Thomas Hitzlsperger announces he is gay

Freefaller said:
Never heard of him, but I don't see why this is a big deal or newsworthy?
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because footballers pretty much never come out as gay. The last one to do so, was very low profile. Hitzsperger has 50+ caps for Germany, won the bundesliga with stuttgart and played for high profile teams in England, Germany and Italy. (If you have never heard of him I assume you don't follow football? He is no Ronaldo, or Beckham but I would say most people with a passing interest in football would know who he is)
 
What's so hard for you people to understand?

Homophobia in traditionally male sports such as football is rampant. Any footballer that comes out makes a small step towards fixing this problem so yes it is newsworthy.

Good for him.
 
Neil79 said:
So what to this story

Are we clapping people that are announcing they are gay or something? I'm proud to be straight but you don't see me singing about it.
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People aren't subject to abuse, violence and even death purely for being heterosexual. The same can't be said for gay people.
 
It's only newsworthy if he has affair with goal keeper from a team his team is about to play against.

Otherwise announcements about what some footballers do in privacy of their own bedroom are about as interesting as news of what David Beckham reads in privacy of his toilet.
 
G|mp said:
Are you not a football fan?

You should know better than anyone why it's newsworthy.

GD at it's best today :rolleyes:
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Yes I'm a fan but I believe coming out about it, especially after retirement really doesn't do a lot for it. In a way it's telling other gay footballers who are still playing, don't do it till your career is over?
 
Neil79 said:
So what to this story

Are we clapping people that are announcing they are gay or something? I'm proud to be straight but you don't see me singing about it.

Let me know when footballers come out for faking injuries ;)
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If you were singing about it I'd question your honesty about being straight.
 
Congratulations to him, takes balls to do something like this.

I think this highlights that sport (football) and society are moving in the right direction.

I await the day where this sort of story is not news worthy but alas, it's a reflection upon where we are in society now. I hope his statements provides other footballers with the confidence to be able to be comfortable with whom they are publicly without fear of reprisals. I think it says a lot about football that this is not an issue within the dressing room.
 
Tunney said:
I found it interesting that he said that his sexuality was never a problem in the dressing room. Was it the likely rejection of the fans who put him off announcing it earlier?
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It wasn't actually very clear on this as he's said he's basically only realised he's gay in the past few years. I think, but am not at all sure that what he meant was he wasn't "out" in any of the teams he was at, it's just that inside a dressing room other than a few gay jokes which weren't intentionally offensive, it wasn't an anti gay atmosphere. But frankly footballers I wouldn't expect to be much of a problem with their sarong wearing and manscaping of the generation of footballers we have it's hardly a big deal.

The real issue with football and general bigotry is in the stands. Because quite literally humans are dumber and act differently in big crowds. A group of friends on a changing room aren't going to generally start anti gay chants or act like a lynchmob, but the amount of hate that spews off stands at most football grounds is an absolutely different prospect.

I could be wrong and he was out while at clubs and it wasn't a problem, but I think he meant just he wasn't uncomfortable and maybe wouldn't have felt uncomfortable if he was out in that situation. But man, if I was gay I'd be terrified to be openly out and walk into a stadiums with fans as they are today.

Think to the faces of fans when ADebayor did his half marathon to celebrate in front of them, Spurs fans towards Walcott the other day. Someone posted a video of I think it was a liverpool fan who ran on a pitch then mooned fans, the vile being spewed at this guy from the stands(it was a video from opposition fans in the stand) was disturbing, it was all "kill him" basically.

I'm also not sure this is a sign of football moving in the right direction, it's another footballer who refused to come out while he was in the world of football and only felt comfortable doing so after he retired.

They took Robbie Rodgers around the Leeds ground after he came out and, in the generally friendly pre match atmosphere he was applauded by the fans, home and away I believe(which was a bit patronising more than anything but there you go). But if he was a player on that pitch and he scored, or his team did, the fans during a match would react so differently. I can't blame anyone for not coming out while still playing but it's a sign that nothing has moved on for me.
 
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Suarez7 said:
Yes I'm a fan but I believe coming out about it, especially after retirement really doesn't do a lot for it. In a way it's telling other gay footballers who are still playing, don't do it till your career is over?
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So you understand why it would be newsworthy then?

It's already been pointed out why he didn't admit to it while he was still playing, he would have received dogs abuse.

Small steps with these things.
 
Tummy said:
If given within the context of football, it is news.

Everyone should care, small steps towards something positive.

As usual GD being its usual self.
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Absolutely, it's become a taboo in relation to sports, particularly football.

The fact it's in the news is a reflection of this.
 
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