Analyzing the Presence of Homosexually- Themed Language Among Association Football Fans in the United Kingdom

Abstract

This article is based on the views of 2,663 association football fans, collected via an online survey from March 2020 to April 2020, regarding the presence of homosexually-themed language at men’s professional football matches across the United Kingdom. The results indicate that whilst 95% would support a gay player at their club, 41% have heard language they interpret as malicious or toxic, while 37% believe it is not intentionally hostile and ascribe it as playful and humorous banter. The article subsequently addresses what appears to be a paradox: football fans challenge popular accusations that they are homophobic but also recognize the presence of homosexually-themed language that emphasizes heteronormativity, irrespective of how it is interpreted by other fans.

Fan attitudes towards sexual minorities in German men’s football

“…Indeed, language has typically been the most ubiquitous way by which to judge the gay-friendliness of a particular culture (e.g., Schallhorn and Hempel, 2017). Consistent with recent research in British football (Cleland et al, 2021), almost two-thirds of survey respondents (64%) noted the prevalence of homosexually themed language inside football stadia. Comments such as "I see that [homophobic language] as a very big problem" and "You can regularly hear homophobic language during games" were evident among some of these respondents.…”

“…Consistent with previous research on homosexually themed language in sports contexts (Magrath, 2018;Cleland et al, 2021;see also McCormack et al, 2016), however, almost 90% of survey respondents believed it was important to look beyond the existence of language as homophobic, but to also consider its intent. In this context, recognising the emotional surroundings 21 of events and stadia, the use of hostile language is oftentimes enhanced (Wann and James, 2019).…”

“…Notwithstanding these positive findings, almost two-thirds of survey respondents believed that homosexually themed language -whilst declining (see Cleland et al, 2021) -remains largely unchallenged in German football culture (Heissenberger, 2018). While the presence of this language has often been argued as evidence of undiluted homophobia, the present research highlights the complexity of this language.…”

“…While the effect of this language has been debated in recent academic work (e.g., Magrath, 2018;McCormack et al, 2016;), Pearson (2012) argues that its prominence makes football an 'uncomfortable' space for gay (or bisexual) people (see also, Cleland et al, 2021).…”

Why are There STILL No Gay Professional Association Football Players in Men’s Major Leagues? Revisiting the Views of Football Fans in the United Kingdom

“…Conversely, we recognize that non-probability sampling techniques, like ours, cannot guarantee that all individuals in the population have an equal chance of being chosen, making the generalization of findings more difficult (Cleland et al, 2020;Gray, 2018). However, given that the intention of the work was to encourage a large sample of football fans to share their perspective, attitudes, behaviors, and experiences relative to a sensitive subject (attitudes towards gay football players), much like other research in this area, we 6 felt that a non-probability, self-selecting sample was the right approach (Walser et al, 2021;Cleland et al, 2021a;Cleland et al, 2021b;Cleland et al, 2021c;Cashmore & Cleland 2012). One of the advantages of online surveys is that they allow the participant to complete it in their own time and avoid the potential bias of social desirability that can occur on a subject like this with face-to-face research (Cleland et al, 2020).…”