Gays & Sports

[OrphanPip]

Soccer is actually the older term, though it went out of usage in the UK in the 20th century. There were several sports in England in the 19th century that used the word football, including rugby which was at the time called "rugby football." So, "soccer football" was one of the many names the sport was called (it's original full name being "association football"), and the name soccer caught on in North America while it fell out of usage in the UK.American football gets its name from a similar drop of the original distinguishing name for the kind of football it was.

As to sports and gays, I think there's a strange obsession with sexuality and sport going on lately in mainstream media. With the outing of athletes being a big concern. I wrote a paper last year about the relationship between sports outings in the media and queer literary responses (in particular theatrical plays involving baseball) to sport. I continue to find the insistence on the legitimizing effect of athletic masculinity troubling. Although, now this thread has got me thinking of the eroticized athlete as a special kind of queer response to sport and maybe I'll revisit the topic in the future to think out the implications.

As to my own relation to sport, I played hockey and did figure skating until I was 14, and I played badminton in college. I find amateur sport fascinating so I really enjoy the Olympics at times, though I find professional sport and the excess of money involved distasteful at times. That being said, I do watch hockey occasionally, and I follow the standings, but I wouldn't go so far to call myself a major hockey fan.

[nfisher1226]

I think social conditioning has a lot to do with this. It runs on multiple levels.

On the one hand, up until just recently in most places (and this still holds true in a lot of other places) it was only those who were truly brave about defying convention that lived an openly gay lifestyle. They tend to be, on the whole, not only a lot more independent but I tend to believe that on average we gays are a little more intelligent. Or maybe we just care more about intellectual pursuits and find them more appealing, on the whole. So you have a bunch of guys who don't care what others think of them and are pretty busy reading, studying, learning, creating, etc. That's a recipe for a class of people who don't spend their days watching sports on TV.

On the other hand, in order to differentiate ourselves some of us bought into an alternative culture hook, line and sinker. There's probably a lot of gay guys who are closet sports fans. How's that for a contradiction? It's expected of us that we be a little more brainy, artsy, and sensitive and we're not supposed to be dirty or take part in the stereotypical "dumb guy" routines, which include watching sports on TV. So it's possible to be completely out about being gay but feel pressured to behave more gay than a person might naturally feel inclined to.

Now I'm not saying I buy into the stereotypes. I'm pointing out the effects they can have on the psyche and behavior. I can enjoy watching football on TV, and then enjoy reading a good book or working in the flower garden. But not everyone is as comfortable in their own skin.

[ceez]

I guess I'm the only one that likes the popular sports. I'll give most sports a try (playing and watching), but my two favorites are American football and basketball. I was obsessed with basketball for a little while, I would play it, go home and play a basketball video game, then watch a game or two that night.

[southbiochem]

I guess I'm the only one that likes the popular sports. I'll give most sports a try (playing and watching), but my two favorites are American football and basketball. I was obsessed with basketball for a little while, I would play it, go home and play a basketball video game, then watch a game or two that night.

Ha! Did you not read previous posts?

A lot of sport loving folks here..

not me tho

[NthePink]

For me, nothing gets more exciting than going to a hockey game.

I'll watch most any sport on TV (except basketball, I HATE watching basketball). But going a hockey game is just intense.

[freelandia]

Does it make you feel superior because you like watching sports? It has the cliche undertone.

[NthePink]

Me?

Not really. It's like people that are into chess or ballet or really, anything that could be a hobby. Some dig it, some don't.

I guess some pepple get pretentious over it. I could care less. I've got a varied amount of interests, so I can usually find common ground in many circles. If I don't, well, no big deal.

[CardShark]

Does formula 1 count?

[nullnaught]

No NFL team player seems to want to come out of the closet.

That i know of.

[CellarDweller]

No NFL team player seems to want to come out of the closet.

soon to be!



N.F.L. Prospect Michael Sam Proudly Says What Teammates Knew: He’s Gay

By JOHN BRANCHFEB. 9, 2014


Coaches at the University of Missouri divided players into small groups at a preseason football practice last year for a team-building exercise. One by one, players were asked to talk about themselves — where they grew up, why they chose Missouri and what others might not know about them.

As Michael Sam, a defensive lineman, began to speak, he balled up a piece of paper in his hands. “I’m gay,” he said. With that, Mr. Sam set himself on a path to become the first publicly gay player in the National Football League.

“I looked in their eyes, and they just started shaking their heads — like, finally, he came out,” Mr. Sam said Sunday in an interview with The New York Times, the first time he had spoken publicly about his sexual orientation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/10/sports....html?_r=0