Week 12 - Gay in sports Flashcards
GAY ATHLETES: HISTORICAL CHALLENGES AND CHANGES
End of the 2010s (as in 2008-2010): homophobia appeared to be rapidly
decreasing.
-Heterosexual men feel freer act in “feminine” ways (Anderson 2011).
-As cultural homophobia continues to diminish, evidence suggests that
more male athletes in team sports will “come out”
Gay in NFL
A (closeted) gay player on every team?
-A handful of players have come out since Sam
-One openly bisexual player: Ryan Russell (formerly of Tampa
Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys)
-“Passing” as heterosexual?
Michael Sam pioneered in NFL
MASCULINITY, HOMOPHOBIA, AND
BEING LGBTQ2+ IN SPORTS
For the most part, LGBTQ2+ people still do not have the freedom that
heterosexuals have in expressing their sexuality in sports spaces
- “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy?
Is sport moving towards a more “inclusive masculinity”?
-decrease in homophobia opens doors to wider range of accepted ways of
“being a man” and allows men to foster emotional bonds in ways that weren’t
previously possible
BEING GAY IN ELITE OR PROFESSIONAL SPORTS: CHALLENGES
Cultural attitudes towards homosexuality have
changed dramatically since the turn of the millennium
Review: Example of hazing and homophobia:
What changed from the early to later years of the study?
-decreased homohysteria (fear of being gay)
- gay chicken
hockey video
-suicidal
- locker room language
-felt trapped
-forced himself to be hyper masculine
A shift in sports culture
Support from straight players toward
gay people in sport has also
dramatically increased over the last
20 years
-Compare research from 2017 and
1996 on young elite athletes and
attitudes towards homosexuality:
- Reduction of the “don’t ask, don’t
tell” attitude re: gay teammates
don’t tell ur gay and don’t ask others
-Changes in attitudes within wider
sports industry
Movement towards inclusive masculinity theory
homoerasure:
Extremely homophobic culture.
Fails to recognize that _________
homohysteria:
Cultural “panic” around homosexuality
inclusivity:
Minimal stigma around homosexuality. Less rigidity around masculine gender norms.
A MORE INCLUSIVE MASCULINITY?
Because of decrease in cultural homophobia (homohysteria), men
feel that they can be more emotionally open
-Freer with affection towards other
men: “bromance”?
-Pushing bounds of “traditional” masculinity
-Is there a more “inclusive masculinity” in sport?
-Is this limited to certain types of sports?
Power of venerability, Thierry Henry video
