Football, homosexuality and the English Premier League

This chapter outlines how the foundations of football led to a culture of hostility. It shows how the last three decades has seen significant change for sexual minorities in English football. The chapter addresses multiple rationales behind the continued absence of openly gay footballers in the English Premier League. The emergence of football as an organised sport can be traced to the mid-19th century and the impact of the industrial revolution. Claims that sports like football would masculinise boys re-emerged in the 1980s, as the HIV/AIDS crisis took effect on British society. Whilst no academic research examining attitudes toward homosexuality among professional football players exists, the case of Justin Fashanu, who came out as an openly gay player in 1990, is clear evidence of homophobia in football. The experiences of Fashanu clearly reflected broader cultural attitudes toward homosexuality at the time in which he came out.