Thetownend.com

Documentry on BBC3 at the moment, anyone watching this?
Quite interesting.

Are they the ones that play in Yellow and Blue ?

Blue and white surely?

Joey Bumchump is openly gay, he's got aids he can't get rid of it, he's an O**** bastard

Classy.

It doesn't even rhyme.

Judging by the gap between that post and yours, it's safe to say that nobody agreed with said class.

I wouldn't have expected any less.

Ignoring the idiot above (no, not you o_f), I don't know if i miss-heard it but I swear the programme claimes there is only one openly gay professional footballer in the world (or was it just Europe?).

Fairly interesting piece with Joey "Media Whore" Barton who claimed it would still be another 10 years or more before there's an openly gay footballer in the PL.  It's a sad indictment but think he's spot on. 

Until the old boys (late 40s - 50s), with their entrenched views, get too old for matchdays the sheer abuse would be intolerable. 

Im surprised leon knight wasnt on there being a talking head character

I don't understand what this 'problem' has to do with football? There are hardly any openly gay sportsmen regardless of profession. Even Colin Jackson is still in the closet. In fact, when it comes to males, i can only really think of the Welsh rugby fella who has 'come out' as homosexual.

Steve Davies, England reserve wicketkeeper came out 18 months or so ago, and very interestingly was probably the first to do so at the start rather than the end of their career.

Difficult subject though, as much as it shouldn't matter, you can see why people are advised by their agents to keep it quiet.

Max clifford made my laugh saying agents only think about money, when he preys on the people with issues himself and makea a killing

Hypocritical cunt

If there was a thread allowing people to remove one person from existence without repercussions I'd have expected Max Clifford to feature prominently. The man is a horrible leech.

Agreed.

Blokes a tool.

was an eye opener when he was on with Louis Theroux....he was spinning so many tall tales, white lies, cover stories etc...I dont think even he could tell reaility from bollox in the end...thoroughly exposed..well done louis

I doubt there are many gay pro footballers. No doubt there are a few but i reckon they will be pretty rare

I agree with arriba. I know it's stereotyping, but many of the sports themselves wouldn't exactly lend themselves to being something a homosexual would be inclined to join, so by their very nature I expect the numbers are ver, very low.

I think the only gays would be the ones that have spent years in the closet and would have played to keep up appearances.

Or Sol Campbell...

I think Max Cliffords wrong and a complete dinosaur.If a top class footballer came out it wouldn't hold them back football wise and sponsor wise they'd have such a high profile they'd rake it in.In fact footballers are so money obsessed i'm surprised a straight footballer doesn't pretend to be gay.

As for whether any footballers are gay,who knows.I'm a working class,40 year old bloke I think I've only ever known 2 openly gay men in my entire life.Is that unusual?

The use of the word "fella" is not exactly a sign of rampant heterosexuality is it

England (sometime) wicket keeper Stephen Davies (spelling might be wrong)

Steven, it's Steven (although sometimes Steve)

Always thought freddie ljungberg was gay.

Hence the 'spelling might be wrong' bit

You may be mixing him up with Anton Hysen...son of ex Liverpool Glenn...which makes him Swedish.

How wrong you are.

Look in all walks of life: Office of twenty blokes, pub of twenty blokes .... football team of twenty blokes - there is always at least one gay.

Was interesting that the programme couldn't get any younger players to even discuss the issue.
Managed interviews with a few established pros including Steve Mildenhall or said he has gay friends in Glos and Wilts but doesn't know of any footballers who are gay.
I think the biggest issues for any gay players might be more with the dinosaurs in management / influential positions at clubs rather than from the fans or their teammates.

Made me laugh she went to interview at millwall.

The most caveman club there is

what, the same person?

He was often seen up the Arse

How would players feel about showering with a gay man? It may sound homophobic but its not. If men and women are separated regardless of whether they fancy each other or not then this has to follow for homosexuals v heterosexuals doesn't it ?

Disagree. Out of the entire year group i was in at school only 1 is gay. And that is a lesbo.
There will probably be another 1 or 2 but that aint 1 in 20

Isn't the official stat 1 in 10 people are gay?? It seems very high to me, although I don't make a habit of asking people their sexual orientation whenever I meet them.

Regardless, who cares if some sportsmen fancy knobs? The few gay people I know haven't told their families, i'd imagine it's a similar situation for most/all homosexuals. I don't understand why their under so much pressure to come out

It's a bit silly to say that Football will definitely have the same ratio as the general public though, I'm sure there are professions that come down on both sides. I'd be very surprised to hear that 19 out of 20 people involved in musical theatre were straight, for example.

Either way, I'm sure there are a few around and maybe a couple of very well known ones. But it's their choice, they don't have to go public with it any more than they have to go public with any other details of their private lives. As long as none of them hire Max Clifford, I'm fine with whatever they do.

I doubt if any would come out and say I'm gay at school, they would get beaten and bullied every day.
Into the working environment it becomes a different situation, more acceptable.

When I played football, I cannot remember playing with a gay player. That is not saying there wasn't one though. Saying that gays seemed to congregate in one pub (35-40 years ago), now every pub has at least one and the gay areas are still there.

It was quoted in an early post that 1 in 10 are gay, that does seem high, I said 1 in 20, and still think this is the ratio in most walks of life.

Singers/Actors as mentioned before have a very high proportion of gays, but coming out in those professions does not hurt their reputations or fan base. Football would be a different matter, especially if you played in higher levels of the game.

I thought he was shagging Will Young at one point.

I fear i might have fallen for a hoax story with regard to this  :doh:

I agree, in my year at Hreod only 2 are gay and one of those was openly gay at the time and that was in around 800 people. The figures are like 99% of statistics....made up on the spot!

I thought it was always 1 in 15, on the basis that every Rugger team had one ;)

Obviously this stat then proves there are more gay men up north

I don't think it makes a difference, can't see how sexuality and the likelihood of playing competitive sport would be linked. Testosterone levels maybe? Does a homosexual have lower testosterone?

In fact the way that top footballers are all such prima donnas I wouldn't be surprised if the ratio was higher amongst them, my Uni team all looked like a bunch of mincers.

well the statistics suggest at least one poster in this thread is gay,who is it?

I think it's you.

I wish it was :(

Not so much competitive sport in general, but the more masculine sports. When you think of Football, at a young age and while you're in secondary school, you think of it being quite a testosterone fuelled dick waving contest. Because of that you're either inclined to play football or not, simply because if the type of male it attracts. Sure some will be inclined to play, but when they're young and insecure, playing something so macho, can't exactly be appealing - why would they want to introduce themselves to that?

I have several gay friends and remember a few gay lads at school. None of them played or play football, so yes I'm generalising, but I don't consider it to be over generalising.

We should listen to this man, if anyone on here is an expert on this, he should be

Im doing a show in a gay club tonight.  But I dont think its me.   Id be a rubbish gay.

My arse has a no entry sign on it so its not me

Used to think it could be me but then I saw Debbie Harry!

Who's business is it of anyone's if a footballer is or isn't gay? And why should they have to come out, which is pretty much what the media want by banging on about this story. They'd love it if a couple of player came out now and boy would they put the media spotlight on them if they did. Fair play for keeping their private life private.

its you isn't it...

I think it's more why are they not coming out Jan. Agree it is no ones business but if people are just to scared to come out then people should rightly ask why.

I think that's the cover story DRS, think the media just want a gay footballer story to focus on.

I think there's bound to be gay footballers. I've got a few gay mates, few who are camp and few who you wouldn't know are gay. I imagine to come as a footballer wouldn't be worth the hassle you would get from opposition fans, possible players, managers etc. It's still very much old school on the terraces aswell. Shame because there's nothing wrong with being gay, you can't help it.

Because they get to see other boys running around in shorts, and can mark them tightly at corners? What would they be doing instead, pressing flowers and practicing their rimming techniques?

I don't buy it. There were plenty of geeky kids at my school who were well into their football. They don't conform to the masculinity thing either but it didn't put them off. If you're good at something, football or otherwise, you're going to do it whether you're gay or not.

1 in 7 are certainly chinese, anyone on here eat kung po chicken every night? What a gay thread.

So if the gay one leaves and someone else comes in, does the new bloke become gay or do they draw straws?

I'd agree with Barry that homosexuality doesn't particularly lend itself to competitive sport, judging by the gay people I've known down the years.  There's no one rule to fit all though obviously, and there are bound to have been plenty.

Jan, it's important for gay players to come out to fight homophobia in football and society in general.  Like when players starting coming out as black in the eighties.

You silly boy/girl/gay!

I know a gay bloke who did kickboxing at uni, so I don't think the sports argument is that strong

I hope that wasn't a reference to me Dave :D

Haha, nah. He graduated last year. He never fully came out, but was a gayman

I'm not trying to work out who you're thinking of, as I almost certainly know him.

I'm not going to name him, it's not my place. I've probably said too much already tbf.

[url width=200 height=167]http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/50276_184584719532_440602_n.jpg[/url]

I don't want to sell you deathsticks.

I'm going to go home at rethink my life.

can you say gay? you cant say ***** now,

In all fairness, 'asterisks' is a fucking difficult word to pronounce

Ask John Terry

To be fair, I imagine the "Fucking" and "Cunt" subtly changed the meaning of the usage of the word "Black".

Although apparently Terry's defence is that he repeated the words back, incredulous that he could be accused of saying such things. Far be it from me to comment on ongoing court proceedings but...

 :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

When a young man decides or knows when he is gay however good a football player he is the chances are because of the MANLY image in football he will not take that career path.

Sad but true.

they did in rugby

Since when has football be deemed a manly sport? 

Absolute tosh. Why would the "manly" image stop him, if there is one?

I wouldnt have thought being gay would stop someone becoming a professional football.

I expect they'd be more likely to find a wannbe WAG and marry her as cover than come out as gay.

One of my closest friends friend is gay. He likes football, he plays football always has done. Until he went to Uni and then moved away he used to go and watch Swindon every week. You probably wouldnt know he was gay just be looking at him - apart from when he's got some alcohol in him - then he turns super camp!

Years ago i had a mate in Scotland who supported Airdrie. When Justin Fashanu (black/gay £1m footballer) went there they used to sing

'' he's Black he's Gay he plays for Air-d-rie  fashanuuu  fashanuuu ''

Not true? but the truth i am afraid....the main reason there are less gay men in the football profesion than most others is the fear of coming out etc.
Football untill recently was a MANS game and in years gone by it has stopped many going on to have a career....no doubt about it...only one female linesman and one female ref sort of spells out MANLY really Oxford Fan..
So come on clever clogs what is your reason for there being almost NIL gay players in over 100 years of footy.....maybe it was because the few there were were shit scared because as i pointed out they would have been shot down in tears by both players and fans alike.

No doubt about it many gay footballers probably chose a different career path once they realised the abuse and stigma they would have recieved once the facts were known.

I dont know the sexuality of every single player and neither do you. How do you know how many gay players there have been over the years? Just because someone isnt openly gay doesnt mean they arent gay.

....and last time I checked - gay men were still men and capable of participating in a mans game.

I can understand gay footballers not coming out for fear of the re-action but I cant imagine any of them turning down a professional career because of it.

Dont agree........lets leave it at that eh,in my view up untill very recent times a young Gay man wouldn't have wanted to play football for a living because of the fear of players and fans knowing.

The reason we dont know what players were/are Gay is simple.....there wasn't any.

I'm amazed. I agree completely with something DV has said.

Utter, utter crap!

Fair enough we're never going to know how many players are gay but to claim there wasn't any is plainly ridiculous and more than a little naive. I'm certain it's not as prevalent as some of the 1 in x's mentioned in this thread but there's bound to have been loads throughout the years just very few of them were open about it.

But now that the Aristotle of the football world, Joey "cigar in the apprentice's eye" Barton has said it is OK to be Gay, the flood gates will open.

you won't see the changing rooms for soft furnishings

ha ha ha Leefer , do you think all gay men are like John Inman or Dale Winton?

I did hear that Will Young was going out with Darren Ambrose.  That is the only current player that I was aware of.  I have also heard the Freddy Ljungberg one.  Always thought Joey Barton was until he had a kid.

I was told a few years ago that John O'Shea and James McFadden both allegedly swing that way.

Is anyone gay who posts on here? Serious question

I was told of rumours of Stefan Freund formally of spurs and Sol Campbell. However at the end of the day a players sexuality doesn't make you any less of a player or person and until such stigma's are dealt with in society then you won't see a pro coming out openly.

It will take a very strong minded individual to buck the trend though.

Heard rumours that Matty Taylor swang that way, but to be honest most of the names that are rumoured often look quite camp, so it's more than likely adding 2 and 2 and getting 5

Bishop and Morley from West ham were both gay and didn't seem to mind people knowing it, Having just said that I just googled Bishop and he is now apparently living in Florida with his wife and kids. Morley was stabbed by his wife after she Found him and Bishop in bed together. Morley now lives and works in Norway.

Just watched the program..
I would say that yes you're going to get a lower percentage of homosexuals in a game like football.. Like how you could get a higher percentage in the arts.. But what isn't going to help is the fact that football is a 'mans' sport, testosterone fueled and so on, if I were gay and a good footballer I wouldn't want to come out because it's not something socially acceptable.

I know people are saying 'who cares, let them keep their private lives private' but I think that's missing the point. It's not that people want to know, it's just trying to get to the point that a homosexual in the Prem could come out without abuse. By saying 'we don't care' it surely backs gay people into a corner where the feel they can't express themselves. And isn't that what livings about? Expressing yourself?

.... Or have I just had a few too many beers?

If homosexuals weren't so sensitive then the songs about them being gay wouldn't upset them so much.

Conjures up images of Inman mincing up the left wing shouting I'm Free.

That's like saying if black people weren't so sensitive then racial abuse wouldn't upset them. Unless it was a joke. Which i'm kind of thinking it is.

It definitely was.

And that's the kind of tension that creates the problem in the first place.


That too was a joke.

You do realise there's a difference between the words "gay" and "camp" right?

Just because they're not mincing it up like Mr Kipling while partaking in balet and soft furnishings interest groups doesn't mean they're not gay.

Most likely!

Law of average.

[serious]
And I hope they did't get too offended at the Brighton/gay jibes I may have made in the past. They were in no way meant to be homophobic in the context they are used in, but could easily be taken as such.
[/serious]

Poof.

homophobia is rife in england, i cringe when you lot immediately do gay jokes because i live in brighton, a city that is liberal and has a small accepted gay population. the chanting at brighton is so old hat and to be frank totally fucking embarrassing, would love it the next time we played them to not hear it.

But Matt Lucas said it was alright... :)

Gaylord.