Why Hasn’t Homosexuality Not Gained Ground In Football?

By Peter C

The debate on Homosexuality in sports will linger and continue to generate mixed reactions from sports lovers. Although football remains a neutral sport, many factors are responsible for the discrimination faced by homosexuals in this sport.

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While recent polls in some countries like the United States, France, and few others show a higher percentage of people are supportive of Homosexuality, the story is different in other countries. Some countries are known for their strict campaigns against Homosexuality. For instance, the 2018 world cup in Russia featured series of homophobic chants.

Recently, there have been widespread campaigns, particularly by members of the LGBT community, for people to demonstrate a willingness to show their real identities.

The reason this hasn’t been productive is that many gay athletes do not want to speak out. It’s understandable; nobody wants to come out because many of them are not prepared to pay the cost of this action.  

This significantly explains why we don’t often see athletes coming out to reveal themselves as homosexuals. They know there is a considerable price to pay. The price of intolerance is one. Many of them might not be able to handle the insults from friends, fans, fellow professionals, and the media. For instance, Justin Fashanu tried this in the 90s, but it did not end well for him – the promising athlete committed suicide.

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There is also a belief that football is a neutral game, one that is void of sexuality. Bringing Homosexuality into the game will make the game lose its neutrality and create more issues. For instance, body contact has never been a problem in football, but it could be a problem if Homosexuality is encouraged.