Homophobia in men’s football
When 17-year-old Jake Daniels became the first active male professional footballer in the UK to openly identify as gay in more than 30 years, it triggered a deluge of supportive comments online and across traditional media. Heralded as a landmark moment for the sport, commentators noted how the move was indicative of a more inclusive social environment. Yet while Daniels has rightly been lauded as a role model, the news served as a reminder of the cultural problems surrounding men’s football. In the women’s professional game, being gay is a non-issue, with openly lesbian and bisexual players common at the highest levels of the sport. By contrast, homophobia is rife within men’s football, with 32% of British fans surveyed in 2020 saying they’d witnessed homophobic comments at a match in the previous season and 41% having witnessed homophobic abuse aimed at a footballer online. In the US, meanwhile, a survey conducted after Carl Nassib became the first gay man to play in the NFL found that only 57% of sports fans support pro athletes sharing their sexual orientation, while 29% feel they should keep it to themselves. These figures hint at how a vocal minority of fans may leave gay athletes feeling wary of simply being themselves in public. In this light, Daniels’ announcement is all the more courageous – with his entire career ahead of him, he may face abuse from strangers on a daily basis. But his mere presence over the coming decades may also go a long way to normalising being gay in the beautiful game. And while people may be increasingly savvy about ‘pinkwashing’, brands that demonstrate a long-term commitment to creating more inclusive sporting environments can help foster this cultural shift.
