The level of homophobia & acceptance of actively open gay football players in the NFL compared to professional athletes in the NBA, MLB and MLS
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Date
2021-05
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Publisher
The Ohio State University
Abstract
The level of acceptance of an active NFL player who identifies with the LGBTQ community, is more intolerable in the NFL compared to other major sport organizations like the NBA, MLB and MLS, who are more embracing of the LGBTQ community. This study analyzes how credible newspaper media outlets in the sports world treat LGBTQ football players compared to LGBTQ athletes in MLB, MLS and NBA.
Using qualitative content analysis, articles will be selected from news outlets that are deemed as credible, established and have a large audience when it comes to sports, gender, and sexuality. Once selected, the articles will be coded according to the following themes which were identified as important in the literature. This is a timely and important topic; gay marriage has been legal for over five years, but discrimination based on sexual orientation does still occur, especially in the world of professional sports. This study predicts that gay male athletes framed by media as more promiscuous, traumatized, damaged, mentally unstable or portraying feminine tendencies, experience higher level of homophobia compared to LGBTQ athletes in basketball, soccer, and baseball. Results indicate that an unceasing trend of judgement carried on by majority of NFL players and the NFL organization, increases the chance of discriminatory repercussions and heightened homophobia against a male professional athlete who musters up the courage to come out as gay while active on a roster.