It is insane that in 2025 athletes still have to fear being outed

[noname223]

I read in the yellow press that former Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas teasered he will make a huge announcement. He did something similar a few years ago. He posted he is gay and deleted the post a couple minutes later. And claimed the account was hacked. He is not even an active player anymore. I blame the society not the ex goalkeeper.

The German soccer player Thomas Hitzelsberger outed himself year ago. And another former played said one could not see that coming. "The way he shot the ball, the way he moved that did not look gay." Well he got a shitstorm for that comment. Well deserved.

It is horrible how stigmatized that is. I think one aspect is that the athletes take a shower together after playing.

Something that would make me uncomfortable. I played amateur soccer and disliked to change my clothes I always kept my underwear on.

Personally, I would dislike it a lot to shower with others completely naked. I think also in prisons this should not the case. Especially because of the violence aspect. A German soccer manager Uli Hoeneß went to prison for tax evasion. Other prisonesr took pictures of him under the shower and tried to sell it to newspapers (without success)

 

[patheticparasite]

I played amateur soccer and disliked to change my clothes I always kept my underwear on.

That takes me back. I did the same in school sports, and since age 13 or so I always got a doctor's note so I didn't have to participate or change my clothes. I had a respiratory ailment that wasn't a big deal, but an excellent excuse. So I just sat there every day doing nothing while watching my classmates. Of course I became an outsider and a prime target for bullying.

Oh and swimming lessons, somehow I always managed to avoid them. That would have been an absolute nightmare. Being practically naked in front of the whole class? No, thanks. Same goes for class trips. Sharing a dorm? Nope!

So, does this have anything to do with sexual orientation and the stigmatization thereof? I'm not sure. Maybe in my case it's less of a sexual and more of a gender issue. I remember in elementary school I got along better with girls than boys. And when I pictured myself as a grownup I saw a woman, not a man. Then again, all this might have just been plain simple social anxiety.

Sorry, I probably missed the topic.