8% of football fans would not watch their team with a gay player

[Durlston]

I found it sad that Thomas Hitzlesperger, the former Aston Villa and Everton player, had to retire before telling the media that he was gay. The reaction was mostly positive and I remember David Cameron making a statement saying that it may inspire others to come out. To be honest, I was left thinking 'Is that all Cameron has to talk about?' He certainly had more important things to deal with at the time. Who really cares what the former German midfielder does in private? He was an amazing footballer with a powerful shot. Chances are there's a gay footballer at every single club in England but it's really none of anybody else's business.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Can we name a gay 11?

1. Lee CAMP
2. John BUMSTEAD
3. Julian DICKS
4. Peter SHIRTLIFF(ter)
5. Alan BALL
6. Lars BENDER
7. Andre ARSEHAVIN
8. Nicky BUTT
9. Darren BENT
10.David GOODWILLIE
11.El HadJ POUF

 

[Seasidesage]

I've questioned a few players parentage, a few's eyesight, even called a few a slang word for a female part of the anatomy but I never once wondered or cared who they were shagging. Why would anybody care?

 

[whitelion]

I wouldn't watch a gay footballer have sex. Quite happy to see him kick a football about though, providing it's not part of some sordid S&M bondage role-playing that the club didn't tell me about when I bought my match ticket.

Would you watch a straight footballer have sex?

 

[El Presidente]

Would you watch a straight footballer have sex?

If anyone does I can provide them with a DVD

 

[el punal]

Well 8% of fans had better stop going right now then.

I would expect the 8% wouldn't give a flying f*** if said player scored loads of goals and helped the team win a major trophy.

I suppose this survey reflects the pathetic mentality of certain fans who thought the same when black players came to prominence in the 1970s.

 

[Buzzer]

Would you watch a straight footballer have sex?

Nope, not even Calderon. Mind you, he doesn't do sex, he makes love.

 

[Me and my Monkey]

 

[NooBHA]

like it, but wouldn't you get pseudo-gay footballers

Now wouldn't that be ironic.....Straight footballers pretending to be gay instead of Gay footballers pretending to be straight

 

[Me and my Monkey]

Why should they "come out" it's absolutely nobodies business.

Until we can put aside completely the term "coming out" we'll never be truly enlightened. It suggest stepping forth from a furtive, grubby pre-existence into a glare of lights, fanfares and frantic, overly-enthusiastic, if not always sincere, applause. Everyone should feel naturally comfortable to talk about or not talk about any aspect of their private lives feel they would like to share.

 

[NooBHA]

Would you watch a straight footballer have sex?

I suppose it would depend on what his partner looked like and whether it was free on the internet or not

 

[Buzzer]

I have a solution to it all

Given that Brighton is one of the most tolerant clubs on this issue. Perhaps all the gay players should come out to Brighton every year. We cherry pick all the best ones and build a brilliant football team on the strength of it who fire us to the Premiership

The 8% of fans who don't like it can **** off. They get replaced by thousands of gay football fans in the UK. Due to our tolerance and major publicity of it, we recruit millions of fans gay and gay tolerant and their families all round the world. We raise billions from sales of replica shirts all round the world which finance the club for many years to come.

Then the icing on the cake, the 8% who ****ed off earlier want to come back due to our success, we welcome them back with open arms because we are not only a tolerant but also a forgiving club, so we build an extension to the ground to welcome them back and sell another extra 8% replica shirts

Problem solved.

I know you jest but in all seriousness, that would not solve anything, I reckon. Firstly, Brighton has always been and should always be a community club. It shouldn't ever go down the St Pauli route of trying to attract specific demographics, it's for everyone even homophobes and racists and as long as they keep their views to themselves I'll happily stand alongside them or any other Brighton fan. And then there's how the club will be perceived from the outside. Will making Brighton the default club for gayers make the wider game and opposition fans more tolerant? Of course not. And it doesn't make it easier for gay fans of other clubs to feel welcome in their own club either.

The only way to make attitudes more tolerant is if the message can be got across that all clubs have gay fans and they've probably had gay players too and it really shouldn't even be relevant when going to watch football, anymore than if a player is vegetarian or an atheist.

 

[The Albion Roar]

Until we can put aside completely the term "coming out" we'll never be truly enlightened. It suggest stepping forth from a furtive, grubby pre-existence into a glare of lights, fanfares and frantic, overly-enthusiastic, if not always sincere, applause.

In your universe, maybe.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, some people suffer greatly for their sexuality, and so prefer to keep it hidden and to themselves. They tell people when they feel confident enough about it. This has nothing to do with showmanship or thinking there's a greater sense of appreciation to be had, and your comment is clearly trivlialising the issue. For many, this is serious.

Everyone should feel naturally comfortable to talk about or not talk about any aspect of their private lives feel they would like to share.

Quite. And until we live in more enlightened times, this won't happen - and people will refuse to come out.

 

[El Presidente]

Some players have revealed that they are gay to their fellow players, who, in the main, have been totally relaxed about it.

Why some feel the need for a complete bunch of strangers in the shape of football fans to know the same issues is however beyond me. There is a sense of neediness amongst a minority of fans to know every single issue about players because such fans feel prioportioral towards them, when they have no such right to do so.

I watched the whole of the interview with Greg Clarke before the culture, media and sport select committee. He was quizzed on the issue of footballers sexuality amongst other things. Sadly every question fired at him was one of politicial opportunism, regardless of the party of the MP asking the question.

It's of no more interest to most of us I suspect than where players shop for their groceries, and frankly about as interesting.

 

[NooBHA]

I know you jest but in all seriousness, that would not solve anything, I reckon. Firstly, Brighton has always been and should always be a community club. It shouldn't ever go down the St Pauli route of trying to attract specific demographics, it's for everyone even homophobes and racists and as long as they keep their views to themselves I'll happily stand alongside them or any other Brighton fan. And then there's how the club will be perceived from the outside. Will making Brighton the default club for gayers make the wider game and opposition fans more tolerant? Of course not. And it doesn't make it easier for gay fans of other clubs to feel welcome in their own club either.

The only way to make attitudes more tolerant is if the message can be got across that all clubs have gay fans and they've probably had gay players too and it really shouldn't even be relevant when going to watch football, anymore than if a player is vegetarian or an atheist.

I agree with you 100% - But as you say, I was only trying to have a bit of fun

 

[Seagull1989]

Why isn't the title of this thread that 92% of fans would still attend matches of their team has a gay player . That's the statistic we should be looking at, instead we focus on the negative of the few .

Also I have seen a few Spurs games on tv recently and they seem to have a rainbow flag in the corner of their stadium . Think that's the first time I've seen that flag in any stadium . Although , come to think of it there was one at the Amex once .

 

[nwgull]

I don't know, there is a club just north of the M23 that like to join in the homophobic comments on their boards.

From my experience of having watched the Albion at dozens of shit provincial towns, it's generally a case of: the shitter the town, the more homophobic the fans.

As many as 8% doesn't surprise me at all when it includes fans from places like Burnley and Croydon.

 

[Eeyore]

Some players have revealed that they are gay to their fellow players, who, in the main, have been totally relaxed about it.

Why some feel the need for a complete bunch of strangers in the shape of football fans to know the same issues is however beyond me. There is a sense of neediness amongst a minority of fans to know every single issue about players because such fans feel prioportioral towards them, when they have no such right to do so.

I watched the whole of the interview with Greg Clarke before the culture, media and sport select committee. He was quizzed on the issue of footballers sexuality amongst other things. Sadly every question fired at him was one of politicial opportunism, regardless of the party of the MP asking the question.

It's of no more interest to most of us I suspect than where players shop for their groceries, and frankly about as interesting.

Not to you, no. But if everyone had your attitude it wouldn't be an issue.

The problem is that if a player has a same sex partner- or indeed anything in their life that betrays their sexuality- it means they are reduced to a paler existence if they hide it.

Not such a problem for most ordinary folk these days but a huge one for a footballer. The average Joe just tells friends and family for they are the only folk who give a damn and, importantly, are those who would become aware of the person's 'lifestyle' anyway. Job done.

Footballers are public property. So everyone has to know. For to live without caution is to expose such a 'secret' to risk. Then the revelations are revealed in an uncontrolled way.

So what to do ? Either stay in the closet and tell those they trust only or tell everyone (as more than just those closest will be interested) and get it out the way.

One option leads to a half life, the other to a risk of hurtful abuse. Take your pick. But once it's done- it's done.

If that 8% didn't exist there would be no coming out. But, paradoxically, because they do, there is. Or not.

 

[Eeyore]

Why isn't the title of this thread that 92% of fans would still attend matches of their team has a gay player . That's the statistic we should be looking at, instead we focus on the negative of the few .

Also I have seen a few Spurs games on tv recently and they seem to have a rainbow flag in the corner of their stadium . Think that's the first time I've seen that flag in any stadium . Although , come to think of it there was one at the Amex once .

The problem is that you can guarantee a gay footballer will have looked at that today and worked out an approximation of how many that 8% is. They will then decide to carry on living a secret life for fear of just one of them finding out.

 

[Gullflyinghigh]

I find it incredibly sad that the figure is as high as 8%.

Some truly pathetic people out there.