The world of sport has never been more accepting than it is today. With female sport now getting more and more coverage, those with disabilities being idolised due to the success of the London 2012 Paralympic games, and the respect campaign prominent across the globe, why is it, then, that homosexuality is still struggling to be accepted into the sporting world?
The assumption that sport and homosexuality don’t mix, has resulted in a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy ever present still in changing rooms. There are very few openly gay individuals, especially in extremely masculine sports such as football and rugby, where backlash can occur as their ‘sporting image’ is threatened.
It is this fear of grief from the fans of their team, which stops many players from coming out of the closet in sports such as cricket in the UK, and American Football and basketball in the USA. There are though the anomalies of certain individuals, such as Welsh rugby player Gareth Thomas (pictured right), who came out as openly gay in 2009.
Society though has long been accepting of homosexuality. In today’s gay friendly generation there is a changing ideology, that it is simply the end result that matters. So who cares about a player’s sexuality as long as the team are performing well and winning matches? Despite this it is disappointing that players such as Leeds winger Robbie Rogers felt as though he had to retire after revealing he was gay.
A safe environment is needed if players in any sport are to ‘come out of the closet’ as it were. It is imperative therefore that behind the scenes there is support for gay individuals .
So, if society and the ideology behind sport are accepting of homosexuality why haven’t the authorities done more? In particular in football the FA seem more bothered about getting rid of racism, than removing prejudices surrounding homosexuality. Isn’t it on the same level? While there have been high profile campaigns targeting racism in sport such as ‘Kick it Out’, the problem of homophobia is something few seem willing to tackle.Only 29 out of 92 clubs in England are actively engaged in the ‘Football v Homophobia’ campaign.
However, recently a decision by the FA was made to implement a five match ban surrounding not only racist abuse on the football pitch, but also homophobic abuse. A move in the right direction. But surely the FA should being following UFEA’s lead in implementing a ten match ban in all competitions.
Although the prejudice surrounding homosexuality will never be fully eradicated and some intolerance is expected, the mainstream is increasingly accepting of homosexuality. With even America now allowing gay marriage in certain states, can the sporting world too adapt to homosexuality.
With more and more players coming out as gay it’s going to have to open the door to homosexuality sometime. And the sooner the better; other issues such as racism are being tackled, now it’s time to make sure that any trace of homophobia is cracked down upon.