Why are there still so few openly LGBTQ+ athletes, especially in U.S. professional sports? Why do most athletes continue to wait until after their playing careers are over to come out? Finally, do you think this will eventually change? Include examples to backup your arguments. Limit: 9 responses
Nicole Clemons
ReplyDeleteIn professional sports there has always been a lack of LGBTQ+ representation in professional sports, specifically in men’s sports. Women’s sports have made larger strides with their inclusion and representation of the LGBTQ+ community. There are numerous players in the NWHL and members of the Women’s World Cup team who are openly gay. “The numbers clearly spell out the disparity. In the 2019 Women’s World Cup, there were more than 40 openly gay players and coaches; however, there were no openly gay athletes or coaches at the 2018 Men’s World Cup. The imbalance remains stark throughout professional team sports: The WNBA is led by multiple out stars, including Sue Bird and Elena Delle Donne, while Jason Collins has been the only openly gay active player in NBA history. The NHL has never had an openly LGBTQ player, but the NWHL features several, and accommodated transgender player Harrison Browne” (Reimer). This is a large number of athletes who are out and when we look at the men’s numbers they are no where close, “there were no openly gay athletes or coaches at the 2018 Men’s World Cup”(Reimer).
I think a lot of male athletes wait until after their careers to come out due to a lot of homophobic comments and slurs that come out on the field, “both men are united in their disappointment that a higher proportion of gay athletes haven’t come out, and that homophobic language on the sporting fields is still rife”(Passa). People may think teammates would be the reason behind the reason but it is not, “a study that found that male athletes who came out as gay while still playing sports were largely met with acceptance by their teammates.”(Hernandez). Athletes who came out around 50 years ago are shocked there are not more openly gay players in professional sports.
I’m not sure if this will change, we see change happening in women’s sports, but not in men’s as much. It all depends on players being comfortable, we see many leagues having pride nights and saying their sport is for everyone to make more people feel welcomed and to show their support. There have been more players coming out and receiving tremendous support such as Luke Prokop, “announcements were met with an outpouring of support from fellow players, teams, league officials and fans”(Hernandez). He is the first NHL player with an active contract to come out. I think as long as the players feel comfortable and supported and see more players coming out and being accepted their will be a change.
Nicole Clemons cont
DeleteWork Cited
Reimer, Alex. “Elite out Female Athletes Explain Why Women's Sports Are So Inclusive.” Outsports, Outsports, 3 Feb. 2021, https://www.outsports.com/2021/2/3/22264156/natasha-cloud-wnba-gay-athletes-anya-packer-womens-sports.
Passa, Dennis. “Years after Coming out, Gay Athletes Upset by Lack of Change.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 2 Dec. 2020, https://apnews.com/article/gay-athletes-lack-of-change-nfl-rugby-fa90b7510d8264bd91fa4c13058d37f3.
Hernandez, Joe. “Why There Are Few Openly Gay Athletes in Men's Professional Sports.” NPR, NPR, 21 July 2021, https://www.npr.org/2021/07/21/1018404859/openly-gay-athletes-in-mens-pro-sports-few.
Shannon Goria
ReplyDeleteAlthough the acceptance of members of the LGBTQ+ community has dramatically increased over the last decade, there are still very few open LGBTQ+ athletes in U.S. professional sports. In fact, a recent article by Hernandez (2021) stated that Luke Prokop was the first NHL player in history to ever publicly acknowledge that they were gay. As a result to him coming out, he inspired other athletes playing in the country’s four major men’s sports of football, baseball, basketball and hockey to come out as well, such as Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carol Nassib. And although many of these announcements were followed my immense support from fellow players and fans, many hide it until they are done playing as then they will be out of the spotlight. They risk criticism for coming out. In fact, “David Kopay, a former NFL running back who came out in 1975, was unable land a professional coaching job after he announced publicly that he was gay” (Hernandez, 2021). There may also be cultural barriers as a “2018 study of youth sports in British Columbia, Canada, found that “sexual minority” students were less likely to participate in sports than their heterosexual peers” (Hernandez, 2021). Men’s sports also have socially been seen as a form of representing your masculinity and “reaffirming what we expect of them” (Hernandez, 2021). Unlike women who have had to fight their stereotype over the years to prove that they were able to be as successful of athletes as men, male athletes don’t want to lose the powerful masculinity they hold as athletes by coming out. However, I do think that with time this will eventually change. And I must say I believe that it will lesbians and female athletes of the LGBTQ+ community that will initiate and help inspire more men to come out as they are already more open on publicly acknowledging their sexuality. I believe that this confidence that female athletes hold in coming out will eventually make male athletes want to come out as well. In an article by Keating (2021), she states how “Rapinoe’s girlfriend, WNBA superstar Sue Bird, wrote… “how in love she is with this remarkable human- someone who’s not only openly gay, but credits her sexuality for her success, and uses her own marginalized identity as a way to empathize with and advocate for others.” This, I believe, will encourage professional male athletes to speak on behalf of their sexuality down the line as they will want to provide comfort to the future generation and to youth athletes who are scared to play sports due to their sexuality. An additional article by Passa (2020) talked about previous openly gay athletes, David Kopay and Ian Roberts, and their disappointment with the little change in terms of the percentage of athletes that have come out and the fact that there is still a great amount of homophobic language used on the sporting fields. This article discusses Robert’s experience with the Cowboys and how they made him captain when he came out and that he “hoped to make a difference so others in my position would have the freedom to be who they are.” Of course, I also think that some LGBTQ+ athletes are also scared of having a reaction from the public like Kopay who said he “couldn’t get a job, couldn’t get a coaching position, no one wanted to hire me. It was like I committed murder.” This therefore shows why athletes are scared to come out as it is an uncomfortable discussion to have, especially in front of a public audience in which you don’t necessarily know how others will react to such a vulnerable side of them. However, I believe that as more well-known professional athletes come out and inspire others, including high-performing college and high school athletes that many people look up to, they will make it so that being a part of the LGBTQ+ community isn’t something to be ashamed of, but to be proud of.
Shannon Goria (continued)
ReplyDeleteReferences
Hernandez, J. (2021, July 21). Why there are few openly gay athletes in men's professional sports. NPR. Retrieved April 4, 2022, from https://www.npr.org/2021/07/21/1018404859/openly-gay-athletes-in-mens-pro-sports-few
Keating, S. (2021, September 15). Lesbians won the Women's World Cup. BuzzFeed News. Retrieved April 4, 2022, from https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/shannonkeating/megan-rapinoe-womens-world-cup-finals-champions
Passa, D. (2020, December 2). Years after coming out, gay athletes upset by lack of change. AP NEWS. Retrieved April 4, 2022, from https://apnews.com/article/gay-athletes-lack-of-change-nfl-rugby-fa90b7510d8264bd91fa4c13058d37f3
Jason Vent
ReplyDeleteBlog 7
For as long as I can remember, men and women have been separated in sports since before I was born. These days in the 21st century there is a whole new world of societal aspects that could affect athletes and the kids that look up to them. The NFL and the United States in general just saw their first openly gay athlete come out, being Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman Carl Nassib. Perhaps one major reason that more athletes do not come out while they are still active in their sport is because the lack of support they feel from their peers and their leagues to welcome them and reflect stigmas that may typically surround a gay player in a sports and locker room setting. Robbie Rogers, a former midfielder for the LA Galaxy said that he “was hoping there’d be more athletes that would come out, and after that it just wouldn’t matter” (Hine). Professional athletes are constantly fighting for roster spots and playing time and coming out as gay during their playing career can sometimes feel like they are putting a stamp on themselves that allows coaches and staff members to possibly look at them differently regarding the sport they have been playing their whole life. Brendon Keen states that “even as talk of racial equity trickles into the league and ratings fluctuate, the NFL’s popularity is still massive. This gives it a unique foothold in the way American masculinity is built up and maintained” (Keen). Sports ae a way for people to unleash their competitive sides and prove who is the best but societal and peer pressures are sure to weigh on the decisions of athletes at the center of attention. This is sometimes a toxic battle as the shaken reality of the games that we play can lead people into tough mental battles that can cause them to change their thinking on the field to be ruthless and some even to keep their real sexual preferences inside. “Part of the reason for the lack of out gay players in men’s professional sports could be that there are just fewer of them in game” (Hernandez). Gay men are underrepresented in professional sports, and it could be hard for someone to come out as gay knowing there is little support and a lack of programs for people like them who recognize their own sexual preference and still chose to play their sport at the highest level despite the media and possible bad media that could come with the decision. I think more athletes will come out in the future, but the U.S. society is too closed off to the idea right now to make real strides in making it happen soon.
Hernandez, Joe. “Why There Are Few Openly Gay Athletes in Men’s Professional Sports.” NPR, 21 July 2021, www.npr.org/2021/07/21/1018404859/openly-gay-athletes-in-mens-pro-sports-few.
Hine, Chris. “As LGBT Rights Progress, Why Do Gay Athletes Remain in the Closet?” Chicagotribune.Com, 10 June 2018, www.chicagotribune.com/sports/ct-gay-athletes-stay-in-closet-spt-0626-20160624-story.html.
Kleen, Brendon. “American Sports Perpetuate ‘A Certain Type Of Manhood’ - Here’s Why It Persists.” Global Sport Matters, 29 June 2021, globalsportmatters.com/culture/2021/06/11/american-sports-nfl-perpetuate-manhood-toxic-masculinity.
The acceptance of the LGBTQ + community and it’s members have gained a mass amount of acceptance over the years in the United States, however, this isn’t the case especially for athletes in U.S. professional sports. It is alarming to me that this is still the case due to the fact that these people are athletes doesn’t mean they are not real human beings on and off the field. We can see this especially in men’s sports as women are beginning to be more comfortable with their sexuality. In an article, Why There Are Few Openly Gay Athletes In Men’s Professional Sports by Joe Hernandez, Hernandez states “gay male athletes face cultural barriers and part of the reason for lack of out gay players in men’s professional sports could be that there are just fewer of them in the game” (Hernandez). Similarly, Rory Magrath who is a researcher at Solent University England suggested “ it’s possible gay men are underrepresented in professional sports. Gay men are a finite resource, so they can’t exist in great numbers in every quarter. They are overrepresented in some areas, and as a consequence are going to be underrepresented in sports” (Hernandez, Magrath). There is also a fear of appearing less masculine because essentially, men rely on sports to feel masculine as masculine culture appears to be at the center of major sports. According to the article, As LGBT rights progress, why do gay athletes remain in the closet? by Chris Hine “we’ve been trained so much when we were kids that gay is soft, ‘smear the queer’ and you don’t want to throw like a girl or fairy. It’s so ingrained in us that there’s a disconnect between that and homophobia” (Hine, Zeigler). This ultimately creates a sense of confusion in gay athletes and they don’t want to appear weak. There also comes the risk of criticism. A lot of the time when an athlete comes out, there will be a huge amount of support and acceptance, however, that is not always the case. Michael Sam who was the first openly gay athlete drafted into the NFL in 2014, received backlash from past Miami Dolphins safety Don Jones who took to Twitter to tweet “horrible” later resulting in penalties and a suspension. Not only do players face criticism but so do coaches. David Kopay, former NFL running back who came out at a time that LGBTQ+ was not as accepting as it is today, was unable to land a coaching job after his announcement of his sexuality.
ReplyDeleteAlthough there are plenty of LGBTQ+ athletes in professional sports, most are not comfortable expressing their sexuality, and will wait till their careers are over to come out. A big reason for this is that their lives are continually in the spotlight. As if living in the spotlight isn’t bad enough. Your life is constantly on display and everyone you don’t want to know your business, will know your business. Once an athlete ends their playing career, they will feel more comfortable to express themselves as people will not be reporting on their lives 24/7 and will not be able to criticize them. However, with the way our media is in this day and age there is a slight chance that will happen. The media will surely make a bigger deal out of it of then it needs to be. There is such a fear centered around coming out due to previous reactions of the community to players who have come out, that these athletes want to remain on the back burner until then.
As for the future of LGBTQ+ in professional sports and expressing their sexuality, I am hoping it will change, however, I am not sure that it will. The reason I say this is because with how widely accepted members of the LGBTQ+ community have been you would think more professional athletes would have had the confidence to come out by now. Sadly, has not been the case. In an article, Years after coming out, gay athletes upset by lack of change by Dennis Passa, “I could have never imagined that nearly 50 years later we would still have no openly gay athletes in America’s Big 4 sports. We also don’t have many around the world. We now have gay marriage but we don’t have any openly gay athletes in the NFL. It makes no sense” (Passa, Kopay). It is disheartening that after David Kopay and Ian Roberts took that leap to come out, that they are still united in their disappointment that others aren’t taking that leap like them. What’s worse is that now kids are becoming the target for homophobia, something Kopay has tried so hard to prevent. A study done by Monash University in Melbourne found that young people who had come out were more susceptible to being the target of homophobic behaviors in a sport setting. Sports are supposed to bring communities and people together not do the opposite by targeting women and LGBTQ+. It is my only hope that for the future the sports industry will wake up and realize what is most important and that is just the games that everyone loves to play.
ReplyDeleteHernandez, Joe. “Why There Are Few Openly Gay Athletes in Men's Professional Sports.” NPR, NPR, 21 July 2021, https://www.npr.org/2021/07/21/1018404859/openly-gay-athletes-in-mens-pro-sports-few.
Hine, Chris. “As LGBT Rights Progress, Why Do Gay Athletes Remain in the Closet?” Chicagotribune.com, 26 June 2016, https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/ct-gay-athletes-stay-in-closet-spt-0626-20160624-story.html.
Passa, Dennis. “Years after Coming out, Gay Athletes Upset by Lack of Change.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 2 Dec. 2020, https://apnews.com/article/gay-athletes-lack-of-change-nfl-rugby-fa90b7510d8264bd91fa4c13058d37f3.
Robert Fritz
ReplyDeleteSociety has come along way in the acceptance of members in the LGBTQ+ community but in sports especially on the men’s side of sports we are lagging behind. The NFL had its first openly gay player this past season with Las Vegas Raiders pass rusher Carl Nassib. Nassib made the announcement over social media before the 2021 NFL season. Of the four major American sports the first openly gay player was Jason Collins of the Brooklyn Nets in 2014. Over the past 8 years we have seen some growth, but we also have seen being gay be viewed as a negative in men’s sports. That was the case for Michael Sam who SEC defensive player of the year in his final collegiate season at Missouri and was considered to be a top 50 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft before he announced that he was gay. After the announcement Sam slid all the way to the 7th round of the NFL Draft which is the last round for players to be selected. Sam was cut before the beginning of the season and never played in an NFL game. This past year Luke Prokop became the first actively gay NHL player making him and Carl Nassib the only openly gay athletes in the 4 major American sports (Hernandez). David Kopay a former NFL player announced that he was gay after his retirement from the NFL in 1975 talked about the issues still being faced by LGBTQ+ people in sports “It’s horrible to hear that kids are being targeted. I’ve sacrificed so much to try and change this problem,” Kopay added. “I know most people don’t mean anything when they use these horrible words, but . . . you have no idea what people are thinking.” This will change hopefully as this is seemingly an issue in men’s sports as in women’s sports their isn’t that waiting till retirement to announce that you are gay or feeling like the only person in the profession that is gay. Women’s sports has been on the frontline of change and inclusivity here in America for quite sometime and with that I think the men will soon follow. It wont be an overnight change by any means but I do think we will reach a day where men’s sports can be as accepting and as inclusive as the woman are today.
Belson, Ken. “Raiders' Carl Nassib Announces He's Gay, an N.F.L. First.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 June 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/21/sports/football/carl-nassib-gay-nfl.html.
Hernandez, Joe. “Why There Are Few Openly Gay Athletes in Men's Professional Sports.” NPR, NPR, 21 July 2021, https://www.npr.org/2021/07/21/1018404859/openly-gay-athletes-in-mens-pro-sports-few.
Passa, Dennis. “Years after Coming out, Gay Athletes Upset by Lack of Change.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 2 Dec. 2020, https://apnews.com/article/gay-athletes-lack-of-change-nfl-rugby-fa90b7510d8264bd91fa4c13058d37f3.
Many LGBTQ+ athletes and public figures who have yet to come out publicly can sometimes feel an extra level of pressure by being placed in the spotlight as notable figures. The mental health issues and attention is given to athletes in media have led to the effect of few openly LGBTQ+ athletes, who are typically given roles of advocacy and community outreach that represent a larger body of LGBTQ+ people. I believe that there are few open LGBTQ+ athletes in today’s United States professional sports scene because of the fear of potential scrutiny from the public. By being a notable athlete in a professional sports league, a potentially mixed reaction from the public could, unfortunately, come with the action of coming out and representing themselves as openly gay. In an article published in NPR, Joe Hernandez wrote that athletes struggle with coming out because “professional athletes can risk damage to their career or worse for telling the truth about their sexuality.” (Hernandez) This is a risk that Michael Sam took when being drafted into the NFL as openly gay in 2014, and was met with online backlash from former Miami Dolphin Don Jones, who stated the moment was “horrible” on social media, for which he was suspended and penalized for by the league. (Hernandez).
ReplyDeleteThis leads athletes to feel the need to keep hidden and closeted throughout their professional careers, before finally revealing their sexuality to the public once the focus is placed off them and their playing days are over. The cause of this is likely due to their private lives beginning and their removal from active participation in the culture of the sport. However, last year, when Carl Nassib became the first active NFL player in history to come out as gay (Gleeson), former Dallas Cowboy and LGBTQ+ community member Jeff Rohrer reflected on why more athletes needed to be themselves during their active careers in a piece published by USA Today’s Scott Gleeson. According to Gleeson’s article, Rohrer thought that the NFL needed an event such as this to happen, stating “in the long run, the world we live in needs more guys like (Nassib) who are open and brave. It really does help for anyone in the country who is currently closeted or faces homophobia." (Gleeson). I believe that moments like Nassib coming out will allow for an eventual change in how the wider public will perceive and accept openly LGBTQ+ athletes, as the path to tolerance and societal acceptance will become clearer with time. As we progress throughout the 2020s, LGBTQ+ athletes have become restless and upset, as the need for immediate action to develop and change gay athlete treatement has become apparent. Despite the lack of change over time, gay athletes can still take pride in coming out, and owning the feeling of empowerment and acceptance. According to AP News, former NFL running back David Kopay highlighted the emotion and excitement of acceptance from his peers when he stated “ it was kind of empowering when you come out, there were some wonderful stories as well, people came to me and said how happy they were with me.” (Passa). While there may continue to be intolerance against LGBTQ+ individuals in sports, I believe we are progressing towards a time of acceptance and inclusion, where athletes can play without judgment based on their identity.
Clever Streich part 2
DeleteWorks Cited
Gleeson, Scott. “'The NFL Needed This': How Carl Nassib's Coming out as Gay Can Change Football and Society.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 22 June 2021, https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2021/06/22/raiders-carl-nassib-coming-out-gay-can-change-nfl-and-society/5305549001/.
Hernandez, Joe. “Why There Are Few Openly Gay Athletes in Men's Professional Sports.” NPR, NPR, 21 July 2021, https://www.npr.org/2021/07/21/1018404859/openly-gay-athletes-in-mens-pro-sports-few.
Passa, Dennis. “Years after Coming out, Gay Athletes Upset by Lack of Change.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 2 Dec. 2020, https://apnews.com/article/gay-athletes-lack-of-change-nfl-rugby-fa90b7510d8264bd91fa4c13058d37f3.
Dylan Sommer Part 1
ReplyDeleteLGBTQ+ athletes have struggled to find their home in the sporting world thus far. Since professional sports have a nationwide platform, athletes are being judged day in and day out. For LGBTQ+ athletes, the criticism and comments that they face are more intense than other athletes. People are mixed in their beliefs on the LGBTQ+ community and in the sports world that is fully displayed. Consequently, many LGBTQ+ athletes are hesitant to come out because they know that they will receive backlash on a wide scale. According to an NPR.org article, it says “professional athletes can risk damage to their career or worse for telling the truth about sexuality” (Hernandez). For example, Michael Sam was the first openly gay athlete to be drafted into the NFL. However, as soon as he entered the league, players like former Miami Dolphins safety Don Jones lashed out on Twitter about Sam’s sexuality. Moreover, Sam did not last that long in the league as he was cut by the Rams, and he did not play a single game for the Cowboys. Ultimately, once an athlete comes out, they are treated as a different person, and people look down on them for their decision.
Athletes wait until after their playing careers to come out because they want to avoid homophobic behaviors in sports settings. Teammates, coaches, and owners could all be the dealers of homophobic behavior towards an LGBTQ+ athlete. In an AP News article, it explains that “sports organizations, LGBTQ advocacy groups, and government officials assume homophobic behavior is driven by homophobic attitudes in sports…studies consistently find homophobic language continues to be frequently used by male athletes” (Passa). Since LGBTQ+ athletes do not want to be subject to homophobic behavior, they wait until they retire to come out. Even though former NFL running back David Kopay was the first professional athlete to reveal that they were gay, he did not do so until his career was done. Kopay knew that there was a lack of understanding of the LGBTQ+ community in the NFL, so he decided to wait until his retirement to make his announcement. Nonetheless, Kopay still faced homophobic behavior from others after his retirement. No teams were interested in hiring him for a coaching position, and he was constantly criticized for his sexuality. If Kopay came out during his time in the NFL, there was a chance that he would have lost the chance to play football as well. Overall, people disregard athletes after they become a part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Dylan Sommer Part 2
ReplyDeleteAs for the future of LGBTQ+ athletes, it is starting to look a little bit brighter. Recently, both Nashville Predators prospect Luke Prokop and former Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib each came out while they are still in their playing days. According to the New York Times, it says “the Raiders quickly showed their support of Nassib’s announcement, writing “proud of you, Carl,” and two of his teammates voiced their support by commenting on Carl’s post” (Belson). With more athletes of the LGBTQ+ community coming out, it shows that society is starting to change for the better. As a result, I believe that LGBTQ+ athletes are finally getting the recognition they deserve, and they are opening the doors for others to come out as well. Our society should be accepting of others no matter what, and people are slowly realizing that reality.
Works Cited
Passa, Dennis. “Years after Coming out, Gay Athletes Upset by Lack of Change.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 2 Dec. 2020, https://apnews.com/article/gay-athletes-lack-of-change-nfl-rugby-fa90b7510d8264bd91fa4c13058d37f3.
Hernandez, Joe. “Why There Are Few Openly Gay Athletes in Men's Professional Sports.” NPR, NPR, 21 July 2021, https://www.npr.org/2021/07/21/1018404859/openly-gay-athletes-in-mens-pro-sports-few.
Belson, Ken. “Raiders' Carl Nassib Announces He's Gay, an N.F.L. First.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 June 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/21/sports/football/carl-nassib-gay-nfl.html.