Question of the Week: Homosexuality in Football

[Mandieta6]

Remember, if you have an idea for a question you would like to see, PM it to me, and each week one question will be selected based on the quality of the question and it's subject. I will not choose the questions on my own, but this is the best way to ensure that we don't keep discussing the same things.

Help save a baby from Sir_Didier_Drogba by sending a question.

This week's comes from Bacon:

Is being a gay footballer still such a big deal?

Past Questions:

2011

13/9 - What will football be like in 50 years?
19/9 - What are some rule changes that would improve the game?
3/10 - The European Super-League Discussion
11/10 - How would you spend 50m?
19/10 - Why does ____ underperform?
26/10 - How to stop Barcelona?
13/12 - What players have you come to respect/dislike?
20/12 - Who will win the Euros?

2012

2/1 - Should the Prem introduce a winter break?
9/1 - Who is the most two-footed player?
15/1 - What is the toughest position?
23/1 - Who is Portugal's Revelation Player for 2011?
3/2 - Should the Old Firm compete in the English leagues?
13/2 - Is Guardiola Overrated?
24/2 - Who are the German league's best players?
6/3 - Which players messed up their careers by switching clubs?
13/3 - What is the most shocking transfer of all-time?
16/5 - Your Favorite Player (NOT based on performance)?
10/6 - The 2016 Euro Expansion
12/7 - Best Goal Ever?
3/8 - World Cup vs. Champions League Discussion
13/8 - Yugoslavia
19/8 - Confederations Cup
25/8 - Standarized Pitch Sizes
27/8 - What Transfers Would you Like to See?
3/9 - Most Interesting Team of the New Season
10/9 - Cup-Tied Restrictions
18/9 - The Perfect Footballer
26/9 - Best One-Trick Pony
3/10 - Best Young Goalkeeper
10/10 - Best Goalkeeper Ever
17/10 - A World Without Football
24/10 - Best Utility Player
31/10 - Who will have a Breakout Season?
9/11 - Who will be the Best Players of the Future?
19/11 - Who Carries his Team the Furthest?
27/11 - Who is Exceeding Expectations?
4/12 - Who is Performing Below Expectations?
10/12 - How Young is Too Young?
20/12 - Cristiano Ronaldo - All-Time Great?
30/12 - The Winter Transfer Window

2013

7/1 - Italy's Wonderkids
18/1 - Messi at a Mediocre Club
29/1 - Greatest Transfer Successes/Failures
5/2 - Who are the Eredivisie's Best Players?
3/3 - Best Youth Products XI
8/4 - Homosexuality in Football

 

[Mandieta6]

I think this is an interesting question. I can't recall any prominent gay footballers (or managers) and statistically there must be some. I'm kind of hoping that sometime soon someone big will retire and say "oh by the way, I'm totally gay". It would help the rest to come out if someone with a big-name status were to carry the banner. I say someone whose retired because the first few guys to come out will probably have it hard until it becomes accepted. It's not just fans, but teammates and opposing players who you need to deal with, and let's face it, most athletes aren't that progressive.

 

[Mus]

Physiologically, no difference.

Psychologically? Huge difference, it's like if black players could hide that they were black

 

[ShiftyPowers]

Robbie Rodgers was a US international and came out/retired on the same day. Thought that was something. Saw an interview with him and boy does he seem GAY. Can't imagine no one knew.

Honestly, I think it would be no big deal in most non-religious western countries. Saw the other day that 4 NFL players are considering coming out and that culture would be much worse in theory than the Premier League or Bundesliga.

I would imagine the first star to come out will be in Ligue 1 just because France is the most accepting of alternative lifestyles and anyone who was a dick to that player would probably run the risk of being a criminal.

 

[Mandieta6]

Bundesliga seems relatively progressive, I think Lahm did a campaign supporting gay rights. I'm not sure how this would fly in Spain.

 

[Arnau]

Tello is gay

 

[Filipower]

 

[Zlatan]

^^...the true reason why Zlatan left Barca.

 

[Xifio]

 

[RobbieD_PL]

I don't think it's just having gay footballers, it's also the reaction of heterosexual players too. Why is it they have to retire as soon as they come out?

 

[Mandieta6]

It would be great if they didn't, but it's gonna be hard on them. Those first few guys are going to suffer a lot of ridicule and it might be better and easier for them as a whole if the first guy was a retired superstar.

 

[Bobby]

Anton Hysen is gay, he plays in Sweden's third division. That's a low division and Sweden is pretty liberal to begin with. I don't think David Testo (who played for North Carolina in college and bounced around the USL professionally) ever officially retired though no one has signed him since he came out.

I think a big reason players are afraid to come out is actually because of how the fans of other teams would treat them, it's easy to say "just tune it out", but it's harder to do. There are still a lot of people who are vehemently anti-gay. I'll be shocked if we see one in one of the top leagues, though like Shifty said, I think France would probably be the most likely.

 

[Xifio]

I would imagine the first star to come out will be in Ligue 1 just because France is the most accepting of alternative lifestyles and anyone who was a dick to that player would probably run the risk of being a criminal.

I'll be shocked if we see one in one of the top leagues, though like Shifty said, I think France would probably be the most likely.

Vikash Dhorasoo helped start PFG -- again lower league, but it brought attention to the issue in football ...

 

[Mus]

Dhorasoo is gay?

 

[Xifio]

nah, he just wanted to support their cause actively ...

 

[Theodorakis]

could any of you please explain this picture?



seriously.

 

[RobbieD_PL]

Zlatan tells the journalist: Come to my house and you'll see who's gay. And bring your sister.

 

[Sir Didier Drogba]

I would imagine the first star to come out will be in Ligue 1 just because France is the most accepting of alternative lifestyles and anyone who was a dick to that player would probably run the risk of being a criminal.

Where the hell did you get that idea from? France is not particularly tolerant at all and most clubs have hardcore fanbases of ultras that would tear gay players apart.

Much more likely to be somewhere in Scandinavia. Britain is also possible, we had a big, big name Welsh rugby player come out as gay and the reaction from the fans was very positive, but then again rugby does tend to have a slightly higher class of fan than football.

 

[O-car]

Thanks for the Bacon shout out Az haha!

It's sad that footballers feel that they can't come out of the closet... in 2013... I thought we were past this whole thing, oh well...

Personally, I don't give a damn if a footballer likes cock or vag... and if I was playing in a team where there was a gay person, sharing the showers after the match..... gay footballers aren't gonna jump any dick they see, just because it's there... at least here in Iceland we're pretty cool with gay female football players, and the other players are as well

 

[MaestroZidane]

Robbie Rodgers was a US international and came out/retired on the same day. Thought that was something. Saw an interview with him and boy does he seem GAY. Can't imagine no one knew.

Honestly, I think it would be no big deal in most non-religious western countries. Saw the other day that 4 NFL players are considering coming out and that culture would be much worse in theory than the Premier League or Bundesliga.

I would imagine the first star to come out will be in Ligue 1 just because France is the most accepting of alternative lifestyles and anyone who was a dick to that player would probably run the risk of being a criminal.

Robbie Rodgers came out of retirement and joined the L.A Galaxy, playing his first game this weekend. Was kind of a big deal, him being gay and all, don't know how he did though.