One of the reasons Jason Akermanis believes the “world of AFL football is not ready” for a gay AFL player is the potential media coverage this player would generate. If you can ignore his other reasons, he has hit one nail on the head.
Since then, reporters have rushed to get Daniel Kowalski’s thoughts on the matter. However, he did not come out until after he had retired from competitive swimming. He “clearly suppressed these thoughts of being gay … because it was ‘wrong’, as a male it’s ‘wrong’ but even more as an elite athlete.” (The Age, 18 April 2010)
Sadly, this culture still exists.
Want proof? Former NSW Transport Minister has just had to resign from his position because Channel 7 thought it was ‘news’ to broadcast footage of him leaving a gay sex club. He is hardly an elite athlete, but he is a public figure.
Imagine the hysteria if that was an AFL footballer leaving that same club.
Too hard to picture? Well it wasn’t that long ago that journalist Dylan Howard paid for the stolen medical records of AFL players and tried to turn it into ‘news’.
Whoever is the first AFL player to come out will have the honour of joining the now well used list of the three other high profile gay sportsmen; Ian Roberts, Matthew Mitcham and Daniel Kowalski.
That’s three. Out of all the sports we play in Australia, there are only three. Include Welsh rugby international Gareth Thomas, and it leaps to four. Worldwide.
Perhaps that’s the point Jason was trying to make. As a high profile sportsperson, it would be much easier to keep your private life private.
It is inevitable that someone will come out soon. But it will take a person who is willing to sacrifice the private life of themselves and their partner. That partner may not live a high profile life. It wouldn’t take long for that to change.
This couple would have to welcome onto themselves a media hysteria that would rival that of Ben Cousins. Drinking coffee, walking the dog and going out for dinner would become ‘news’.
It will take a person of great courage to wish this upon himself. Someone like Michael Long, who decided that racism was not tolerated anywhere else in society, except on a football field.
Or conversely, it would take someone who would happily welcome and revel in the media and public attention. Funnily enough, someone exactly like Jason Akermanis.
One day, a gay AFL player will come forward. We can only hope that it is on their terms and not as a result of being caught out by a journalist, photographer or TV station and being deemed ‘news’.
Tags: afl, akermanis, ben cousins, daniel kowalski, dylan howard, gareth thomas, gay footballers, homosexuality, ian roberts, kowalski, matthew mitcham, michael long
