Homophobia in Sports: The Other Don’t Ask Don’t Tell

Despite changes in society over the past quarter century that have reflected a broader acceptance of the LGBT community, team sports continues to be a hyper-masculine world where homosexuality remains the most taboo of topics. Being a gay or lesbian athlete has become the other don’t ask don’t tell.

From the schoolyard to the locker room, one surefire way to insult a male athlete is to say, “You play like a girl.” Regardless of how sexist that phrase is, it’s universally accepted in sports. With being gay likened to being less than a man or “girly;” what man in his right mind would want to be considered feminine in a masculine environment? It’s that fear that prevents the sports world from openly embracing their gay counterparts.

“In the 21st century, this is something that needs to be discussed with less fear,” says Dave Zirin, sports editor for The Nation. While the rest of the country applauds New York’s recent passing of a law that allows same sex marriages, the sports world continues to be reactive instead of proactive in their dealings with homophobia. When pro athletes the likes of Kobe Bryant (NBA), DeSean Jackson (NFL), Joakim Noah (NBA) and James Harrison (NFL) utter homophobic slurs, the repercussions are merely a few fines but very little is done to change the locker room culture.

“Who is the NBA to fine a player [for using a gay slur] when they have taken no steps to foster an open environment,” says Slam magazine Editor-In-Chief Ben Osborne of the fines levied on Kobe Bryant and Joakim Noah. “If homophobia was addressed during media training in the same manner as financial matters, race matters or other social issues, then a fine would totally be in order because they were violating the rules of the league.”

Zirin agrees, suggesting that the implementation of sensitivity training could be written into the new collective bargaining agreement as the NBA still holds firm on a lockout. But more than that, he says that the simple message that the leagues will support gay athletes has yet to be broadcast. “I wouldn’t just say that the league doesn’t do enough, they don’t do anything,” Zirin says. “It would be very easy to do something like actually putting the message out to players that says, ‘Odds are some of you guys are gay; we just want you to know that we will support you if you want to come out of the closet.’ That message never gets out.”

As a result, many gay athletes like remain in the closet until after their sports career is over. (WNBA player Sheryl Swoopes is a rare exception in that she came out while still actively playing.) Gay athletes who come out after retirement do so for a number of reasons. There are no teammates to answer to, no endorsement deals to risk and they’re no longer looking to be accepted in the locker room. Former professional athletes like Jerry Smith (NFL), Roy Simmons (NFL), Billy Bean MLB), Glenn Burke (MLB), Will Sheridan (NCAA) and John Amaechi (NBA) all announced that they were gay when their professional careers had come to a close.

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Amaechi is recognized as the first NBA player to be openly gay and released a memoir Man in the Middle in 2007. The book and Amaechi were met with mixed results from active NBA players. Some applauded his courage while others scrutinized the notion that there was a gay man amongst them. Players like Tim Hardaway expressed how they wouldn’t be willing to accept a gay player as a teammate. But Amaechi’s former teammate and now retired NBA player Troy Hudson understands both the locker room mentality and sympathizes with Amaechi and other gay athletes who remain silent.

“Little things like taking a shower in the locker room would make them uncomfortable,” Hudson says when asked why players are apprehensive about having a gay teammate in the locker room. “I think that if an athlete is gay it makes it hard for him to be part of the team. The biggest concern is that they will lose friendship and brotherhood with their teammates.”

Another rationale is that some feel they may be perceived as gay by association. “It’s not just that you are not gay, but you aren’t even going to be close to being gay,” says Khalid Salaam, Slam magazine Senior Writer. “Not because you’re against it. Rather, our culture doesn’t allow you to exist comfortably in it until you get much older.”

On the other side of the coin are the struggles of the lesbian community in sports, which are nearly polar opposites of their male counterparts. A reverse sexism comes into play for female athletes who are oftentimes assumed to be gay simply because of their physical prowess. When Swoopes, who is frequently referred to as the “female Michael Jordan,” revealed that she was

gay in 2005, the news came and went without nearly as much buzz as if a male athlete were to do the same. It’s a double standard based on presumed gender roles that show no signs of changing anytime soon.

Both Hudson and Salaam agree that acceptance of the LGBT community is not as widespread as we may think and point out members of the Christian and hip-hop community who are sports fans yet still homophobic. “You think that coming out would open up the horizons, but it does just the opposite,” Salaam says. “Nobody is ready to be that scrutinized.”

Slowly, the tide is starting to turn. Phoenix Suns president Rick Weltz recently came out and Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin appeared on the cover of Out Magazine to lend his support to the LGBT community and share his story of dealing with his brother’s confession of being gay. Despite these small signs of progress, we’re still a long way from seeing gay professional athletes come out in numbers. However, nobody will deny their existence. “It’s not shocking at all to find gay athletes in sports,” Hudson says. “It’s more shocking to have the courage to come out.”