half a million gay footballers. None public WOT

[GabbyLoggon]

Radio 4 broadcast

Half a million in the world, I suppose they mean.(professionals)

"No gay footballers public."

I suspect it is broadly speaking true.

THE POWER OF CROWDS. would you say?

Eh? If half a million are gay, does that mean there are 5 million proffessional footballers in the world?

(I'm working on 10% of the population being gay, but I've just invented that in my head right now)

Anyway, isn't what's his name who had a baby with a surrogate mother gay?

No not half million gay. Half a million in toto Suprising figure

I heard that programme - Thinking Allowed, wasn't it? - and the 'half million' was pure guesswork on the part of Professor Ellis Cashmore, he said as much. The more interesting part was that none of them were openly gay and his research into why.

His research showed that the 'CROWDS' were not all that bothered about the sexual orentation of the player. Unlike the clubs and agents who were very worried about brand image.

Many young male footie fans are homophobic.

Read the brilliant chelsea defenders book; he experienced a lot of bias

He was a guardian readers (unique amongst footballers

Read the GLORY GAME the writer spent a year with spurs team. Said "Most footballers were Tories."

You're not making any sense at all now, I'm afraid. If you listened to the programme you'll have heard that the outcome of the survey was not 'young male footie fans are homophobic'... which is understandable as it would be in line with the rest of society.

This is the political board btw...

Gabbylogon. How did they work this out? It sounds incredible and false! How many footballers are there in the world? Not that I care, footballers (some of them) are too highly paid and loutish for my liking.

If you want to listen to the original broadcast and the person responsible for the research it's linked here

Not football, but remember when rugby player Gareth Thomas came out? Apart from the fact that it was an open secret in rugby circles (DH used to be semi-professional many, many years ago and still knows people involved in the sport) - lot of people around the sport were really scared of the public reaction. Which was to shrug and not be all that bothered. There seemed to be genuine surprise by sports pundits that noone really cared.

I wouldn't be surprised if there was similar issues with football - if those surrounding the players (teams, agents etc) are convinced it'll be a big deal and keep it secret, when actually most fans genuinely don't care who the players are shagging so long as they perform well on the pitch.

Will the day come when 'BAPS' (Boyfriends and Partners (Civil)) are accompanying the WAGS?

Along with the HABs - husbands and boyfriends of women footballers.

Sadly, the vision of women players with an entourage is unlikely to materialise as anything other than a comedy sketch any time soon.

gay bashers at matches are said to justify
this way.

"we are not against gays. We support our team by bashing the oppos any way we can."

That a load of pollocks as a justification

Just remembered...a woman I used to go on phone-ins with backed gays at the drop of a pin

Always with thesame result. (It was yorkshire.) Men would flood the lines
saying ++++++++++++ we dont do anal

They are entitled to say that. But all sex is messy.

(no disrespect to the footie player of a similar name.

YORKSHIRE RADIO LISTENERS Have you twigged?

Fashanu was an openly gay professional footballer.

Even his delightful bastard of a brother disowned him, which probably didn't encourage anyone else to follow his lead .

Well Knitt, I dont think you can seriously keep orientation secret within a family.

What you can keep secret is whether you are active.

My parents did not have a clue about gays.

they were different times.

This poor gentleman kept his orientation secret from his family. (DM link warning - sorry). I suspect the secrecy is common.

Football is a completely different kettle of fish to rugby (was going to say a whole different ball game ). Opposing fans stand side by side in the stands, which would never ever happen in football. A gay player would still be hounded wherever he played - pathetic, but sadly true. Lots of football fans are fucking idiots, I'm afraid.

You really should listen to the broadcast and the outcome of the research. It was notable precisely because it rather put paid to the impression that football fans are universally homophobic 'fucking idiots'.

I think the way forward will be as it was with MPs, film-stars, singers etc. i.e. some will be 'outed' by gay pressure groups, others will go public voluntarily, there will be next to no reaction from the fans and a few years down the track we'll all wonder what the problem was.

"He was a guardian readers (unique amongst footballers"

David James writes for the Guardian (and presumably reads at least what he's written.) :)

Admittedly I am only going on the evidence I've seen and heard myself from the stands, Chil1234 - virtually the whole section of home/away fans singing homophobic songs. Sol Campbell was crucified everywhere he played.

Presumably there would be some kind of FA campaign to discourage homophobic chanting the same as they've done with racist chanting. (Mind you, I'm sure Peter Crouch is getting pretty bored with the 'tall-ist' chants as much as Beckham did the anti-wife chants.) Just needs a few people to take the initiative.

I've been saying that for ages - as you say, it worked with racism (mostly - apart from anti-semitism ), so theoretically it should be possible with homophobia.

The Chelsea defender mentioned upthread was the delectable Graeme Le Saux who read the Guardian and listened to Teenage Fanclub and was therefore seen as a ripe target for homophobic abuse.

I've heard whispers about certain players on Popbitch but nothing more than that. Very sad in this day and age.

Here is a really article with Le Saux talking about the abuse he received. Just think if someone who wasn't actually gay got that much abuse, it's no surprise that there are no out footballers

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/article2419068.ece

James and le Saux dont make a guardian summer.cthink on

Footballers are probably not educated because they were int the F game from the age of 8 and nothing else. The logic seems sound.
You dont learn what you aren,t interested in

Gabby - I'm not sure what you mean by your first paragraph.

As for your second, it's not necessarily the case. Certainly one would struggle to call the likes of Klinsmann or Wenger uneducated. Some footballers are not very bright, but this homophobia has deeper roots then that.

Gabby - I'm not sure what you mean by your first paragraph.

As for your second, it's not necessarily the case. Certainly one would struggle to call the likes of Klinsmann or Wenger uneducated. Some footballers are not very bright, but this homophobia has deeper roots then that.