Piece by: Kyle Sramek
This article contains controversial topics and terms that may be controversial to some readers. My knowledge and terminology that I use in this article is limited. I am only familiar with the basics of this community. Most of my understanding comes from personal experience, conversations with others, and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). Please be understanding of any ignorance I display in this story and feel free to correct me in the comments below. I am open to any and all feedback on this subject.
Professional athletes’ sexual orientation has become more relevant and controversial than ever before. Being a member of the LGBTQ community is something that is scrutinized in society, but even more so in the sporting world. A person that is openly queer in a locker room is often viewed as a problem as it is always a distraction and polarizes people. While the athletes and other team personnel may be accepting of an individual’s sexuality, many fans are not so comfortable with it for their own personal beliefs. Regardless of how they are viewed in the public eye, they feel compelled and comfortable enough to admit who they really are publicly. Some may have felt this way for many years or even decades. Others have no problem with admitting this and come out with no reservations. They have been confident in their sexual orientation their entire life. This is a major topic for discussion that is in no way going away ever.
Let us for a moment examine this for female athletes and how they are perceived. It is not surprising to many outside of the game for many women who play sports and identify as a part of the LGBTQ community. Athletics are mostly viewed as stereotypically designed for men. This is mainly due to the competitive nature of the games and a desire to be successful in their sport. Therefore, it is understandable for women to be thought of as more masculine while playing a competitive game. Many notable female athletes such as Billie Jean King, Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Elena Delle Donne, and many others have publicly admitted they are queer because of this reason. The criticism still exists from some, but it is nowhere near what their male counterparts must deal with who are in the same situation.
Male athletes are under more pressure to keep the status quo in their respective alleys. There are many reasons for this stigma. As I previously mentioned, women who are part of the LGBTQ community face hardly any backlash for their demographics in this respect. That is not true for men. Male athletes are expected to be more physical than women are, and anything less is considered subpar in their sport. That is from all people in the sport from players, coaches, management, and last, but certainly not least, the fans. Some teams may be accepting or even embracing of this as it diversifies their franchise, but the potential backlash from fans may be so bad that it can cost the franchise millions of dollars in revenue.
Negativity can also come from within the organization. While the vast majority of a team may be supportive of a player who identifies as queer, all it takes is for a small portion of the franchise who are not accepting of this person to cause a problem. Players may feel uncomfortable sharing a locker room with such an individual and even less so showering with them There are many aspects that must be taken into consideration if this is the case regarding employment with the franchise. Let us say the person who is a member of the LGBTQ community is a rookie who may or may not make the final roster. It may not be morally right, but the team may determine that he is not worth the backlash that this may bring to the organization. On the other hand, this athlete may be a franchise quarterback who has won multiple Super Bowls, MVPs, and other such accolades who brought those to the team. Even with all that success, this player may be receiving negativity from the franchise.
My guess is that ownership would probably side with their quarterback in this situation regardless of who those are that are criticizing his sexual orientation. This all comes back to a phrase that has been around the league for decades now. “Be who you can afford to be.” Meaning that if you bring a lot of negative publicity to the team, you need to perform well enough to offset any potential losses the franchise may incur as a result. If you cannot, you may find yourself out of a job as soon as that happens. If you are searching for an example of this, look at the Colin Kaepernick situation. Again, this may not be morally correct, but in the business world, decisions are usually made based on how those situations affect the bottom line of the revenue list. A potentially perfect example of this just occurred and will be examined closely by everyone in the country.
On June 21, 2021, Raiders defensive lineman Carl Nassib came out as gay in a video that was shared all over social as well as traditional media. This makes him the first player in NFL history to openly be a part of the LGBTQ community and play in a regular season game. Pass rusher Michael Sam was openly gay, won a conference player of the year award while playing collegiately at Missouri, and got selected in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the then St. Louis Rams. He never played in a regular season game, however. Former offensive lineman Ryan O’Callaghan played for the Patriots and Chiefs, but did not come out as part of the LGTBQ community until after retiring. Retired professional basketball player Jason Collins admitted he was gay while he was an NBA free agent. He was later signed to play for the Brooklyn Nets making him the first LGBTQ community member to play in the association. These individuals along with so many others gave Nassib the courage to admit his secret to the world during national pride month. During the video he shared, he stated that he hopes that statements such as his would not be an outlier and that future athletes should not have to fear being who they truly feel they are. Now the question for his NFL career, can he perform well enough to justify his courageous announcement.
Prior to last season, Nassib signed a three year contract with the Raiders. If he lives up to expectations, he will most likely not be released by the team. However, if his play dips at all during this period, the organization may be forced to release him. This will especially be true if their fans are not accepting of how he chooses to live his life. If this is the case, he would then again become a free agent and be able to sign with any team who offers him a contract. That is if he does receive an offer. He may be unofficially blacklisted and cause decision makers to stay away from offering him a deal. His jersey became the highest selling in the NFL overnight, but that could be because of non-league fans. Supporters of the NFL may not feel the same and not want him on their team or the league altogether. Regardless of how his football career plays out, he will definitely not be struggling in terms of compensation.
Every single person and organization that I mentioned in this article have come out in support of his actions and decision. So, if he cannot find a job playing football in the NFL or other professional leagues, he will undoubtedly find a career doing something for the LGBTQ community. An apparel company would absolutely want to work with him in some way. Even if that brand may not sell well here in this country, most brands are not fully relying on it as their sole market. They have international audiences and would be able to make a profit at the end of the day. Nassib has been and will continue to be a courageous person for the community and is making a major, positive impact on the world.
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