CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
On Monday night, the ABC aired an episode of Four Corners centred around the fact no past or present AFL players are openly gay or bisexual; the only major professional sporting code in the world to not have a proud lavender scenting gentleman in the locker rooms.
While the AFLW is currently stacked with Subaru-owners, it is still mind-boggling that the mens games is yet to produce even just one bloke who bowls from the Paddington end.
In fact, this may be another one of those things that the NRL does better than the AFL – just like ‘State Of Origin’ and not being racist.
How is it that the AFL cannnot overcome the same homophobic barriers that Ian Roberts busted down for the NRL with about 40 haymakers at Leichhardt Oval in 1991?
While it is understood there are closeted gay players in the AFL, earlier this year AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan suggested there would be difficulties with having to “carry that burden around, forever.”
This kind of language is probably not helping, given the fact that the rest of Australia put to bed the tired idea of homosexuality ‘being a burden’ when they overwhelmingly voted for marriage equality in the 2017 plebiscite. Which was 6 years ago.
While the league has shown clear public support for LGBTQIA+ issues, including support for Sydney and St Kilda’s annual Pride Game, and occasionally putting some woo girls from the front office on a Mardi Gras float – gay players from the amateur level say the hostility is still very real.
Some have suggested the external reaction to being the first openly gay footballer would be difficult to deal with because the game is run by former Geelong Grammar Old boys who all went to the same sandstone university and think that Sam Newman is the height of comedy.
Others say it’s because the AFL is quite prudish, and their beta-male athletes lack the intense sexually-charged eccentricities of our other full-contact sporting codes that make homosexuality look like the bronze medallion.
A recent report by the CSIRO has found that 95% of AFL players, present and past, have only ever made love in the missionary position.
Of the 5% that have allegedly dabbled outside of the conservative Victorian style of lovemaking, a vast majority had only ever tried side-doggy with their partners. Lights off.
This is not good enough.
The AFL needs to stand up and do something about this NOW.
MORE TO COME.
