AFL player asks eternal question: Where are the gays?

Australian Football player Jason Akermanis, who's always been known for his outspokenness, has penned an article wondering why there aren't more openly gay players.

"Coming out" for a player has many potential reactions. Some good, some bad. On the field, players are called "poofters", or words to that effect, all the time.

You could imagine what might happen if there actually was one. I am sure the vilification rules would come into play.

What about the good things that might happen? The person could be the new pin-up boy and the opportunities for business could be massive. And I mean massive."

Akermanis actually did play with an openly gay teammate, and he talks about the reaction it received:

"I also remember playing with a guy at my old club, Mayne, in Brisbane. He was tough, and one of the nicest guys on the team. His partner would come and sit and watch him play.

The guys never treated him any differently - until it was shower time. I was in there after one match and it was full of guys talking and carrying on.

Anyway, I turned around to see everyone grabbing their towels and heading out of the shower area. Then I realised who had walked in. The guy in question laughed and said it happened all the time."

Tennis player Francisco Rodriguez

So why aren't there more openly gay male athletes? A gay player in a team sport (like the AFL) would certainly have a rough time of it, but what about a singular sport, like tennis? There have been rumours about certain players, but unlike their female counterparts, no high profile male player has ever come out.

Last month, Out.com ran a coming-out interview with Francisco Rodriguez, a player from Paraguay who had some interesting things to say about being gay in professional tennis.

Read about Francisco's experiences, and learn why one tennis commentator believes there should be a "don't ask, don't tell" policy in the locker room, after the break.

Tennis underachiever Justin Gimelstob

Tennis is my favorite sport, and it's always seemed a step up from the "beer & broads" mindset that seems to afflict sports like ... well, all the others. But according to Francisco, a gay male player would have just as difficult a time being accepted:

"A former two-time all-American college player, Francisco played professional tennis from 2001 to 2006, won two small tournaments, and once held a world ranking in the high 300s. At 32 he still represents his South American homeland in the prestigious international Davis Cup competition.

“I miss the thrill of competing a lot,” he says. “I just couldn’t travel alone anymore. Wanting a boyfriend was in the back of my mind all the time. Having someone off the court who is in your corner -- it helps a lot.”

Until recently, however, a boyfriend in Francisco’s corner -- or even a group of gay fans -- was unthinkable. “If you came out on the tennis tour,” Francisco says, “you would be an outcast.”

That sentiment is echoed by Justin Gimelstob, who was a mediocre tour player, and is now a mediocre, and annoying, commentator.

"I think there’s a 100% chance that [a player who comes out] would be an outcast and wouldn’t be signing a deal for Viagra or Trojans,” says Gimelstob, a 31-year-old American player who retired last fall. The New Jersey–born Gimelstob, a USDA ham on the tennis court, is now a TV tennis commentator and columnist. “Good luck finding top players to talk about this,” he says.

Is tennis, so genteel compared to rough-and-tumble mainstream team sports like football and basketball, really that homophobic? Gimelstob is unequivocal. “The locker room couldn’t be a more homophobic place,” he says. “We’re not gay-bashing. There’s just a lot of positive normal hetero talk about pretty girls and working out and drinking beer. That’s why people want to be pro athletes!”

"Positive normal hetero talk"? Stay classy, Justin.

So what will it take to break this door down? Not just in tennis, but other mainstream sports? Ian Roberts came out late in his career as a rugby player, and there have been several well known players who came out after their careers were over, but when we will have an Amelie Mauresmo, who came out near the beginning of her tennis life, and has gone on to fame and fortune, and reached the pinnacle of her sport?