Out on the Field: Gay Acceptance and its Media Coverage in Sports

Written By: Sia Sirish Karanth

Edited By: Saptarchi Biswas

Graphic Designer: Vedant Gunda

“There are kids… who’d rather be dead than be gay.” These were words said by former NFL player Carl Nassib, who made history by coming out as the first openly gay active sportsman for the NFL. While the institution of the NFL accepted his identity, the question remains as to why it took so long for this development and why there have been little to no openly gay men in sports. 

American football, like many other sports that are largely watched by men, is widely known for its culture of “locker room” homophobia. This mindset comes from the strong belief that homosexual men are weaker and “less masculine” than their heterosexual counterparts. 

Most major media outlets celebrated Carl Nassib as a beacon of hope for the generations to come, while public opinion was divided into multiple camps. Many expressed a sense of indifference, believing that his sexual orientation was unrelated to his ability to play sports. Others worried he would be subject to the same treatment as fellow player Michael Sam, who made headlines when he came out and when former NFL coach Tony Dungy made a statement saying he would not have drafted Sam, fearing the consequent media circus that would follow. 

While mainstream media feedback in this case was largely positive, there still remains a gap between what is reported and the reality that is the persistent homophobia especially in adolescent sports. The challenging truth remains as to how positive media coverage is not entirely successful in normalizing LGBTQ+ identities in sports. A popular study on the issue of homophobia in adolescent spheres is one by Danny Osborne and William E. Wagner, which showed that male adolescents who participated in sports such as football, basketball, and baseball were significantly more likely to hold homophobic attitudes than other peers their age. 

Heteronormativity in sports also contributes to this problem. Another discrepancy is the difference in media coverage of gay athletes versus lesbian athletes. In general, acceptance of lesbians in sports is higher due to the lower percentage of male audience and more progressive culture in women’s sports. There are more openly lesbian sportswomen than openly gay sportsmen. Hence, when coming out stories of these lesbian sportspersons are covered by the media, there is less overall reaction and pushback from the public. An example is the reaction of the media to Brittany Griner who came out as lesbian; there was hardly any coverage on the topic.

On the other hand, Jason Collins who came out as gay barely a month later was subject to media uproar. There are also debates surrounding whether homophobia in men’s sports specifically is a byproduct of deeply ingrained misogyny? The general perception of gay men is that they are effeminate.The misogynistic lens views gay men as lesser than because they are “more like women”. The challenge now is therefore to dismantle the misogynistic and derogatory views that these men hold of gay men that eventually trickles down to homophobia and hegemonic masculinity. The need of the hour is therefore to have conversations and discourse attempting to deconstruct these perspectives. Providing adequate representation to homosexuals in all domains goes a long way in reducing heteronormativity culture and promoting gay acceptance.