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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAre there soccer players who have publicly come out as gay?
Watching the World Cup matches over the weekend and asking the male very progressive and avid soccer lovers in my family...they said they hadn't heard of one...I was wondering if there is still a real stigma in the sport for being gay, or it just isn't talked about for other reasons...
Anybody know?
Donald Ian Rankin
(13,598 posts)CTyankee
(63,926 posts)But do you think that is the reason?
I think it is odd in a world sport of such diversity that is professional soccer that coming out as gay would be suppressed...
ChangeUp106
(549 posts)of the LA Galaxy was actually the first pro athlete in North America to come out and the first to make an appearance in a game after coming out.
CTyankee
(63,926 posts)dsc
(52,172 posts)I do think a Dutch player came out some time ago. I have to leave to can't research to find it. I hope it gets better soon for this sport but right now this sport still have bitter racism in its fan base, forget about welcoming gays.
CTyankee
(63,926 posts)I also noticed that there are some gorgeous soccer players...we had some discussion of the differences/aliknesses of the players from various countries...I mentioned the Italian tradition of "fare la bella figura" which translates "make a good impression" but has a lot to do with the Italian esthetic and nothing really to do with one's sexual orientation nor gender.
I must say the Dutch player was a helluva good looking guy...and very smart, too...
dilby
(2,273 posts)Football is a gentlemens sport played by hooligans and Rugby is a hooligan sport played by gentlemen. But yes Football fans are rabid in Europe and South America.
ProudToBeBlueInRhody
(16,399 posts)....and greeted with monkey sounds, I doubt that the soccer community is any more progressive on gay rights....
LittleBlue
(10,362 posts)Unlike America, Europeans are known for chants directed at certain players. Which they will do for the full game if the player has somehow angered them (or if they have a good way of getting inside his head).
If a major European player came out as gay, he would get abused for the full 90 minutes. Which tends to destroy a player's confidence and thus his ability to play well. Hell, they chanted "Wenger is a pedophile" at the Arsenal manager just because he has a youth policy. Imagine if there was a gay player.
Plus he'd lose all his endorsements and the major clubs wouldn't sign him. Which is why it just isn't done.
CTyankee
(63,926 posts)LittleBlue
(10,362 posts)Soccer fans in Europe have supporters' clubs that are known as "ultras", or ultra fans. These are akin to religious fanatics. Ultras are often the ones responsible (in some way) when you hear about people dying at soccer matches.
Anyway, they tend to start malicious chants. They consider any tactic valid if it helps them win. And they're on top of the plain old homophobes, which are numerous around Europe. And not just in the southern parts. Bayern Munich is a German club. You think this is a cosmopolitan club in a progressive country, right?
Here was their poster against Arsenal (nicknamed "The Gunners" and player Mesut Ozil:
(And he's not even gay)