All of the above, I would think.
Gay footballers | Czech Republic international Jakub Jankto comes out as gay
- Thread starter Pablo76
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Relief and acceptance.
The overall gain is that gay kids (and adults) all over the country might feel a little bit more confident within themselves when coming out to family, friends and colleagues.
Gay footballers go on holiday and can’t post to Instagram, or show affection in public, for fear of being outed. So the suggestion that they can just crack on as they are is simply bollocks. Already, gay footballers will be privatising aspects of their lives that otherwise straight footballers would not.
You would probably be aware of this if you weren’t a brainless homophobe.
I think this is a huge factor personally, becoming the poster boy for gay footballers would overshadow almost any players actual footballing worth.
I dont think it is. I genuinely dont see much homophobia in the streets these days, the internet is another thing entirely, but its not 1993 anymore. The only way to make this change is for it to be more public, i can accept that the first person who comes out is going to act as a lightening rod and will take the brunt of the shit, but its going to have to happen at some point.
Statistically 2.1% of people are gay in the UK, which means pretty much every football club is probably going to have a gay player somewhere in their squads if you're including youth teams.
Unfortunately, this is only one side of it. The other is inviting pressure from a big portion of people for something that has nothing to do with football.
I’m not sure that it is, we have openly gay people in every walk of life, politics, media and sports. Gareth Thomas came out while still playing pro rugby and there wasn’t actually a huge fuss, most people have forgotten now. This would likely be the same, interviews and headlines at first and some abuse from the stands,but once a few people have been banned for homophobia and the news cycle has moved on, it will become normal.
Think that's very Idealistic and naive.
Are you suggesting that someone can be influenced into being gay?
Sadly the abuse will be horrendous and we'll all be forced to look at ourselves as a society once we realise that we fool ourselves into thinking we're not homophobic by large (just like with racism).
Tolerance and acceptance has come a long, long way in modern life which is absolutely fantastic for those of the persuasion and I'm really genuinely glad people can be more like themselves without fear of repercussion for the most part but football is a sport full of tribal cavemen who'll say and do anything to get at the opposition (or even at players on their own team that they dislike) and it'll be awful.
Or it might not be and we'll all be pleasantly surprised when no fuss is made at all about it.
I used to wonder why a footballer had to come out publicly because to me it never mattered what they did (or who they did) off the pitch but I'm not in their shoes so I'd imagine someone has to for the good of all of the rest and be a martyr. I wouldn't like it to be me but I'd have massive respect if someone did decide to do it.
Tolerance and acceptance has come a long, long way in modern life which is absolutely fantastic for those of the persuasion and I'm really genuinely glad people can be more like themselves without fear of repercussion for the most part but football is a sport full of tribal cavemen who'll say and do anything to get at the opposition (or even at players on their own team that they dislike) and it'll be awful.
Or it might not be and we'll all be pleasantly surprised when no fuss is made at all about it.
I used to wonder why a footballer had to come out publicly because to me it never mattered what they did (or who they did) off the pitch but I'm not in their shoes so I'd imagine someone has to for the good of all of the rest and be a martyr. I wouldn't like it to be me but I'd have massive respect if someone did decide to do it.
Good points - can't say anything back to these. Put me right - the beauties of a forum..... No need for the bolded part though.
This touches on a good point. Already footballers have to privatise a lot aspects of their life so I imagine of hiding 'something else' has become normalised.
Not saying it's good but I can imagine the rationale behind it. It's hard to judge their actions in the same way as your average person.
They shouldn't have to but they do.
When you've been oppressed for so long you have to make an extra effort and go wildly the other way to normalise everything eventually.
It's why people complain about Pride when the reality is they have to have it because at some stage it'll just be a normal thing and you won't have people complaining about it. Until you get over the initial shock at the new reality, there'll always be detractors.
As much as the LGBT+ is more tolerated now, they're still not the 'norm', especially not in football so we need a big shift change before it can get to the stage where genuinely nobody is arsed one way or another and they can live their lives in peace.
Yeah, look at the end of year awards all the players bring their wife of girlfriend. A gay player that isn't out cant bring their significant other without fearing abuse and backlash.
Even something as simple as a date and a peck on the cheek.
Seen some people saying it was all a hoax which is disgusting if true.
If not a hoax then I feel sorry for him being unable to feel strong enough to come out and accept himself truly and it shows we need to do more as a society and in sport to accommodate for gay people and the LGBT community.
I think way too much to focus by big corporations is still “let’s stick a couple of rainbows up and make some banners with rainbows” and we are backing the community. They don’t get to the crux of the issues and actually actively and wholeheartedly support charities that work with gay people in countries where they would be killed and assaulted for their sexual orientations. Even in the UK albeit being legal, there are plenty of horrible fans that would want these players to be killed and this is why it’s a big thing for them to come out. People who post flippant comments like “why do they feel the need to come out” just don’t understand how big of a thing it is to be different. Not just different but a very very very overwhelmingly minority in a sport that has masculine gender norms attached to it. If you don’t understand why then fine, but please educate yourself before posting shite.
If not a hoax then I feel sorry for him being unable to feel strong enough to come out and accept himself truly and it shows we need to do more as a society and in sport to accommodate for gay people and the LGBT community.
I think way too much to focus by big corporations is still “let’s stick a couple of rainbows up and make some banners with rainbows” and we are backing the community. They don’t get to the crux of the issues and actually actively and wholeheartedly support charities that work with gay people in countries where they would be killed and assaulted for their sexual orientations. Even in the UK albeit being legal, there are plenty of horrible fans that would want these players to be killed and this is why it’s a big thing for them to come out. People who post flippant comments like “why do they feel the need to come out” just don’t understand how big of a thing it is to be different. Not just different but a very very very overwhelmingly minority in a sport that has masculine gender norms attached to it. If you don’t understand why then fine, but please educate yourself before posting shite.
You don't see that much racism walking down the street, yet argubly labour are rife with anti-semitism, Tories islamophobia, and forgetting about the people who run this country, you go into football grounds and you hear all sorts of racist chants.
Your reality is different to others, homophobia is still a real issue within the UK. You're burying your head in the sand if you think any different, just because you might hear slightly less insults on the street or isn't as obvious anymore.
I don't doubt it will become normal, but were nowhere near that in this day and age.
Your first post in the thread intimated that children might decide to be gay if they are influenced by gay footballers.
I apologise for concluding that this might be a little homophobic.
Actually the opposite is true. Coming out whether playing or retired would encourage others considering it to take the leap as well.
How an earth do you begin to change that though. If one was brave enough to come out publically surely that would encourage others to do the same.
It would be great to see a number of players coming out within a short period of time of eachother, I would hope it would shorten the amount of crowd chants/abuse given which I am assuming will be a given.
When Rubgy Union and League have managed to move beyond the chanting heared at matches shows football in such a bad light.
When Rubgy Union and League have managed to move beyond the chanting heared at matches shows football in such a bad light.
Gay men are far more at risk of depression and suicide because they fear revealing their true selves to family, friends and public in general. Coming out isn’t a fecking parade in a Barbie doll as you alluded to ina previous post, it’s about being honest with those closest to you, being finally able to act naturally in a public place rather than living in fear of being spotted with your boyfriend. It’s about being able to be you.
If you are footballer or someone else in the public spotlight the pressure is only increased.
You said your not homophobic, but you don’t approve of a footballer coming because of the effect it would have on the next generation. You think kids see being different and gay might be an easier way in life than having talent and you don’t have any understanding of why people might want to come out.
I’d stop posting in this thread if I were you.
EDIT just seen this from you
Fair enough!
You are against the next generation of footballers being inspired to embrace who they are?
May I ask why?
The majority of women's football's audience is other women, who tend to be more inclusive & accepting. Typical "lads" who follow football would be far less accepting unfortunately. The thought of the abuse a player would get from the opposition fans, their own fans after a bad performance, and especially online is pretty depressing.
Well claiming that you don't want the future generation to be influenced by a homosexual footballer suggests otherwise.
Anyway, I agree with the fact that gay people shouldn't have to declare their sexuality in the same way that heterosexual's feel no need to declare their sexuality.
However, in terms of football, it would go a long way towards eradicating the vitriolic discriminatory culture that seem to be rife within football stadiums and social media etc.
I disagree with your point about homosexuals being accepted. Take Ronaldo for example. I'm quite sure he isn't gay, yet he used to get hoards of homophobic abuse simply because he was well groomed.
For one, racism is now generally less acceptable than homophobia.
But even so, if a black player could hide his skin colour to escape racist abuse, many of them probably would. And who could blame them? Gay footballers have the option of "hiding", black players don't.
Umm...maybe because nobody knows that they’re gay? Bro just stop posting in this thread.
The first step would be the higher up's in football cracking down on it in a similar way to they did racism, make it clear to supporters anyone caught chanting homophobic language will get a lifetime ban and reprimand any players guilty of such abuse with a lengthy fine and a ban.
I just came to say that I support you SIred. As I have nothing against gay people I have a lot against publicly stating your sexual orientation.
The same way I would be against a footballer going out and stating proudly he is into pissing play in sex or something even kinkier. tI is something I do not care and I do not need this info. Just feck whomever you wish and how you both(or more) like it. No need to make it public ffs.
i posted this in the mind set of.... Why do we have to know if player X is attracted to men? it has since been explained to me about privatising aspects of their life that they shouldnt really have to. I have stood corrected. Cheers
Yet Muslims, Jews, black people and gay people get elected with minimal focus on the fact they they are Muslims, Jewish, black or gay. And yes there are still racist chants, though they get less and less and are dealt with more effectively and they are a minority and disgust more on the terraces than they amuse. What a change from 25 odd years ago when I remember watching Arsenal play Millwall at the old den, when every time Ian Wright got the ball people made monkey noises and threw bananas on the pitch.
Homophobia is still an issue, no one is saying a prem footballer will come out as gay and everyone will just carry on as though nothing has happened, but we are moving forward, yes there will be abuse from the fans, but again like racism, it will be a minority and with public and media backing it will be slowly dealt with, like the Lukaku chant!
The point is I genuinely don’t think it is naive to think that someone could come out and after a while it would just be normal, especially if others follow suit.
And tbf there are plenty of gay supporters groups who are very open already in stadiums just google gay gooners for example ..... and yes before you worry it is safe for work!
what the fuuuuuuck
There is no way a gay footballer will not suffer abuse. Sad indictment of society.
@SalfordRed18 i take it all back! Posts like this prove your point ... I don’t even know where to begin ffs.
Though to be fair this is the minority of the thread and most posters understand how wrong this is.
Have you ever thought that your viewpoint here has something to do with the fact that, as a straight man, you've never had your personal and private life scrutinised, criticised or villified?
For instance, why the hell does it immediately go to sex in your mind? There's much more to being gay than the sex life. Straight players make their sexuality known all the time in causal ways: getting their spouses onto the pitch after a game, having them in their instagram stories etc. Gay players obviously feel not safe to make these casual shows of their lifestyle evident. Maybe the fact that there's many people like you who immediately associate being gay with fetish sex suggests a reason why they don't feel comfortable being who they are openly?
Unfortunately, it takes people being open and public and political before we get the necessary acceptance and normalisation.
There's a difference here though and a very important one. It's indeed irrelevant for someone applying for a job to mention his/her sexual preference, I agree with that.
This is about breaking a lance for every gay footballer out there though and completely different than publicly stating your sexual orientation without any reason to do so. All gay footballers have to conceal their true identity because they're afraid of coming out, and like others have said that's just wrong - one player doing so would hopefully encourage more players in the same situation to follow suit, and it would show that no matter whether you're gay or straight, nothing should stop you from playing football if you enjoy it while also being able to express your true self.
We literally just had a trump rally this past week where people were chanting go back home. Just because different demographics are voted in doesn't negate the fact that a large portion of the western world still hold bigoted views. They're just not as open about it as 25 years ago.
Fact of the matter is, this guy was getting enough abuse for him to back out of coming out. Surely that's a big indicator of where we're at in society in terms of homophobia?
Someone wrote in another thread on here that Ronaldo was better than Messi.
I see both sides.
Making an announcement has no real impact on the sporting side (I doubt that there's an untapped horde of homosexual players)
It also invites unnecessary pressure/tension to the player/club/coach that could possibly negatively affect performances. It would be incredibly naive to think that no fan abuse or internal discrimination would occur. Even a positive media spotlight is an unnecessary distraction.
I would feel exactly the same if Sterling decided to champion an 'Anti Racism' campaign. Just focus on your football, leave the other stuff to John Barnes.
Making an announcement has no real impact on the sporting side (I doubt that there's an untapped horde of homosexual players)
It also invites unnecessary pressure/tension to the player/club/coach that could possibly negatively affect performances. It would be incredibly naive to think that no fan abuse or internal discrimination would occur. Even a positive media spotlight is an unnecessary distraction.
I would feel exactly the same if Sterling decided to champion an 'Anti Racism' campaign. Just focus on your football, leave the other stuff to John Barnes.
It's surprisingly not that uncommon. There is less of it, but the mentality still exists and yes, I'm talking about in the streets too. Like people asking "why are you flaunting your sexuality?" or similar to two men holding hands, when they ignore straight couples doing it. The most common homophobia isn't gay bashing, or shouting the F word. It's treating people differently.
I have since been put to bed mate.... Some excellent counter points to mine which i suggest you should read.
Jesus fecking Christ