBBIE ROGERS EARLY LIFE\NROBERT HAMPTON ROGERS III WAS BORN ON MAY 12, 1987, RANCHO PALOS VERS, CALIFORNIA, U.S. HE WAS BORN TO ROBERT HAMPTON ROGERS II(FATHER) AND THERA ROGERS(MOTHER). ROGER STARTED PLAYG FOOTBALL AT THE AGE OF FOUR AND A HALF.\NAT THE AGE OF SEVEN, ROGERS PLAYED FOOTBALL BOTH THE COAST SOCCER LEAGUE AND SEVERAL HISPANIC LEAGU. ROGERS MA THREE APPEARANC AT THE USL PREMIER DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE’S FOR ORANGE COUNTY BLUE STAR 2005 AND CID TO ATTEND UNIVERSY THE FALL. \NHE PLAYED ONE SEASON OF LLEGE SOCCER AT THE UNIVERSY OF MARYLAND, ALONGSI JASON GAREY AND HELPED THE TEAM TO W THE 2005 NCAA CHAMPNSHIP. HE SRED SEVEN TIM DURG THE SEASON AT UMD AND ASSISTED FIVE GOALS, EVENTUALLY NAMED ACC ALL-CONFERENCE FRHMAN TEAM AND  SOCCER TEAM OF THE YEAR.\NIN THE SUMMER OF 2006, HEERENVEEN VED  ROGERS TO THE CLUB FOR A THREE- WEEK TRIAL AND THE TRIAL PERD WAS SUCCSFUL, SIGNG TWO YEARS PROFSNAL NTRACT WH DUTCH SI AUGT 2006. ON FEBARY 2007,  HE LEFT HEERENVEEN BY MUTUAL NSENT.\NROBBIE ROGERS CAREER\NAFTER HIS RELEASE, ROGERS RETURNED TO THE USA AND WAS LATER SIGNED BY THE MLS SI COLUMB CREW BEFORE THE 2007 MLS SEASON. ROGERS SRED HIS FIRST GOAL ON JUNE 17, 2007, SRG AN OPENG GOAL THE 3-3 DRAW AGA THE TEAM NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTN. ROGERS SRED 3 TIM HIS TEN APPEARANC FOR THE CLUB HIS FIRST SEASON AND ALSO HELPED HIS TEAM WH ONE ASSIST.\NTHE 2008 SEASON WAS THE BREAKTHROUGH SEASON FOR ROGERS AS A PROFSNAL. HE STARTED THE MPAIGN REGULARLY FOR CREW, SRG HIS FIRST GOAL 4- 3 HOME W OVER CD CHIVAS USA ON 13 APRIL 2008. HE WAS AWARD BY THE MLS PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR GAME WEEK SEVEN.\N CAPTION: ROBBIE ROGERS PLAYG FOR LA GALAXY SOURCE: OUTSPORTS \NREAD: PRENT RELATNSHIP STAT OF BOB HARPER AND HIS GAY BOYIEND ANTON GUTIERREZ\NROGERS PLAYED ALL FOUR MLS CUP GAM WH THE CREW, CLUDG THE FAL, WHERE THEY FEATED NEW YORK RED BULLS 3–1 NOVEMBER 2008 AT THE HOME DEPOT CENTER.\NTHE SEASON WAS SUCCSFUL FOR ROGERS, AS HE WAS NAMED THE MLS BT XI TEAM FOR THE YEAR, AND ALSO PICKED UP SUPPORTERS ' SHIELD AND SILVERWARE FOR THE MLS CUP.\NON 2009, ROGER GOT HIS SEND SUPPORTERS' SHIELD TLE AFTER HIS TEAM FISHED THE FIRST POSN THE OVERALL STANDG, FISHG ONE POT AHEAD OF LOS ANGEL GALAXY.\NHIS LAST MATCH FOR THE CLUB WAS A 1- 0 LOSS WH COLORADO RAPIDS THE WILDRD GAME OF THE MLS CUP ON 28 OCTOBER 2011. HE LED THE TEAM WH ASSISTS DURG HIS LAST SEASON WH THE CLUB AND WAS ALSO AWARD THE \" CREW HARST WORKG PLAYER\" AWARD.\NHE MA 138 APPEARANC DURG HIS FIVE SEASONS ON THE CREW AND SRED 17 TIM. AFTER LEAVG COLUMB CREW, ROGERS WAS STRONGLY LKED TO A MOVE TO THE LEEDS UNED CHAMPNSHIP SI. HE SUBSEQUENTLY JOED LEEDS DECEMBER 2011 FOR AN IAL TWO- WEEK TRIAL PERD BEFORE SIGNG A NTRACT JANUARY 2012.\NHE MA HIS BUT ON 18 FEBARY 2012 AND ME AS A 79TH-MUTE SUBSTUTE FOR DONSTER ROVERS A 3- 2 W. HIS 2011-2012 CHAMPNSHIP SEASON WAS ED BY THE JURI, SUFFERG OM HEAD JURY DURG THE MATCH AGAST DONSTER ROVERS AND ALSO SUFFERED OM ANKLE JURY SOON AFTER REVERG OM HEAD JURY.  LATER ON AUGT 23, ROGER JOED LEAGUE ONE SI STEVENAGE ON LOAN AL UNTIL JANUARY 2013.\NROGER MA HIS BUT FOR THE CLUB AFTER TWO DAYS OF SIGNG, G AS A SUBSTUTE THE CLUBS 1-0 AWAY VICTORY. LATER, HE RETURNED TO LEEDS UNED ON JANUARY 15, 2013.\NWHEN HE RETURNED TO LEEDS, ROGERS LEFT THE CLUB WH MUTUAL NSENT AND WAS AVAILABLE FOR EE TRANSFER. HE MA ONLY FOUR APPEARANC, THREE OF WHICH WERE A SUBSTUTE DURG HIS TIME AT THE CLUB.\NROBBIE ROGERS SALARY AND NET WORTH
• ‘I HAVE BEEN FIGHTG MY SEXUALY’: A-LEAGUE MEN PLAYER JOSH CAVALLO OUT AS GAY

GAY SOCCER STAR ROBBIE ROGERS: LIVG CLOSET 'CREAT THIS MONSTER SI YOU'

LA Galaxy soccer star Robbie Rogers changed the face of sports 2013 when he beme the first openly gay athlete the five major North Amerin sports leagu. In his new book, "Comg Out to Play, " he scrib the pa of livg the closet — and an terview airg on TODAY Tuday, he told special rrponnt Maria Shriver what he thks needs to change sports so that every athlete, gay or straight, feels part of the ' good looks and quick feet ma him a fan favore, but the culture of sports left him feelg isolated and ashamed as he secretly stggled wh beg gay.

ROBBIE ROGERS: THE AFTERMATH OF A GAY FOOTBALLER G OUT

He qu soccer and gave his support to groups like the Gay, Lbian & Straight Edutn Network (GLSEN). Speakg to young gay men and women, "I realized jt by playg aga on a soccer field, there's a symbol right there that n enurage and give people hope, " he told 2013, Rogers signed wh the LA Galaxy, beg the first openly gay male athlete major league sports.

8 MALE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO DARED TO COME OUT AS GAY

"He's a soccer player first and foremost, who happens to be gay, " agreed Galaxy goalie Brian jt signed a new ntract wh the Galaxy, who are now petg the MLS playoffs. He said that when he me out as gay, he expected to be ntacted by other athlet still the closet.

ROBBIE ROGERS TAK FIELD AS 1ST OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYER U.S. PRO SPORTS MATCH

"For more support and rourc for LGBT youth and their fai, go to:PFLAGGLSEN (Gay, Lbian and Straight Edutn Network)It Gets Better Project#ProudToPlay.

ROBBIE ROGERS: WHY G OUT AS GAY MEANT I HAD TO LEAVE FOOTBALL

Footballer Robbie Rogers is one of the most high-profile voic battle for gay rights.

Former Germany midfielr Thomas Hzlsperger revealed he is gay earlier this week. Footballer Robbie Rogers, who now plays for Los Angel Galaxy, said an terview for CNN’s “World Sport Prents: Journey of a Gay Athlete” documentary. A lot of gay men and women who aren’t out and don’t really accept that they’re gay, live wh a b of self-hate.

IN SEARCH OF A GAY SOCCER HERO: THE SECRET FOOTBALLER ON HOMOPHOBIA

Rogers was 25 when he broke the news that he was gay on his blog, havg jt left English send divisn club Leeds.

U.S. SOCCER STAR ‘ OUT’ AS GAY

Havg played football throughout his childhood and then at llege, he neverthels stggled emotnally the fiercely mascule arena where words like “homo, ” “fag” or “gay” were monplace. “I always heard homophobic thgs locker rooms, on soccer fields, you know, before trag, after trag, ” said Rogers, who was more or ls nvced he was gay by the age of 13 or 14. Sce he me out Febary, Rogers has spent time speakg wh llege stunts and fellow members of the lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) muny.

GAY FOOTBALLER ROBBIE ROGERS REVEALS THAT HE ME OUT TO SAVE HIS OWN SANY

The fear of rejectn om their teammat, om fans, probably their fai, fear of the owners of the team might not want a gay athlete.

ROBBIE ROGERS, FIRST OPENLY GAY MALE PROFSNAL ATHLETE US PRO SPORTS, RETIR

Thomas Hzlsperger, who won 52 ps for Germany and played England, Italy and Germany, is the most high-profile former player to announce he is gay. “I’ve never been ashamed of beg gay… but I have asked myself the typil qutns that gay people ask themselv: What would my iends say?

ROBBIE ROGERS EARLY LIFE\NROBERT HAMPTON ROGERS III WAS BORN ON MAY 12, 1987, RANCHO PALOS VERS, CALIFORNIA, U.S. HE WAS BORN TO ROBERT HAMPTON ROGERS II(FATHER) AND THERA ROGERS(MOTHER). ROGER STARTED PLAYG FOOTBALL AT THE AGE OF FOUR AND A HALF.\NAT THE AGE OF SEVEN, ROGERS PLAYED FOOTBALL BOTH THE COAST SOCCER LEAGUE AND SEVERAL HISPANIC LEAGU. ROGERS MA THREE APPEARANC AT THE USL PREMIER DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE’S FOR ORANGE COUNTY BLUE STAR 2005 AND CID TO ATTEND UNIVERSY THE FALL. \NHE PLAYED ONE SEASON OF LLEGE SOCCER AT THE UNIVERSY OF MARYLAND, ALONGSI JASON GAREY AND HELPED THE TEAM TO W THE 2005 NCAA CHAMPNSHIP. HE SRED SEVEN TIM DURG THE SEASON AT UMD AND ASSISTED FIVE GOALS, EVENTUALLY NAMED ACC ALL-CONFERENCE FRHMAN TEAM AND  SOCCER TEAM OF THE YEAR.\NIN THE SUMMER OF 2006, HEERENVEEN VED  ROGERS TO THE CLUB FOR A THREE- WEEK TRIAL AND THE TRIAL PERD WAS SUCCSFUL, SIGNG TWO YEARS PROFSNAL NTRACT WH DUTCH SI AUGT 2006. ON FEBARY 2007,  HE LEFT HEERENVEEN BY MUTUAL NSENT.\NROBBIE ROGERS CAREER\NAFTER HIS RELEASE, ROGERS RETURNED TO THE USA AND WAS LATER SIGNED BY THE MLS SI COLUMB CREW BEFORE THE 2007 MLS SEASON. ROGERS SRED HIS FIRST GOAL ON JUNE 17, 2007, SRG AN OPENG GOAL THE 3-3 DRAW AGA THE TEAM NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTN. ROGERS SRED 3 TIM HIS TEN APPEARANC FOR THE CLUB HIS FIRST SEASON AND ALSO HELPED HIS TEAM WH ONE ASSIST.\NTHE 2008 SEASON WAS THE BREAKTHROUGH SEASON FOR ROGERS AS A PROFSNAL. HE STARTED THE MPAIGN REGULARLY FOR CREW, SRG HIS FIRST GOAL 4- 3 HOME W OVER CD CHIVAS USA ON 13 APRIL 2008. HE WAS AWARD BY THE MLS PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR GAME WEEK SEVEN.\N CAPTION: ROBBIE ROGERS PLAYG FOR LA GALAXY SOURCE: OUTSPORTS \NREAD: PRENT RELATNSHIP STAT OF BOB HARPER AND HIS GAY BOYIEND ANTON GUTIERREZ\NROGERS PLAYED ALL FOUR MLS CUP GAM WH THE CREW, CLUDG THE FAL, WHERE THEY FEATED NEW YORK RED BULLS 3–1 NOVEMBER 2008 AT THE HOME DEPOT CENTER.\NTHE SEASON WAS SUCCSFUL FOR ROGERS, AS HE WAS NAMED THE MLS BT XI TEAM FOR THE YEAR, AND ALSO PICKED UP SUPPORTERS ' SHIELD AND SILVERWARE FOR THE MLS CUP.\NON 2009, ROGER GOT HIS SEND SUPPORTERS' SHIELD TLE AFTER HIS TEAM FISHED THE FIRST POSN THE OVERALL STANDG, FISHG ONE POT AHEAD OF LOS ANGEL GALAXY.\NHIS LAST MATCH FOR THE CLUB WAS A 1- 0 LOSS WH COLORADO RAPIDS THE WILDRD GAME OF THE MLS CUP ON 28 OCTOBER 2011. HE LED THE TEAM WH ASSISTS DURG HIS LAST SEASON WH THE CLUB AND WAS ALSO AWARD THE \" CREW HARST WORKG PLAYER\" AWARD.\NHE MA 138 APPEARANC DURG HIS FIVE SEASONS ON THE CREW AND SRED 17 TIM. AFTER LEAVG COLUMB CREW, ROGERS WAS STRONGLY LKED TO A MOVE TO THE LEEDS UNED CHAMPNSHIP SI. HE SUBSEQUENTLY JOED LEEDS DECEMBER 2011 FOR AN IAL TWO- WEEK TRIAL PERD BEFORE SIGNG A NTRACT JANUARY 2012.\NHE MA HIS BUT ON 18 FEBARY 2012 AND ME AS A 79TH-MUTE SUBSTUTE FOR DONSTER ROVERS A 3- 2 W. HIS 2011-2012 CHAMPNSHIP SEASON WAS ED BY THE JURI, SUFFERG OM HEAD JURY DURG THE MATCH AGAST DONSTER ROVERS AND ALSO SUFFERED OM ANKLE JURY SOON AFTER REVERG OM HEAD JURY.  LATER ON AUGT 23, ROGER JOED LEAGUE ONE SI STEVENAGE ON LOAN AL UNTIL JANUARY 2013.\NROGER MA HIS BUT FOR THE CLUB AFTER TWO DAYS OF SIGNG, G AS A SUBSTUTE THE CLUBS 1-0 AWAY VICTORY. LATER, HE RETURNED TO LEEDS UNED ON JANUARY 15, 2013.\NWHEN HE RETURNED TO LEEDS, ROGERS LEFT THE CLUB WH MUTUAL NSENT AND WAS AVAILABLE FOR EE TRANSFER. HE MA ONLY FOUR APPEARANC, THREE OF WHICH WERE A SUBSTUTE DURG HIS TIME AT THE CLUB.\NROBBIE ROGERS SALARY AND NET WORTH

Where before he may have penned the odd tograph, he now signs thoands and wr articl for highbrow publitns on Rsia’s homosexualy laws. Hiztlsperger is also keen to promote the issue of gay rights – particularly ahead of the 2014 Wter Olympics at Sochi, Rsia. Rsian law bars the public discsn of gay rights and relatnships anywhere children might hear – and has been nmned by rights groups both at home and abroad as discrimatory.

“I’m g out about my homosexualy bee I want to move the discsn about homosexualy among profsnal sportspeople forwards, ” Hiztlsperger told German newspaper, Die Ziet.

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

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. This listicle will mentn eight male football players who dared to e out as gay.

Seventeen male footballers have urageoly revealed their sexualy as gay public so far. 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. Now, whout any further ado, let’s list the football players who dared to e out as gay publicly.