Who is the gay footballer?

Where Are the Gay Footballers?

In gay dating, topics like music, entertainment, and LGBT icons are often discussed at length. But when it comes to sports, particularly football stars, are avoided – that list of LGBT role models is incredibly short. So why do footballers stay in the closet?

Historically, it has been incredibly difficult for gay footballers to come out publicly during their careers. Many famous gay athletes around the world came out as gay only when retiring from professional play.

Some only do so when they’ve already secured an international contract, where the repercussions and expected backlash would be reduced.

Two of the most recognizable gay footballers, Thomas Beattie and Thomas Hitzlsperger, came out as gay after retiring from football.

Justin Fashanu, one of the first footballers to come out as gay, said after coming out, no club offered him a full-time contract.

Where Are All the Gay Footballers? Why Don’t They Come Out?

With no current gay representation in the top levels of premiership football, the question remains, ‘who is the gay footballer?’ Do they even exist?

It’s a popular headline that regularly runs in national newspapers and magazines. Whilst there are many initiatives set up by sports clubs and governments to help promote diversity, not enough has changed for players to feel comfortable coming out.

Homophobic Fans

Some football fans use derogatory language to abuse players on everything from their skin color, appearance, performance on the pitch, but especially on their sexuality.

The Guardian newspaper ran a column called The Secret Footballer, which claimed fans were the principal reason that stops gay footballers from coming out.

When someone calls a player gay in football, it is them calling out the player’s masculinity. And whilst many footballers pass no remarks to such name-calling and ignore it, gay players may fear even more homophobic abuse if they come out publicly.

Sponsorships and money

Footballers earn incredible amounts of money through sponsorships, endorsements, merchandise, and more, where fans pay for premium products to be like their football idols.

If a footballer were to come out as gay, this could potentially impact their mainstream appearance and, ultimately, their earning potential. Coming out might alienate their fan base.

Sporting Culture

Sports are often considered ‘manly,’ where masculinity is celebrated. Over many years, gay men have been ostracized from competing because they don’t fit in with society’s typical masculinity view.

This has a knock-on effect on gay sports fans, who don’t feel they can become involved even on a spectator level. In gay dating, gay men don’t advertise their passion for sport because of these ‘ideals’ sports culture has.

Growing Number of Gay Footballers

Prominent out stars in women’s soccer show that professional sportspeople can come out and lead successful careers on the world stage. Players such as Casey Stoney, Kelly Smith, and Fara Williams are paving the way for other athletes.

And the good news is that things are changing in men’s football, albeit at a much slower pace. For example, when football star Robbie Rogers came out in 2013, he retired afterward to sign for LA Galaxy and become one of the most recognizable gay sports stars around the world. Both Liam Davis and Ryan Allsop are also out and proud active footballers.

Show Pride in Your Sport

At Pride celebrations every year, sports stars (both gay and straight) are visible celebrating diversity. Professional clubs are sponsoring initiatives that embrace all backgrounds and sexualities.

Across the world, more LGBTQI+ clubs are being set up and are thriving. This, in time, will trickle into the professional industry, where gay men’s interest in sport will finally be recognized.

More rugby, soccer, and tennis stars are coming out as gay, and there could be many more still waiting until the end of their career to come out – only when it’s considered 100% safe.

Who knows, perhaps during gay dates around the world, when the conversation moves to ‘who is the gay footballer?’, there’ll be a long list to discuss.

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