Male Athletes and Homosexuality

Today in class we discussed about the perplexities about male athletes coming out to their professional teams when they are homosexual. In recent history most males have only come out after their professional careers were over to avoid being ostracized with their fans and even within their own team. Even with the strides we have made in recent years for gay rights and the acceptance of gays within the community, male athletes who are gay may have it a little harder than the majority. Their profession revolves around masculinity, and it doesn’t help their case that there is a connotation that gay men tend to be more feminine. I think because of the nature of their job and the negative reputation of the homosexuality, the atmosphere of and a gay male athlete and his counterparts are intensified. If a professional athlete were to come out that he was gay, I think he will have a support system, however, I also think that he will have a hard time maintaining expectance from the rest of his teams and his fans. I totally understand that for wanting to wait to come out until their career is over. Until there has been a substantial number of athletes that come out later in life, people will finally start to break down their pre conceptions and expectations of athletes and heterosexuality. And until that happens I think it will be unlikely that we will hear about gay male athletes that come out while in the duration of their career.