by Will Van Gelder ’16

On Super Bowl Media Day, San Francisco 49er Chris Culliver indulged in open gay bashing.  He stated emphatically to comedian Artie Lang, “I don’t do the gay guys, man.  I don’t do that … Ain’t got no gay people on the team.  They gotta get up outta here if they do.  Can’t be with that sweet stuff.”   Despite the double negatives, Culliver clearly indicated that he would not welcome a homosexual teammate in his locker room.  Jim Harbaugh, the 49ers head coach, disavowed these statements as did other players on the team.  Under pressure, Culliver apologized for his derogatory comments.

However, do not mistake these obligatory rebukes for acceptance of homosexual players in the National Football League. There are no openly gay male players in any of the four major sports leagues in the United States.  Out of the 1,696 NFL players, approximately 700 NHL players, 400 or so NBA players, and 750 MLB players, not one has come out as gay. This is a statistical impossibility since five to ten percent of the general population is gay. The only explanation for this discrepancy is that gay male athletes would not feel welcome in professional sports and would never come out as gay while still playing for their teams.  Some athletes have come out once they have retired from playing professionally, but they are rare too.

Why is homophobia so prevalent in the world of sports?  Could it be that professional athletes are macho or perhaps afraid of possible homosexual tendencies of their own?  Is the culture of male sports a manly, rough and tumble culture where any semblance of femininity would be mocked?  Football is a game played by men and men only.  There are no female football leagues, so it is truly a man’s world.

In contrast to Culliver’s nasty comments, Brendon Ayanbadejo, a Baltimore Ravens linebacker, had a kinder message in an anti-homophobic column in USA Today on February 6.  He compared the movement for rights for homosexuals with the civil rights movement and mentioned Jackie Robinson, the first African American major league baseball player who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers.  “Just like Jackie, the breakthrough gay athlete will be a courageous individual going it alone in uncharted territory … we need to be Athlete Allies who are willing to leverage our social capital and all that goes with it—like fans, endorsement deals and more—to stand up for a larger purpose.”  Ayanbadejo’s column gives hope that one day other athletes will come forward and ask for acceptance of all players.

This may take time, but athletes will change as politicians have.  In an increasing number of states in this nation, gays are permitted to marry.  One can only hope that gays will be permitted to play sports professionally and be open about their sexuality without worrying about losing their jobs or being scorned.  It only seems fair that all people who are gifted athletes and love sports should be allowed to play professionally without being judged for their sexuality.

Photo Credit: www.npr.org