After much speculation (and confirmation) that NFL hopeful Michael Sam may face locker room woes as an openly gay player, NFL Nation and ESPN Magazine have conducted a survey to show just how many players have issues working with out athletes.
According to ESPN, 51 players were quizzed four true/false questions following Sam’s announcement. While it seems a majority wouldn’t have a problem showering with or being around a gay teammate, players seem to be split when it comes to whether “an openly gay player would be comfortable in an NFL locker room”:
Forty-four players said a teammate’s sexual orientation didn’t matter to them, and 39 said they would be comfortable showering around a gay teammate. But 32 players said they had teammates or coaches who used homophobic slurs last season, and when asked whether an openly gay player would be comfortable in a NFL locker room, just 25 players said yes; 21 said no, while five declined to answer.
One anonymous starting receiver thinks the NFL should be schooled in which homophobic slurs “can and can’t be said around a gay person”:
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Whoever takes [Sam in the draft] should have an open talk at the beginning of camp, where everybody can ask what he’s comfortable with, what offends him, what boundaries there should be. When it comes to race, people already know the boundaries, to a certain extent. But I don’t think football players are overly familiar with what can and can’t be said around a gay person.
Yeah, that’s it. Boundaries. We need to work on boundaries so the inherently homophobic know what kind of language should be reserved for talking behind a teammate’s back, and what kind of language can be brushed off as a joke in front of him. Brilliant.
vcarista
Irish Rugger
Neil Francis Knows All About You Gay People And How You’re All Hairdressers
True there are many hair dressers that are in fact homosexual
vcarista
But who cares!!!???
Kieran
How about the NFL make it clear that coaches and players using homophobic slurs will be treated the same way as if they used racial slurs? Simple solution.
yaoming
Can’t the NFL afford shower curtains, maybe even some stalls?
davidbergs
If you played high school football, you showered with a Gay, if you went in the military, you showered with a Gay, if you went to the “y” or any health club, you showered with a Gay, if you lived in a college dorm, fraternity house, you showered with a Gay! Are you afraid they will be attracted to you or are afraid of rejection when they are turned off by you?
Matt1961
If this kid is passed by on the draft because he’s gay I think it would be a simple task to remove the tax exemption from the NFL and make them pony up, just like MLB, NBA and every other major professional sports league.
Dakotahgeo
If jockbunnies don’t know about, and practice boundaries at their age, it’s too late. Bench or fire the 25% who have “qualms” about being around out GLBT players. The straight rookies are not ready for serious life situations!
mjwatts
What is it going to take for people to move past this shower thing. There’s a very good chance all of these men have showered with a gay person before, they just didn’t know it.
Respect4all
Like straight guys don’t check out each other’s dicks in the shower. Please! What are they afraid of, that their dicks will shrivel up and fall off if a fag looks at them?
Mdterp01
@Respect4all: Exactly. In high school after gym class when we would take showers would frequently make reference about each other’s dicks and would call someone’s name to get the guy to look and then moon them. Newsflash heteros…just because you are another guy doesn’t mean we want you sexually.
Alan down in Florida
@davidbergs: All the more reason we need a current closeted gay football player to come out and say “You’ve been showering with me for years and nothing ever happened to you so get over yourself.
balehead
51 anonymous people said what……
SteveDenver
@balehead: Exactly. Let’s see how many of these NFL BIG BRAVE OBJECTORS actually exhibit their “fear of the gay” when they can’t hide behind anonymity.
misterhollywood
The ones who seem to have a problem showering with gay people are the same ones who are ignorant of the fact that they have likely been showering with gays for some time – the players just are not out.
Mezaien
To the NFL, go suck eggs.
connor larkin
Army Ranger Pat Tillman who gave up an NFL career to fight fort freedom, liberty and justice for all was NOT a spoiled unpatriotic churls as the majority of professed NFLers.
He earned the Silver Star that most of the crude chicken hawks in NFL lacked the courage to action.
Dakotahgeo
@connor larkin: Thank you, Conner. MUCH truth in your comment!
flexdoc
Well now that will be their problem now won’t it. Who cares if they won’t shower with him. Trust me. They’ll get over it. They are just grandstanding. We need to stop caring about who will do what.
tazz602
So – 30% are homophobic and possibly already gay?? That’s what that headline screamed to me.
The locker room is not sexual for athletes in any way, even gay ones. My partner plays basketball and the Y with straight people every week and has always been active and in sports. He laughs at people that question that. Not only do ALL men look, but the last thing on the mind of a tired, exhausted player of any sport is sex while he is showering.