The NFL celebrated National Coming Out Day with a PSA  on October 11^th, 2020. The football league launched a video that featured openly gay and bisexual former players. The video along with a related article was featured on CTV. The message that was presented encouraged any current LGBTQ players to come out. The video began with O’Callaghan, Rohrer, Russell and Davis collectively saying: “To all current players who are thinking of coming out, when you are ready, so are we.”  

According to Outsports.com,  there have been 14 out gay and bisexual players in the NFL’s 100-year history. Interestingly, all these players came out after they retired. There has never been a single active player that has come out while in the NFL. There is a clear problem rooted in the historical beliefs of sports and masculinity, and the NFL has obviously been no exception. Sport has historically resisted the acceptance of LGBTQ players and attempted to remain a site of socially accepted masculine production (Anderson, 2002). There has been a culture of silence created surrounding gay individuals’ athleticism within sport (Anderson, 2002).  Sport has historically kept homosexuality in the dark in attempt to avoid the perception of homosexuality and athleticism as compatible (Anderson, 2002). 

Additionally, the NFL launched a website featuring projects with GLAAD, the Trevor Project and other LGBTQ content scheduled for the remainder of October. The NFL also plans to have the NFL Network Talent wear purple on October 15 for spirit day. This PSA, as well as the actions taken by the NFL, are no small feat, but they have been a long time coming.  

Mclellan L.

Featured image: The NFL has launched several initiatives to show their openness to all sexual orientations (Source: NFL)