LGBTQ Sports are on the Rise in 2021

America is known for two things, our guns and our sports. Americans have always been a sporty nation, with the rise of baseball during the American Civil War and the rise of football in the 1880s. The sports arenas were heavy hitters and starting quarterbacks of masculinity. It was common for boys and men to find their roots in sports.

American Sports History

Since the Greeks, sporting events were designed to show that “you were a man” if you played sports. This become more so during the 1920s with the rise in the post-war world one when many veterans and civilians had time on their hands to enjoy the finer things in life. Sports was everywhere, and so was the masculinity that came with it.

After World War II the sporting events became even more physical and harsher with regards to competition. It left many promising athletics fighting hard for their positions and their roles within the dynamics of sports. This would directly affect how members of the LGBTQ community would not be allowed to play or be involved.

Women and “Negro” Leagues – early 20th century

Women playing sports in the early 20th century were also rising and the challenges to masculinity were taking shape. The way sports was shaping many aspects of life for early Americans was intense and would lead to the formation of Leagues that helped ensure that women could play.

Women could play baseball, but only in minor leagues managed by men. They were not allowed to own a league or run a stadium—this was a man’s field, and male managers knew it. This created problems for women ballplayers and athletes who had talents that surpassed their male counterparts by yards and years.

In the early 20th century, “Negro” leagues were designed to allow all Black members of a team to play. The Leagues would be managed and coached by all-white staffs. Segregation created an issue, so the teams were only considered minor leagues and could not play against major league, all-white teams. It was not until 100 years later that these leagues would be recognized as major leagues.

The Rise of the LGBTQ players

Equality in sports is a heavy hitter. Sometimes it’s a home run, and other times, it is a strikeout. LGBTQ athletes have had to face discrimination, harsh treatment, and even death. Many of these talented players would play in silence or out of fear of being harshly treated. The masculinity movement within sports would lead to LGBTQ players being called derogatory names to physical abuse.

In June Jake Barreau posted

Happy LGBTQ History Month ???? pic.twitter.com/44TkVhZQuv

— Jake Barreau (@JakeBarreau) October 14, 2021

Major LGBTQ athletes have been coming out and doing so to ensure it sets a pathway for others to follow. But it is not all sunshine and rainbows. Discrimination within current sports showed its ugly head when LSU and UCLA went head to head. This led to the former coach being fired after he referred to the team as “Sissy Blue.”

When LSU’s football coach essentially called UCLA a bunch of sissies, it was rooted in homophobia.

Now various people across sports are embracing “sissy blue” as a badge of honor. @RedCupRebellion @TheMightyBruin

It’s fascinating to watch.https://t.co/VKW5Uh2Hmg

— Outsports (@outsports) October 22, 2021

Getting the gold standard in sports for LGBTQ inclusion will take grit and guts. Understanding that going against the masculinity complex of sports is a threshold into a new arena.

The Arena of Change in Sports 

Megan Rapinoe has become a major advocate for LGBTQ sports players and a powerhouse for the LGBTQ community off the field. In 2016, Colin Kaepernick became an icon for activism and solidarity when he kneeled during the national anthem to protest police brutality. After, he faced an onslaught of media, professional and personal attacks. Kaepernick is still continuing to fight for equality.

Megan Rapinoe would pick up the torch where Kaepernick had planted it and move the torch forward so BIPOC and LGBTQ players could have a light to follow. She went against the grain of masculinity by showing that women had a vital role to play in sports, and that LGBTQ players were equal in the arena.

The US Soccer Team has become a symbol of LGBTQ support and a powerhouse of motivation for others to follow. The documentary by CNN called Running as Equal tells the stories of BIPOC intersex athletes fighting for equality.

According to data from Out in the Field, there are “12,000+ lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender participants from all EU countries and the United State, Canada, Australia, and NZ” currently in sports.

The arena of LGBTQ equality in sports will be a long, hard-fought match. Overcoming the many issues facing LGBTQ sports players will ensure that future athletes can play on equal grounds as their straight counterparts.