Swedish professional soccer player Anton Hysén has declared himself to be gay in March this year. The news was met with varying degrees of shocked incredulity. Media all over Europe made a pilgrimage to Sweden to interview him. Organizations of all kinds and denominations tagged the hero label to his (admittedly very attractive) person. The only thing I find incredible about this story is that it was worth mentioning at all not to say the vast media interest. It just goes to show that soccer has a long way to go to get free of all kinds of prejudice.
A few years back, a journalist dared ask the question about gay soccer players in Germany and if there weren't any problems. He did ask it of one of the most senior notables of German soccer, Rainer Calmund. The answer was revealing: "There is no gay problem in soccer because no gays play soccer." The association of gay soccer players begged to differ. The newspaper editors were baffled enough by this answer to make it a headline; pandemonium ensued. Another dinosaur of German soccer came to help Rainer Calmund out of the quandary. Franz Beckenbauer helped his friend by saying that he didn't see why everybody was so upset about poor Rainer Calmund; he had said nothing but the truth, because homosexuals had no business in soccer. Who needs enemies with friends like that?
This was years ago. And still we are caught in the age of dinosaurs. And this despite the fact that you can't find many sports that are more gay. You just have to watch them cuddling, kissing, groping, and stroking. That gives you all kinds of ideas, and them too, I would bet. I mean, who wouldn't like to cuddle Cristiano Ronaldo? I certainly wouldn't mind, in Armani jeans or out of them. But the heroic torso of Anton Hysén gets top spot, obviously.
Further reading:
Borussia
Barcelona
Coming Out
Anton Hysén asked journalists a question, too (which was often not reported): Where are all the others (i.e. gay soccer players)?
A few years back, a journalist dared ask the question about gay soccer players in Germany and if there weren't any problems. He did ask it of one of the most senior notables of German soccer, Rainer Calmund. The answer was revealing: "There is no gay problem in soccer because no gays play soccer." The association of gay soccer players begged to differ. The newspaper editors were baffled enough by this answer to make it a headline; pandemonium ensued. Another dinosaur of German soccer came to help Rainer Calmund out of the quandary. Franz Beckenbauer helped his friend by saying that he didn't see why everybody was so upset about poor Rainer Calmund; he had said nothing but the truth, because homosexuals had no business in soccer. Who needs enemies with friends like that?
This was years ago. And still we are caught in the age of dinosaurs. And this despite the fact that you can't find many sports that are more gay. You just have to watch them cuddling, kissing, groping, and stroking. That gives you all kinds of ideas, and them too, I would bet. I mean, who wouldn't like to cuddle Cristiano Ronaldo? I certainly wouldn't mind, in Armani jeans or out of them. But the heroic torso of Anton Hysén gets top spot, obviously.
Further reading:
Borussia
Barcelona
Coming Out
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