Ellis Cashmore

Glasswing Butterflies: Gay Professional Football Players and Their Culture

Only one association football (soccer) player in history has declared his homosexuality during his professional active playing career. Before or since that player’s death in 1998, no other professional footballer player has come out. The prohibitively traditional culture of association football is popularly regarded as being responsible for this. Fans habitually use homophobic epithets to abuse players. In recent years, England’s governing organizations have cautiously addressed this state of affairs, though ineffectually. The present study uses online methods to explore fans’ and industry professionals’ perspectives on gay players and the impact their failure to come out has had on the sport. The article, which is based on the responses of 3,500 participants, seeks to answer three questions: (1) Why do fans, who urge gay players to come out, use homophobic language to barrack players? (2) If gay players disclosed their sexual orientations publicly what effect would this have on them personally, on football culture generally and on conceptions of masculinity in sports? (3) What prevents gay football players coming out? The overwhelming majority (93%) of participants in the study oppose homophobia and explained the homophobic abuse as good-humored banter or, in their argot, “stick.” An unusual logic is employed to make this intelligible. Participants argue that an athlete’s ability to play football is the only criterion on which he is judged and his sexuality is of little consequence to their evaluations. Although few participants encourage forcible outing, the majority welcome openly gay players, whose impact would be transformative. Football clubs and agents are cited as the principal impediments to a more open and enlightened environment: participants argue that they pressure gay players to keep their sexuality hidden and so contribute to a culture of secrecy, which permits and perhaps commissions continued homophobic abuse. Participants speculate that the continued absence of openly gay players actually reproduces the apparent prejudices. One fan concludes, “The homophobia in football will remain for longer if no gay players come out.”

Fans, Racism and British Football in the Twenty-First Century: The Existence of a ‘Colour-Blind’ Ideology

This article draws on 2500 responses from association football (soccer) fans to an anonymous online survey examining the extent of racism in British football. The overall findings are that half of all fans are still witnessing or experiencing some form of racism. Despite the creation of anti-racist initiatives, such as Kick It Out, and a reduction in overt chanting, there exists a ‘colour-blind’ ideology amongst the games governing bodies and anti-racist organisations, as the extent of the problem is largely being ignored. Fans call for a long-term focus on anti-racism based on engagement and education within a greater range of social settings and, short-term, the implementation of more severe punishments by the games governing bodies to eliminate racist behaviour amongst fans, players and clubs. For current and ex-players who continue to receive racial abuse through social media sites like Twitter, fans urge them to report it and place these matters in the hands of the police.

Why aren't there more black football managers?

Abstract The number of black and minority ethnic (BME) managers in English professional association football, or soccer, has been stable for nearly ten years: there are usually between two and four (out of a possible ninety two). Yet black players regularly make up more than a quarter of professional club squads. The reasons for this apparent under-representation are explored among 1,000 football fans, including players and ex-players, both white and BME. Opinions were solicited via an online research platform http://www.topfan.co.uk, designed and executed by the authors. The findings indicate 56 per cent of respondents believe racism operates at the executive levels of football, i.e. the boardroom. While some accuse club owners and directors of deliberate discrimination, most suspect a form of unwitting or institutional racism in which assumptions about black peoples capacities are not analysed and challenged and so continue to circulate. Among the possible remedies to this is the American National Football Leagues Rooney Rule, which mandates BME candidates’ inclusion on shortlists for senior coaching positions. A third of participants in the research approved of this type of initiative. While black managers are scarce when compared to the number of black players in professional football, their presence is actually an accurate reflection of their number in the total British population. So is the dearth of black managers an under-representation?

Flying business class: Britain's new ethnic elite

Abstract Following in the footsteps of Americas black bourgeoisie, Britains emerging class of business‐owners has risen to a position of relative economic power. Many hope to trigger future changes, first by personal inspiration and, second, by job creation. While they may achieve the first contribution, a new form of racism is forcing successful black (South Asian and Afro‐Caribbean) entrepreneurs to close off opportunities for other aspiring blacks.

British Asian Jigsaw

Asifa Hussain and William Miller, Multicultural Nationalism, Islamophobia, Anglophobia, and Devolution Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006, 216pp., £50.00 hb (ISBN: 0-19-928071-1; 9780-19-928071-1) Muzammil Quraishi, Muslims and Crime: A Comparative Study Aldershot: Ashgate, 2006, 164pp., £45 hb (ISBN: 0-7546-4233X) Paul Bagguley and Yasmin Hussain, The Role of Higher Education in Providing Opportunities for South Asian Women Bristol: The Policy Press, 2007, 56pp., £12.95 pb (ISBN: 9781861349736) Satwant Kaur Rait, Sikh Women in England: Their Religious and Cultural Beliefs and Social Practices Stoke-on-Trent: Trentham Books, 2005, 210pp., £19.99 pb (ISBN: 1-85856-353-4). Sofia Chanda-Gool, South Asian Communities: Catalysts for Educational Change Stoke-on-Trent: Trentham Books, 2006, 234pp., £15.99 (ISBN: 1-85856-382-8)