Homoeroticism in male sports > That’s so gay, bro, and I like it Carlos Bilan Staff Writer Heomecrticism is defined as the sexual attraction between members of the same sex in environments that may be heteronormative or homophobic in nature. For this article, I will specifically be discussing male homoeroticism. While the world has largely looked down upon homoeroticism, in the world of sports, it runs rampant. From Canadian hockey, to American football, soccer, wrestling, and rugby—you can just Google the keywords “homoerotic sports,” and you will find many images ranging from fluff to sexual. You can see a man giving another mana big kiss, anda man getting straddled by another man as if they were demonstrating sexual positions. There are thousands of results, which are actually safe for work, including images, moving images (GIFs), and video clips of male athletes doing seemingly intimate or sexual actions. A notable example of an intimate display of homoeroticism was during the Everton vs Chelsea FA Cup in 2016, when the Chelsea forward Diego Costa aggressively approached Everton midfielder Gareth Barry. The two were exhibiting a machismo type of demeanor with their chests out, attempting to taunt the opposing player. Costa tried giving Barry a head butt then Costa’s lips ended up on Barry’s neck like he was biting him. The football world was enraged because it appeared like an act of physical violence, which got Costa booted out of the field. However, if you look at it from a different perspective, you could perceive it as a love bite, or an aggressively passionate kiss. Interestingly enough, Barry jumped to Costa’s defence when there were allegations that Costa bit Barry’s neck. Hyper masculinity could play a role in why such scenes in sports can be homoerotic. Especially when watching wrestling—not the scripted wrestling like we so often see on mainstream television, but real Olympic wrestling—you can see buff men in tight attire trying to tackle each other and end up in seemingly compromising positions. Homoeroticism is especially highlighted when you see their well- defined bodies, or you see their junk ending up on their opponent’s butt and face. Watching these sports can be sexually arousing but more often than not, it’s also a way to appreciate and admire the male body. Seeing a man subtly kissing a man or slapping their butt— with such actions not being subjected to homophobic remarks or disgust—is refreshing to see for men who love men, considering how rampant homophobia is in the world of male sports. A fairly recent research paper entitled “Out on the Fields,” which claims to be “the first international study on homophobia in sport,” surveyed around 9,500 people from mostly developed Western countries such as America, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand. According to the researchers’ final report, “80 per cent all participants and 82 per cent of [lesbian, gay, and bisexual] participants said they have witnessed or experienced homophobia in sport. More than half of the figures represent gay and bisexual men who have personally experienced homophobia.’ Even in Canada, where same sex marriage has been legal fora long time, the researchers’ conclusion states that “Canada is no different” because “Canada had the highest number of gay male participants reporting physical assaults.” It’s also not out of left field that managers— specifically PR —_ Colin Kaepernick’s historical protest and its controversy > A recap of Kaepernick’s tumultuous year as the free-agency period continues Greg Waldock Staff Writer tseems like so long ago, but Colin Kaepernick’s famous refusal to stand during the American national anthem only happened just last year. Kaepernick refused to stand during the American national anthem for the entirety of the 2016 NFL season, instead kneeling and raising a solitary fist to protest the unfair treatment of black people in America, specifically regarding police brutality and institutionalized racism. His actions were met with both controversy from many viewers, and praise from activists around the world. The association between football and American patriotism played a large role in Kaepernick’s protest. For many Americans, refusing to honour the national anthem is tantamount to treason. After his first demonstration, many blogs sites and social media users even used “treason” to describe Kaepernick’s actions. US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg described his protest as “dumb and disrespectful,” but apologized for her statement shortly after. Reportedly, Kaepernick faced a large amount of criticism from the NFL itself, as players and organization officials pressured him to apologize or resign. His ongoing protests may be a large factor in how he has continued to be unsigned as the NFL free- agency period carries on. However, the response was not universally negative. He received considerable praise and support from activist movement Black Lives Matter, as well as from prominent athletes around the world, including American soccer player Megan Rapinoe and many of Kaepernick’s fellow NFL players. He also gained vocal support from then-President Barack Obama, who said he was “exercising his constitutional right” and “generating conversation.” Kaepernick created further controversy during the 2016 election, when he announced his refusal to vote for either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, on the grounds that regardless of the victor, “the system remains intact that oppresses people of colour,’ and for his praise for Fidel Castro in regards to the structuring of the Cuban prison system. managers—will try to dissuade their star players from coming out, as it could damage the player’s reputation. This can also be supported by the aforementioned study’s findings that “49 per cent of gay men and 8o per cent of bisexual men stay in the closet” regarding “adult team sports.” Considering this, one can speculate that some of these male athletes demonstrating homoerotic gestures could be using 47 sports to express their sexuality. Whether these homoerotic tendencies are intentional or unintentional, one thing is for sure: Male sports can get pretty hot. Illustration by Ed Appleby Photo via sportingnews.com Many question whether Kaepernick will be on a team come the start of the season. Last year proved that he is still capable of playing at the NFL level, but teams may simply not be willing to take the PR risk by signing him. This could very well be the end of the line for the controversial quarterback.