Gary Linekar

[nonethewiser]

That's what people always say about football! How "small" does the "minority" who are sexist, racist and/or homophobic have to be for it to be acceptable? I don't imagine that it's anything like small enough currently, given that we don't hear as much about such attitudes amongst the spectators of other sports.

No authority on such matters, but no matter how small minority is its still unacceptable.

Remember last year there's was report in press about racism in cricket, apparently it's from top to bottom so no sport is immune I wouldnt think.

All those 3 factors you mention are rife in all walks of life, some you here of but many go ignored or unnoticed.

 

[CliffH]

No authority on such matters, but no matter how small minority is its still unacceptable.

Remember last year there's was report in press about racism in cricket, apparently it's from top to bottom so no sport is immune I wouldnt think.

All those 3 factors you mention are rife in all walks of life, some you here of but many go ignored or unnoticed.

My sport's cycling: we certainly hear of sexism and homophobia (less so racism, although professional cycling's a very 'white' sport, so unfortunately it's probably still colourblind), although I like to think that it's taken seriously nowadays and that spectators don't get away with what football crowds still get away with. Perhaps I'm deluding myself though!

 

[MikeyBikey]

I suspect a large majority of hard-core fans are one or the other, and often both.

The grammar school I went to played rugby although the majority would rather have played football . The school debating society debated this (far better behaved than the rabble at OMQ) with the expected outcome. I will always remember one comment "Football is a gentleman:s game played by hooligans whilst rugby is a hooligan's game played by gentlemen". It still seems to ring true!

 

[CliffH]

No authority on such matters, but no matter how small minority is its still unacceptable.

Remember last year there's was report in press about racism in cricket, apparently it's from top to bottom so no sport is immune I wouldnt think.

All those 3 factors you mention are rife in all walks of life, some you here of but many go ignored or unnoticed.

My sport's cycling: we certainly hear of sexism and homophobia (less so racism, although professional cycling's a very 'white' sport, so unfortunately it's probably still colourblind), although I like to think that it's taken seriously nowadays and that spectators don't get away with what football crowds still fey away with. Perhaps I'm deluding myself though!

The grammar school I went to played rugby although the majority would rather have played football . The school debating society debated this (far better behaved than the rabble at OMQ) with the expected outcome. I will always remember one comment "Football is a gentleman:s game played by hooligans whilst rugby is a hooligan's game played by gentlemen". It still seems to ring true!

My school was a rugby school too. That was in the 70s, when football had a terrible reputation for racism. Women were essentially invisible in football, from what I remember.

 

[Martin.A]

The grammar school I went to played rugby although the majority would rather have played football . The school debating society debated this (far better behaved than the rabble at OMQ) with the expected outcome. I will always remember one comment "Football is a gentleman:s game played by hooligans whilst rugby is a hooligan's game played by gentlemen". It still seems to ring true!

My grammar school was also all rugby, but it was in Wales so no surprise. There were certainly no football posts set up on the playing fields while I was there.

"Football, played by gentlemen, watched by hooligans. Rugby, played by hooligans, watched by gentlemen" is another version I've heard.

 

[mashedupmatt]

Isn’t that because football is the most popular sport in the UK?
You don’t hear about sexism, racism or homophobia in hockey but I don’t hear anything about hockey so a minority of a very small number is negligible.

I've not encountered any of this in hockey - I've played to a reasonable standard and now am an umpire (to a bit higher standard than which I played)

 

[rebrascora]

Top level sports people are no different to the general population and there are many people that I know who are sexist and homophobic and racist to some extent or another. Many are not intrinsically bad people, but they show their ignorance and inability to think for themselves with these values and ideals. I live in a rural community and that can be a stronghold of old fashioned views and values. People still boycott churches where there are female vicars and make snide comments about homosexuals or people of colour. Not to their faces but to others who they know share their values. They would be perfectly polite to such people if/when they met them, but these views remain. It isn't just a white person trait either. All races can be racist and sexist and homophobic.
I worked in the police force and that is certainly sexist, but if you were a male colleague of mine you might not see it or recognise it as such. Of course you also have to deal with the sexist attitudes of the public whilst doing the job as well from some colleagues. You learn how to deal with these situations in your own individual way, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.

Society is slowly changing but there will always be an element of mistrust or misunderstanding of people who are very different to yourself and it is human nature to some extent to think that your way is best or right and I think that football particularly can encourage that "tribal" ideology of "we are better than them". I think the more we intermix and find common ground and values, the more accepting we will become and perhaps that is why rural communities can be slow to change, because there is much less personal interaction