Gay footballers

[Rocksuperstar]

Nice article on BBC News this morning, written by the daughter of John, niece of Justin Fashanu.

There are currently around 5,000 professional footballers in Britain, but none are openly gay. Amal Fashanu, niece of Justin Fashanu, asks why no gay player has followed in her uncle's boots in nearly 25 years.
My late uncle, Justin Fashanu remains the only professional footballer in Britain ever to come out publicly as gay.
Justin broke into football as a teenage prodigy at Norwich. In 1980 he won the BBC's goal of the season award for an incredible strike against Liverpool. I still feel a surge of family pride every time I watch it.
It's the casual celebration which always gets me. That was Justin. Effortlessly talented, effortlessly stylish, if a touch cocky.
But what I learned about Justin is that, sadly, "that goal" marked the high point of his career.
He was catapulted to fame, when Nottingham Forest paid a million pound-transfer fee to Norwich. But it was largely downhill from there.

Forest's manager, the famous Brian Clough - or in my family the infamous - took a disliking to Justin.
In his autobiography, Clough recounts the confrontation he had with Justin over rumours about frequenting gay clubs in Nottingham:
"'Where do you go if you want a loaf of bread?' I asked him. 'A baker's, I suppose.' 'Where do you go if you want a leg of lamb?' 'A butcher's.' 'So why do you keep going to that bloody poofs' club?'"
Those were the typical attitudes Justin faced in his profession, and very little had changed by the time he took the momentous decision to come out publicly a decade later in 1990.
These prejudices he had to endure saddened, rather than shocked, me. But what I did find surprising was the slow pace of change within football since my uncle's courageous step into the limelight.
I learned Justin was no angel, but he genuinely believed he was setting an example to other players facing discrimination. Sadly, it's an example no other gay player has felt able to follow in nearly 25 years.
Why? Several reasons, I discovered. Matt Lucas, comedian, avid Arsenal supporter and one of Britain's best known gay football fans, shocked me with his description of the homophobia still prevalent on the terraces.
But I learned it's not simply a case of the terraces frightening a gay player from coming forward. Max Clifford, the celebrity PR guru, pinpointed the role of agents and their perception that an openly gay player would be a weak commodity in the transfer market.

"If by their star coming out, it's going to affect their earnings, then they won't want them to do it," says Clifford.
Clifford also told me he had been approached by gay and bisexual Premiership players, terrified that their sexuality would come out and petrified that this would mean the end of their careers.
Joey Barton, Queen's Park Rangers outspoken captain, feels close to the issue as his father's youngest brother initially hid his homosexuality. Barton highlighted "archaic figures" in management positions as an obstacle to gay players.
Former basketball star turned gay rights campaigner John Amaechi went even further.
"Football is clearly not that comfortable with women in board rooms. They're clearly not that comfortable with black people in management positions. And so, when it comes to gay people, that just blows their mind," said Amaechi.
But there were some definite chinks of light. I encountered determined campaigners for change, like the Gay Football Supporters' Network, which has been trying to fight homophobia in the game for many years.
Other organisations, like Kick It Out and Show Racism the Red Card and the Professional Footballers' Association, have also added homophobia to their anti-discrimination agenda in recent times.
The Football Association, the game's main governing body and so often the target for criticism over its shortcomings and failings, are about to launch a four-year plan aimed at encouraging more gay players to participate at grassroots level.
Barton was adamant that within the next 10 years there will be an openly gay footballer in the professional game.
However, I was left with the overwhelming feeling that progress has moved at a snail's pace since Justin's era. As someone from a different generation, who works in fashion with gay colleagues on a regular basis, I found this particularly hard to comprehend.

As well as being a great eye opener here, my research allowed me to close a very difficult chapter in my family life, which has always bothered me. By the time Justin came out publicly, his relationship with my dad, John Fashanu had broken down.
My dad was upset that Justin had not at least consulted him before taking this step. When Justin later took his own life in 1998, following unfounded allegations of sexual assault in the US, it was shattering for my dad and family.
I think as a 10-year-old my family, rightly, tried to protect me. But I was deeply upset by watching a documentary about Justin's life made shortly after he killed himself and discovering how my dad reacted in the media to Justin coming out.
He said his brother would have to "suffer the consequences" and that he "wouldn't like to play or even get changed in the vicinity of him". I also heard for the first time the message that Justin left in which he said he felt abandoned and alone.
Reliving that terrible time just made me wish I had been old enough back then to be there for Justin. I'm not saying I could have changed everything but I think he only needed that one family member or someone close to help. He shouldn't have ever felt alone and I think that's what most distressed me.

I spoke to my dad about his reaction at the time and asked him whether he would now have changed any of his actions.
"I'm not homophobic and I never had been, but at the time I was certainly cross with my brother," said my dad.
"I sleep at night wondering all the time, could I have done more and I keep coming up with the answer, yes I could have done more. Does that console me? No. We've cried for nearly two decades for Justin, it's enough."
I think I've come to realise myself that maybe Justin wasn't the perfect person that I had painted when I was 10 years old, and maybe he did do some things that upset our family. But having said that I still don't excuse my dad for disowning his brother publicly.
My uncle's death and this family episode were tragic. But this should never disguise that Justin was proud to be who he was and proud to have been a pioneer.

It amazes me, 12 years into a new millennium, and this is still a taboo subject. It's an accepted fact that there is, even simply statistically, going to be many footballers who are gay currently playing in the English league, yet in the entire history of professional football, only one has had the testicular fortitude to actually be what he wanted to be.

There's very little stigma outside of a football ground, and that acceptance grows by the day, with each new generation, yet time has stood still in footballing circles. If Lennon (and this is just a hypothetical example) decided to reveal that he was gay - yeah, the man bag, never being associated with women when out and about, the incredible attention to his appearance and the way he runs - we've all joked about it - but would it really make any difference whatsoever to how you saw him? He would still run as fast, he would still skin players and score goals. If you were being rescued by a fireman from a burning building, would you care if he was gay? Sexual orientation really, most definitely, has no bearing whatsoever on your ability to live and perform tasks to the best of your ability, so it still baffles me that this game that has come so far in even just my life time, is still stuck in the stoneage with regards to a bit of bumsecks.

 

[Spurger King]

Brian Clough forced him to train on his own as well. Clough pretty much embodied everything I hate about football, and the backwards attitudes that are still associated with it.

I can't see many footballers coming out any time in the near future though.

 

[mattyspurs]

It wouldn't bother me in the slightest if a footballer came out as being gay. Why would it? It is wrong that they are not accepted in the game, and I feel that as alot of fans are still living in the dark age, no gay footballer is going to dare to come out.

 

[HappySpur]

This is pervasive in almost all sports. I'm not even talking about something like Rugby Union or the NFL. Greg Louganis didn't come out for years, and I don't think he had many fooled. Even figure skating, where there are as many gays as straights in men's individual, it is rarely talked about. The people who follow the sport know, but outside of them, its not really discussed. And nobody seems to ever come out until they have retired, even in non-team based sports. Being gay isn't really taboo, but for some reason being gay in sport is.

 

[montylynch]

You look at all male dominated sports, and the thousands of fellas that play them, it amazes me that only one, in the most recent history, has come out. Even more amazing in my eyes that it was a rugby player.

I'm sure that since he's come out, he's had calls from other gay sportsman asking how he has handled it, did he get abuse etc.

In such a male dominated sport environment it's impossible not to have the odd gay player. These days though, if a player did come out and was verbally abused by others players, it'd get picked up so easily, a la terry and suarez.

Imagine the sledging a england cricketer would get, say away in Australia. They pull no punches when they sledge, the player would have to be very thick skinned and be prepared to give a bit back.

 

[Rocksuperstar]

You look at all male dominated sports, and the thousands of fellas that play them, it amazes me that only one, in the most recent history, has come out. Even more amazing in my eyes that it was a rugby player.

I'm sure that since he's come out, he's had calls from other gay sportsman asking how he has handled it, did he get abuse etc.

In such a male dominated sport environment it's impossible not to have the odd gay player. These days though, if a player did come out and was verbally abused by others players, it'd get picked up so easily, a la terry and suarez.

Imagine the sledging a england cricketer would get, say away in Australia. They pull no punches when they sledge, the player would have to be very thick skinned and be prepared to give a bit back.

Ah, yeah - glad you mentioned cricket, cos this crossed my mind - aside from the general snobbery of the upper-echelons of the English game, the fans in competitive games love a good rib, and it's often the case that, because everyone knows "it's all meant in good humour" then pretty much anything goes.

That said, i don't see anything too offensive about a drunken aussie hanging over the balcony at the Gabba bellowing "Shame ya can't hit the ball like ya hit on guys in baaaars, ya f*ckin pooftah!" as it not only would be hilariously stereotypical, it would be likely meant as a light hearted dig, yet have that happen over here and all hell would break loose. Perhaps it's the accent, perhaps it's the rampant alcoholism of Aussie cricket fans, i don't know, but nothing they say ever seems to sound serious :shrug:

 

[montylynch]

Of course most of the sledging goes unheard of, both teams do it and as long as it doesn't go too far, it's accepted as part of the game. I've received, and given, enough in my time on the cricket field.

The funniest one i heard, i think it was Glenn McGrath and Jacob Oram, who was a bit on the tubby side. As he strode out McGrath said to him 'Oi Mate, why are you so fat' and oram replied, 'Because everytime i shagged your wife she gave me a biscuit' Classic riposte. This was of course before McGrath's wife died of cancer.

And of course, there's no such thing as a gay australian.

I'm sure a lot of banter gets said between footie players, i know that Hart was winding up Gerrard before he took the pen on wednesday.

 

[gilzeantheking]

Steven Davies the England wicket keeper 'came out' I think it was last year, I haven't heard it mentioned since the initial reporting.

I can understand why sportsmen and women do not 'out' themselves. Can you imagine the abuse etc. ?

Does anyone else remember Daley Thompson's T shirt at the 1984 Olympics which said "The world's second best athlete is gay" he was referring to Sprinter Carl Lewis. The press here thought it was extremely funny at the time - I can't imagine it going down well nowadays.

It really is no-one else's business but the person concerned IMHO

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Justin Fashanu was twice the footballer his wanker of a brother was. I salute his niece for raising the issue and castigating her dad for his diabolical stance when his brother came out. I hope he is deeply ashamed of himself.

It really does need a big star to come out, even post career to help brake this taboo.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Oh and she's right, that celebration after the Norwich Liverpool goal is what I love too.

[yt]owCt1dGrK2E[/yt]

 

[tototoner]

BBC3 9pm tonight

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01bncfg

 

[jimtheyid]

Why would they come out when they see what has happened to Evra and Ferdinand for speaking out about racism. Football fans live in the dark ages and many are still bigoted scumbags.

 

[riggi]

Why would they come out when they see what has happened to Evra and Ferdinand for speaking out about racism. Football fans live in the dark ages and many are still bigoted scumbags.

Only on weekends :wink:

 

[mil1lion]

It isn't just football though is it? I can't think of many sports where people are openly gay.

I can understand why though because the sad fact is they would get a lot of abuse from the fans. Unfortunately they look for any reason to abuse a player as it is.

 

[Wellspurs]

A bit controversial but statistically there are say 5% of men that are gay.

I would think it would be greater than 5% of airline stewards, ballet dancers, actors, dog breeders that are gay.

So it is probably true that well under 5% of footballers, rugby players etc are gay.

 

[Azazello]

On the one hand it's like we're saying "let's not make a big deal about it" and then with the next breath, it's "OK, who's gay, out with it (phnaar phnaar!)".

Personally I couldn't give a toss about whether a player is gay or straight and hope that we're mature enough one day to end this prurient fascination with other people's sex lives and let the matter rest with an individual's decision on whether to come out, and if they do, note it as a fact and move on.

 

[Dare!]

John Fashanu is a bastard.

THERE'S ONLY ONE GARY MABBUTT.

 

[striebs]

Do you think homosexuality scares footballers because they are a narcisistic lot and scared they might be a bit AC/DC themselves ?