Gay Footballers
Most sports fans in England, Wales and Scotland say they would be comfortable with their club signing a gay player, with only 8% of fans saying they'd refuse to watch their team it makes me wonder why they'd refuse to watch their team simply because of the sexual orientation of someone.
Where does everyone stand on this?
To be honest for me I dont care whether a Player is Straight / Gay / Bi-Sexual or undecided... I dont see why anyone should have to come out in the public advising of their orientation because its none of my business and ultimately if you play well you'll be praised by fans on the pitch, if you dont then you'll receive abuse.
Comments
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In and of itself it would be entirely irrelevant to me. My only interest would be due to the current context and scarcity of "out" players.1
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Couldn't care less as long as they play well3
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Saw this on Breakfast. That 8% statistic is pretty shocking - really? 8 out of 100 supporters would stop going if a single player in the team they support came out as gay? Frankly, I don't believe that.
Personally, I'm with you ForeverAddickted - I don't care about a players sexual orientation, just how well he plays for the team.5 -
i dont believe people would not attend but would certainly chant if an opposing teams gay player scored for example;
he takes it up the ass etc, can see why players wouldnt want to come out as gay.3 -
The only thing that matters, does he pass the CL height test.0
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Sexual orientation is completely irrelevant.
I agree with Saga Lout that the 8% refusing to attend is hard to believe. I would however expect that to represent (maybe even on the low side) the level of homophobic bigotry that exists in society as a whole.
My main concern, and the reason I expect most gay footballers don't come out, is the level of abuse they would receive from significant proportions of the crowd (especially opposition fans).7 -
I look forward to the day that people don't have to 'come out', they just carry on with their lives and if they have a partner of the same sex people don't give it a second thought.36
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I'm profoundly disinterested in whether a footballer is married or single, heterosexual or homosexual, in a relationship or sharing his life with Mrs Palm and her five lovely daughters. I'm quite keen on the player being a) good and b) wearing the shirt with pride (both for us only, I'd like the opposite for every other team).
On the other hand, if he doesn't like trains.....10 -
If a player runs through brick walls for us, sweats blood for us, shows pride in wearing our shirt then I couldn't give two shits what that player gets up to in the bedroom. Even if said player has two left feet and is a bit crap I still couldn't give two shits what he gets up to in the bedroom.
If you're one of the 8% then you really should give your head a shake.5 -
Statistically its likely that each starting XI has one gay player anyway, so it would seem that round about the same average number of people are gay as are vehemently anti-gay.
Who was it who said "Methinks thou dost protest too much..."?
How about we get all the gay men and all the homophobes in a big room and get them to hug it out?3 - Sponsored links:
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Only when he's lying on his back, the lucky boy.guinnessaddick said:The only thing that matters, does he pass the CL height test.
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It isn't any of my business to know or care what people's sexuality is.
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I think Football needs gay players to come out. It is a blight on our game that players do not feel comfortable doing so. I wouldn't have a problem at all if we had a team full of gay players. I am interested in their football ability.2
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It isn't just in football that gay people find it difficult to come out.MuttleyCAFC said:I think Football needs gay players to come out. It is a blight on our game that players do not feel comfortable doing so. I wouldn't have a problem at all if we had a team full of gay players. I am interested in their football ability.
It is a blight on society, not just the game of football.10 -
True, but the fact that we can't name one gay footballer in the English game is shameful.0
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You see I dont understand why its importantMuttleyCAFC said:I think Football needs gay players to come out. It is a blight on our game that players do not feel comfortable doing so. I wouldn't have a problem at all if we had a team full of gay players. I am interested in their football ability.
If Morgan Fox was to admit he was Gay I'd then want Chris Solly to come out confirming he's straight (Just for clarification).
Ultimately its none of our Business
This is probably why there are surveys about this sort of thing from the chants that are sung on the terraces... Is something that will never go I believe and reckon that players shouldnt take it personally... Unless your a complete prick of a Footballer, no chant should ever be taken that way as its just designed (from my view) to put the opposition off and to stop them playing well / winningpalarsehater said:he takes it up the ass etc, can see why players wouldnt want to come out as gay.
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Thomas Hitzlsperger was one... I know others have come out but cant remember as I just think... Meh, dont careMuttleyCAFC said:True, but the fact that we can't name one gay footballer in the English game is shameful.
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doesn't bother me one iota what someone's sexual orientation is and I can't believe that 8% of fans would stay away if there was a gay player on their team. I mean statistically there is at leat one already but they don't know about it. It would be good if players feel that they could come out but unfortunately the abuse they would get from certain fans makes it unlikely and who can blame them.0
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The general social opinion and acceptance of the LGBT community has changed dramatically for the better in the past decade or so, but sport is lagging behind. I believe it is almost entirely because of the chanting and abuse they'd get from opposing fans. And the chanting won't go away either, as anything a fan can latch onto they will, whether it's someone's sexual orientation, their haircut, whether the player had consent or not, if they've recently had a parent die, most things aren't off limits it seems, and being gay most certainly won't be for the majority of fans.0
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This was after his career had finished though. Loved him as a player. Really hard working and he couldn't half spank 'em.ForeverAddickted said:
Thomas Hitzlsperger was one... I know others have come out but cant remember as I just think... Meh, dont careMuttleyCAFC said:True, but the fact that we can't name one gay footballer in the English game is shameful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCfq--gLrHM 3 - Sponsored links:
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ForeverAddickted said:
You see I dont understand why its importantMuttleyCAFC said:I think Football needs gay players to come out. It is a blight on our game that players do not feel comfortable doing so. I wouldn't have a problem at all if we had a team full of gay players. I am interested in their football ability.
If Morgan Fox was to admit he was Gay I'd then want Chris Solly to come out confirming he's straight (Just for clarification).
Ultimately its none of our Business
This is probably why there are surveys about this sort of thing from the chants that are sung on the terraces... Is something that will never go I believe and reckon that players shouldnt take it personally... Unless your a complete prick of a Footballer, no chant should ever be taken that way as its just designed (from my view) to put the opposition off and to stop them playing well / winningpalarsehater said:he takes it up the ass etc, can see why players wouldnt want to come out as gay.
So black players shouldn't take racist abuse personally?
Of course it is, in part, to put players off but it can also be done as an excuse to voice vile views on people who the chanters consider "less" than them.
I wouldn't be surprised if some players are out to their team mates but don't to go public so that can avoid the attention for themselves and their partner/family.
Sooner or later a gay player will come out while playing and it will be news. And then another and it will still be news, and then another and it will be smaller news and eventually, after a few years or decades, it won't be news at all.18 -
It is as much the right of the gay man to play professional football as it is the straight man and I fully support any footballer who would come out
Let's not all get holier than thou, though
Put your hand up if you have sung about holding hands or whether boyfriends are aware their partners are in attendance when playing Brighton. I'll admit I have and I'll also admit I'm not proud of it. Until I had a friend come out about 15 years ago possibly longer, I knew next to nothing about the LGBT community ignorantly and genuinely thought you chose to be gay or not and was completely ignorant. I now have a number of good friends who are homosexual and my opinions and feelings towards them are not altered one bit. They are my friends who happen to be gay.
So to summarise, I couldn't care less if one of our players was gay or bisexual. Same as I couldn't care less if they were a different skin pigmentation to me. Only care about how good a footballer they are.
And as Leroy pointed out, statistically out of the 22 players on a pitch at any given time two of them will be gay or bisexual.
Joey Barton made a good point a while ago about how football changing rooms are quite right wing in the sense that footballers are generally uneducated and ignorant of the world outside of their own bubble but said he didn't believe anyone would be bullied for choosing to come out and be themselves.
If anything I imagine they would get the same sort of stick someone with massive ears would get or someone who has got a bastard haircut. The sort of playful teasing you only do with people you like13 -
Good point... Didnt think of that when I posted.Henry Irving said:ForeverAddickted said:
You see I dont understand why its importantMuttleyCAFC said:I think Football needs gay players to come out. It is a blight on our game that players do not feel comfortable doing so. I wouldn't have a problem at all if we had a team full of gay players. I am interested in their football ability.
If Morgan Fox was to admit he was Gay I'd then want Chris Solly to come out confirming he's straight (Just for clarification).
Ultimately its none of our Business
This is probably why there are surveys about this sort of thing from the chants that are sung on the terraces... Is something that will never go I believe and reckon that players shouldnt take it personally... Unless your a complete prick of a Footballer, no chant should ever be taken that way as its just designed (from my view) to put the opposition off and to stop them playing well / winningpalarsehater said:he takes it up the ass etc, can see why players wouldnt want to come out as gay.
So black players shouldn't take racist abuse personally?
Of course it is, in part, to put players off but it can also be done as an excuse to voice vile views on people who the chanters consider "less" than them.3 -
I don't care where they put it as long as they put it in the back of the net.ForeverAddickted said:Just seen this article on the BBC Sport website... http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/37760114
Most sports fans in England, Wales and Scotland say they would be comfortable with their club signing a gay player, with only 8% of fans saying they'd refuse to watch their team it makes me wonder why they'd refuse to watch their team simply because of the sexual orientation of someone.
Where does everyone stand on this?
To be honest for me I dont care whether a Player is Straight / Gay / Bi-Sexual or undecided... I dont see why anyone should have to come out in the public advising of their orientation because its none of my business and ultimately if you play well you'll be praised by fans on the pitch, if you dont then you'll receive abuse.0 -
Agreed - it will be hard for the first player to be openly out in the same way it was for black players in the 60s,70s and 80s. Why anybody cares if a player is gay is beyond me.Henry Irving said:ForeverAddickted said:
You see I dont understand why its importantMuttleyCAFC said:I think Football needs gay players to come out. It is a blight on our game that players do not feel comfortable doing so. I wouldn't have a problem at all if we had a team full of gay players. I am interested in their football ability.
If Morgan Fox was to admit he was Gay I'd then want Chris Solly to come out confirming he's straight (Just for clarification).
Ultimately its none of our Business
This is probably why there are surveys about this sort of thing from the chants that are sung on the terraces... Is something that will never go I believe and reckon that players shouldnt take it personally... Unless your a complete prick of a Footballer, no chant should ever be taken that way as its just designed (from my view) to put the opposition off and to stop them playing well / winningpalarsehater said:he takes it up the ass etc, can see why players wouldnt want to come out as gay.
So black players shouldn't take racist abuse personally?
Of course it is, in part, to put players off but it can also be done as an excuse to voice vile views on people who the chanters consider "less" than them.
I wouldn't be surprised if some players are out to their team mates but don't to go public so that can avoid the attention for themselves and their partner/family.
Sooner or later a gay player will come out while playing and it will be news. And then another and it will still be news, and then another and it will be smaller news and eventually, after a few years or decades, it won't be news at all.
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I think it might be more to do with their contemporaries rather than the fans these days.
Imagine a room full of under educated, young men from council estates. Not exactly the most open and welcoming environment if you feel like you're going to stand out.0 -
Be worse if you play for a Muslim team.kentaddick said:I think it might be more to do with their contemporaries rather than the fans these days.
Imagine a room full of under educated, young men from council estates. Not exactly the most open and welcoming environment if you feel like you're going to stand out.0 -
To build on that very valid point - nobody is going to seriously post on this thread that they are homophobic or that gays should be locked up etc... - or similarly that they are racist. So FA's opening post was only ever going to get a unanimous condemnation of homophobia.Carter said:
Let's not all get holier than thou, though
As I write this there are 192 people online on this forum - statistically (and very approximately) 20 will be gay, but 20 will be homophobic and 20 will be racists.
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To be fair part of me was actually hoping to find one of the 8% on CharltonLife.bobmunro said:
To build on that very valid point - nobody is going to seriously post on this thread that they are homophobic or that gays should be locked up etc... - or similarly that they are racist. So FA's opening post was only ever going to get a unanimous condemnation of homophobia.Carter said:
Let's not all get holier than thou, though
As I write this there are 192 people online on this forum - statistically (and very approximately) 20 will be gay, but 20 will be homophobic and 20 will be racists.
My view on the matter is clear yet I'll always respect other people's views and opinions, yes I wouldnt agree with one of the 8% if they posted on here but I wouldnt stone them or condemn them for being disgusting or moan they should get out of the stone age.
Ultimately they have that view for a reason and would love to know why0 -
I have said things I'm not proud off - but I think that is part of the point. When we challenge ourselves and know it is wrong we stop it. A lot of football fans don't think decent standards apply to them. And judging by what they get away with on occasions, they probably don't/Carter said:It is as much the right of the gay man to play professional football as it is the straight man and I fully support any footballer who would come out
Let's not all get holier than thou, though
Put your hand up if you have sung about holding hands or whether boyfriends are aware their partners are in attendance when playing Brighton. I'll admit I have and I'll also admit I'm not proud of it. Until I had a friend come out about 15 years ago possibly longer, I knew next to nothing about the LGBT community ignorantly and genuinely thought you chose to be gay or not and was completely ignorant. I now have a number of good friends who are homosexual and my opinions and feelings towards them are not altered one bit. They are my friends who happen to be gay.
So to summarise, I couldn't care less if one of our players was gay or bisexual. Same as I couldn't care less if they were a different skin pigmentation to me. Only care about how good a footballer they are.
And as Leroy pointed out, statistically out of the 22 players on a pitch at any given time two of them will be gay or bisexual.
Joey Barton made a good point a while ago about how football changing rooms are quite right wing in the sense that footballers are generally uneducated and ignorant of the world outside of their own bubble but said he didn't believe anyone would be bullied for choosing to come out and be themselves.
If anything I imagine they would get the same sort of stick someone with massive ears would get or someone who has got a bastard haircut. The sort of playful teasing you only do with people you like2
