r/baseball • u/[deleted] • Jul 13 '16
Baseball and Its LGBT Fans: At the Crossroads of Progress
"Why are you going to so many Cubs games? Why do /you/ care?"
-said by too many people to count
"You know you're gay, right?"
-said by a friend after seeing me decked out in Cubs gear
"I swear, there are more faggots here every season."
-Asshole next to me on the El
"We get it you suck dick. But stay out of sports."
-A different asshole near me at a game
"Now, why do they have to do that here..."
-An uncomfortable mother the row behind a guy I was holding hands with
LGBT baseball fans are queer, they're here, and the MLB needs to get used to it. While players are overwhelmingly ready for gay teammates, ownership, marketing and fans in the stadium have been hesitant to accept that there are many LGBT baseball fans. Baseball executives have been obsessed with getting young people more interested in the game, while ignoring that fact that Major League Baseball does very little to encourage interest in kids who will grow up to be LGBT. The last five years especially have seen historic growth in LGBT rights, but the sports world has mostly failed to adjust.
Teams like the Padres, Mets, and Cubs have pride-themed days and even have floats in their cities' pride parades. This is a great start. There is a huge market to be tapped into, and a large group of people who would otherwise be interested in the game who feel that they do not have a place at the table. I don't appear stereotypically gay, and several times have had fellow fans near me at ballgames pass indescribably homophobic remarks, not realizing I am gay. Of course, assholes will be assholes but there is a "macho" attitude still pervasive in the experience of going to a baseball game that is unacceptable.
A clear marketing shift and engaging in things like pride events, not permitting hateful homophobic remarks from patrons at the stadiums, simply not kicking out or reprimanding same-sex couples who happen to kiss in public, and penalizing players further for homophobic actions and remarks could go a long way in encouraging new fans from different walks of life to join in this amazing game.
I write this not to play the victim. I'm a happy, proud LGBT baseball fan and I've been able to brush off the negative experiences I have had because of that combination. But it is something that has been on my mind after years of being a gay baseball fan, and this symposium seems like the right time to share my thoughts and start a conversation. I truly love this subreddit and think that some discussion will be helpful to a lot of people, including myself.
I write this to admit the fact that I do not feel very comfortable participating in my favorite sport live because of an ingrained culture of macho homophobia. Things are absolutely moving in the right direction, and as young people grow up to become players and other MLB professionals I believe this attitude will change. But for now, baseball (and all professional sports) must make a place for its marginalized fans. Societally, people are permitted more than ever to be their true selves, and otherwise great institutions like the MLB and its fans must go with this tide or see the game become stagnant.
Other interesting reading on this topic:
LGBT Inclusion In Major League Baseball Is Long Overdue
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u/BrotherHombre Houston Astros Jul 14 '16
Assholes like this who attack someone of the LGBT community really are just insecure of their own masculinity. As a society we've taught boys they should be tough and shouldn't cry, that they shouldn't "play like a girl", or that it's not okay to like the color pink and play with dolls. Unfortunately baseball, IMO, is the one sport that epitomizes the illusion of masculinity; if a player gets nailed by a pitch they can't rub the pain off or they're considered weak. Naturally you'll have one too many "macho" assholes who follow the sport and a couple beers later he's spewing homophobic slurs to make himself feel better.
It's brave people like yourself who will make the change the MLB needs; go to games and don't let those assholes stop you. And I will proudly speak up for someone if some asshole sitting near me spews something off to my LGBT neighbor.