Author: Joe Siegal
American sports often serve as some of the most mainstream, widely consumed commentary on the nation’s hot-button social and cultural issues. While the social relevance of sports is often only acknowledged in hindsight, a critical eye toward athletics today reveals that sports have and continue to reflect America’s institutional struggles with homophobia. The handling of homosexuality in professional locker rooms is a looming issue that must be addressed, despite the tendency of American sports leagues to ignore the presence of homophobia among their players and teams. As sports often set examples for institutional conduct, influencing the beliefs of millions, leagues have a responsibility to promote tolerance and do away with ignorance and bigotry.
Issues of gay rights and marriage equality are at a national cultural zenith with the U.S. Supreme Court deliberating over the legality of the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8.
In this moment of possible cultural change, it seems as though the NFL may be one of the first sporting institutions where attitudes toward sexuality may be confronted directly and publicly. CBS Sports recently reported that a current NFL player is considering coming out publicly and planning to continue his playing career. The presence of an openly gay athlete in the NFL would be a landmark event that would be the first of its kind in the big four American sports, organizations in which homosexuality in locker rooms remains an unfortunately taboo subject. Whether or not this report is credible, it begs the question of whether an openly gay player would be accepted and treated fairly in the NFL, America’s most watched and easily its most hypermasculine sports league.
At this year’s NFL draft combine, Colorado tight end Nick Kasa revealed to the press that an unnamed NFL team questioned him about his sexual orientation. It is a sign of a wider problem that a multi-billion dollar league that is watched by a massive proportion of the country has failed to curtail institutional discrimination.
The NFL is not the only sporting body that struggles with homophobia. Kobe Bryant was fined for using a homophobic slur while yelling at a referee in 2011. In baseball just last year, then-Toronto shortstop Yunel Escobar was suspended three games for writing a Spanish homophobic slur on his eye black. While Bryant and Escobar were punished for their actions, the stigma against homosexuality in sports is very much alive.
The increasing outspokenness of professional athletes who call for the equal treatment of gay athletes is a step in the right direction. NFL players Brandon Ayanbadejo of the Ravens and Chris Kluwe of the Vikings, as well as NBA player Kenneth Faried of the Denver Nuggets, among others, have recently and publicly been open about supporting gay rights, helping to create an environment in sports in which it may no longer be as stigmatized to speak out about issues of sexuality.
As players voice their opinions, whether progressive or not, American sports leagues remain too silent. Monetary fines and game suspensions make an impact but really just cover up homophobia through punishment rather than ending it through more public efforts towards tolerance education.
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