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

Contents:

• ‘I HAVE BEEN FIGHTG MY SEXUALY’: A-LEAGUE MEN PLAYER JOSH CAVALLO OUT AS GAY
• HERE ARE EIGHT OUT AND PROUD MALE GAY FOOTBALLERS
• 10 GAY FOOTBALLERS WHO ANNOUNCED THEIR HOMOSEXUALY
• WHY THERE ARE FEW OPENLY GAY ATHLET IN MEN'S PROFSNAL SPORTS
• KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY
• TWO TOP GAY FOOTBALLERS STAY CLOSET
• GIANT MURAL ON NORWICH PUB HONOURS JT FASHANU, ENGLAND'S FIRST OPENLY GAY FOOTBALLER
• MEET THE 16 OUT GAY AND BI FOOTBALL PLAYERS THE NFL’S 104-YEAR HISTORY
• JAKE DANIELS BE FIRST UK MALE FOOTBALLER TO E OUT AS GAY SCE 1990
• JAGUARS ACH KEV MAXEN RECEIV OVERWHELMG SUPPORT AFTER G OUT AS GAY
• JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT COACH KEV MAXEN MAK HISTORY AFTER COMG OUT AS GAY

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

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.

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.

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.

HERE ARE EIGHT OUT AND PROUD MALE GAY FOOTBALLERS

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.

Perkz/@rlnassib/@rkrelentls)When Kansas State offensive tackle and NFL hopeful Stt Frantz me out to the natn as gay, he shared that his teammat (to whom he'd e out earlier) had warmly received the news, a sign the most alpha of locker rooms may fally be ready for equaly.

10 GAY FOOTBALLERS WHO ANNOUNCED THEIR HOMOSEXUALY

Roy "Sugar Bear" Simmons, an offensive leman for the New York Giants and Washgton Redsks, beme the send NFL player ever to publicly reveal he was gay. So Coach Vce Lombardi knew McDonald was gay when he took over learship of the team 1969, but ma clear there would be no discrimatn his locker room, those close to the legend say.

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

Cornerback Wa Davis, who played preason wh the Tennsee Tans, Seattle Seahawks and Washgton Redsks and spent two seasons wh NFL Europe teams Berl Thunr and Barcelona Dragons, me out as gay 2012, nearly a after his retirement.

He later cled to sign wh the Tennsee Tans and Dallas Cowboys before g out as gay at 24, he told Philalphia Magaze revealed to the magaze that he'd dated a male cheerlear at Purdue who had threatened to out him then. 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 of 2021, sayg he had fally e to terms wh his sexualy and the "next step all of this was sort of lettg people know.

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

The Rairs leman ma NFL history durg Pri Month 2021 when he me out as gay a heartfelt Instagram post, beg the first active NFL player to e out as member of the LGBTQ+ muny. The Hampton Universy player ma history October of 2022 when he me out as gay an Instagram Story post, beg the first out gay football player at a Historilly Black College or Universy. Homophobic chants by the fans, slurs or gtur by profsnal players themselv, homophobic ments by thory-figur off the field or a general assumptn of the heterosexualy of the footballer’s body that mak beg anythg other than ‘straight’ seem like an aberratn are all exampl which dite the magnu of the task at hand if we want to tly make football the “universal, clive” game has always claimed to be.

If we are to go by Amerin blogist Aled Ksey’s survey reports 1948 (subject to s cricisms), then roughly 10% of the male populatn the world is gay. 9% of the male populatn that intify as LGBTQ+ the USA, still signals that even if we go by the lowt assumed percentile of the average non-heterosexual populatn of mal anywhere the world, there are a nsirable number of non-heterosexual players the men’s game who probably don’t feel fortable enough to ‘e out’ bee of the associated homophobia wh the sport, and see as a move that will potentially signal the end of their reers.

Amidst the rampant homophobia historilly associated wh the sport, there have been a handful of players that have been brave enough to ‘e out’ as gay, but at some st or the other. The crern for cln on the list is: Profsnal footballers to have played at least 1 full season (makg at least 1 appearance) associatn football at the senr-level for profsnal (not semi-profsnal or amatr) football clubs and ‘e out’ as gay. Englishman Thomas Beattie publicly revealed June 2020 that he was gay, beg only the send Brish football player (and the first 30 years) to e out of the closet.

TWO TOP GAY FOOTBALLERS STAY CLOSET

Beattie never nsired g out when he was a profsnal footballer bee he believed would have meant the end of his playg reer, admtg that the latter stag he was bothered by to the pot that he ed to censor and lete ments on his stagram that suggted he was gay. Beattie says that while there ed to be the odd ‘homophobic slur’ thrown around, the drsg room atmosphere is generally not as bad as people thk; rather, is the society (the fans) that mt change and bee more acceptg. Beattie further said that the posive receptn that he got ma him believe he uld have probably e out sooner; which dit that while homophobia ntu to be a ep-seated problem football, thgs are certaly gettg better.

GIANT MURAL ON NORWICH PUB HONOURS JT FASHANU, ENGLAND'S FIRST OPENLY GAY FOOTBALLER

While obvly each dividual se vari wh rpect to certa factors, Brennan’s experience offers an objective example of how the ted and progrsive morn world is ready to perceive an openly gay, active profsnal male footballer a posive light (wh the exceptn of a few who ntue to embarrass themselv through their sensivy). At the time of the announcement, Mart was employed by Mnota Uned, who ma their unequivol support for him public; and was at the time, the only openly gay player any of the untry’s ‘big-5’ sports leagu. While disclosg that he fell back on drkg alhol for a short while to help him figure out his sexualy and help him fd a place a hetero-normative sport and the world, he said that those around him ma him feel fortable, and the recent ‘Playg for Pri’ mpaign the MLS, upled wh him readg about other gay athlet, fally phed him to g out publicly.

While the experience of a gay footballer the US may be different to, say a gay footballer Eastern Europe or the Middle East, Mart’s se still go to show that recent tim, the society, and wh the footballg muny, is beg more and more acceptg of people om all walks of life. Growg up that age, Rogers said that he wanted to be a footballer but found himself out of place as he saw no gay profsnal male footballers at the top level.

MEET THE 16 OUT GAY AND BI FOOTBALL PLAYERS THE NFL’S 104-YEAR HISTORY

Rogers believ there is a long way to go before “football’s last taboo” is tackled, and joked about how differently the issue would have been treated by fans and the media had he still been playg England, a untry where football and homophobia have always gone hand hand. It was at Mechelen that Fal suffered an jury which phed him to end his stt as a footballer, a reer where he saw no future for himself, and start a reer gay pornography unr the name Stony Falne. He never hid his sexualy and was gay circl sce his early 20s, but while playg football, he said, “nobody noticed anythg”; and that’s why g out publicly was a huge relief to him as he “fally felt ee”.

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

Fal also said that a part of his cisn to qu football was bee the footballg world was not ready to have an openly gay footballer yet and there was “too much prejudice and not enough tolerance“.

Bor 1981 North Carola, Uned Stat, David Tto beme the first ever Amerin male footballer to e out as gay when an terview wh him aired on Rad Canada November 2011.

Tto add that a of playg profsnally he had never e across another gay footballer, and his cisn to e out publicly 2011 was driven by the fact that he uld help fellow footballers like him e out as he believed “the more players that e out, the more this issue n be normalized”.

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

Like most gay athlet, Tto said that he felt alone at tim and the road to g out hadn’t been the smootht as he uld not share his sexualy wh everyone, and had to al wh slurs om opponents on the pch. “It should not matter if you like or girls or boys, as long as you n play football” says Anton, and while homophobia still very much exists football, should not be a big al if players e out. Anton acknowledged the difficulti one may face signg for clubs due to beg gay, but reerated that the on discrimatg agast them and not offerg them ntracts due to would be the “dumb on”.

Anton still plays the Swedish 4th-tier and liv a normal life, but his g out 2011 as a 20 year old will always be remembered as one of the most brave thgs a young footballer uld have done that time, as had people all over the footballg world talkg about the topic of homosexualy and homophobia wh the sport wh greater tent and vigor. Rouyer did not fd the 70s and 80s as an era which was ready for openly gay footballers, as such a distguished player beg openly homosexual would have been unthkable durg those dark tim. While playg for a semi-pro Surrey team Leatherhead the UK 1990, Fashanu beme the first ever male footballer anywhere the world to publicly e out as gay after he agreed to do an terview wh a tabloid (which will not be named here) October 1990.

Fashanu was met wh immediate cricism, most ntroversially om his own brother and was subject to homophobic slurs om the crowd and players wherever he played; even one of football’s greatt ever managers, Brian Clough, was dismissive of Fashanu’s liftyle. No other profsnal player UK has e out sce Fashanu did 1990, and looks like we will still have to wa for a while before the next one; nsirg the persistence of homophobia the footballg muny as is shown by recent stanc spe the efforts beg ma by footballg thori to curb .

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT COACH KEV MAXEN MAK HISTORY AFTER COMG OUT AS GAY

His legacy ntu to be prerved by his niece Amal Fashanu who started the Jt Fashanu Foundatn that aims to bat homophobia the sport and provi unsel to players who, like Jt, stggle to place themselv a hetero-normative sport. Reprentg Sutton Uned‘s youth team and havg a trial Wimbledon FC, Aslie never played the sport profsnally but his work agast homophobia football saw him llect his M.

A change the societal outlook, pecially towards the toxic masculy associated wh a global sport such as football, mt serve as a precursor if the sport is to see an crease the number of openly gay profsnal athlet. Football, beg a global sport, reach all rners of the world and teracts wh the culture of each and every untry on this pla, all of which don’t share the same outlook towards homosexualy. While a radil change society’s thkg is a mt for homophobia to be wiped out om the sport, there is also an urgent need for strict and tangible punishments which are hand out to offenrs, be fans or football players themselv.

At stadiums throughout the world – although maly wtern society, pecially Europe – they tnt players, there are racist, homophobic chants, and tly disgtg language is ed. He’s a solid player whout beg spectacular, but a lot of people know him solely for a hoax he tried to pull 2012, one that led people to believe that he was gay. A-League Men midfielr Josh Cavallo says he knows there are other players “livg silence” after beg the only known current male top-flight profsnal footballer the world to e out as gay.