There's typically more homophobia towards gay men than lesbians.

And even though they don't have to deal with teammates they do have to deal with endorsements and sponsorships.

 

Discussion is one thing. Threads that turn into unsubstantiated rumor mills based on insight like footwear choice are another and will be closed.

 

Gambill is gay and everyone knows that

 

I know from a very good source of a certain ATP player who is gay It's just not profitable to be out of the closet these days.

 

They are afraid of Tipsarevic punching them?



You must spill that tea or it didn't happen.

 

Wouldn't this make more sense as a thread at MTF?

And the WTA sells female sexuality for sure, but I doubt any player who has serious resistance to being presented that way would be forced into dress and makeup by the WTA.

 

I think it should be OK for the top stars to come out because they pretty much have it made. Must be real awkward for a gay pro to come out on the ATp if he is not ranked very high, what with common locker rooms and males generally being more aggressive in their attitudes to sexuality. Also tennis players are quite conservative overall, being narrow-minded in their focus from a small age and growing up with a small group of people around them, so I can imagine it must be hard to find solidarity among your peers.

 

It's because straight women generally are more accepting than straight men are of gay people. The men's locker room would be much more hostile to a gay man than the women's locker room would be/is to a lesbian. Plus, I do think there probably are more lesbians on the tennis tour in general than there are gay men.

 

All this, especially first sentence. Really big part of tennis audience is middle-aged men, probably least accepting part of demography (not counting older ppl).

 

thread BAIT and TROLL

 

More interesting than the whole ATP thing is the other issue you`ve mentioned, how the WTA has actually become less accepting of lesbian players over time.

It's absurd, the western world has gotten a lot more accepting and yet the world's most important women's sport association seems to be backtracking even though some of their biggest champions have been gay.

For some reason, lesbian tennis players don't come out anymore, Mauresmo was pretty much the last notable one. Of course, it is technically possible that since then none of the players have been gay but given the normal percentage among women that's very, very unlikely. There have to be at least 3-4 lesbian players in the Top 50 but they obviously don't feel like their surroundings are accepting enough to be open about it.

 

given the normal percentage among women that's very, very unlikely. There have to be at least 3-4 lesbian players in the Top 50 but they obviously don't feel like their surroundings are accepting enough to be open about it.

We do know of some (at least doubles stars). I don't know of a single ATP player, any format, when the percentages dictate there should be a few.

 

I think it all boils down to corporate pressure. If you look at who earns the most in terms of endorsements, it's those players who are most "streamlined" to what corporations want... and being gay is obviously the opposite of that.

 

But do ALL tennis fans really accept lesbian players? 'Cause me thinks they do not.
You just have to look at how defensive some people get about the subject to see that such assertion is simply not true.

 

It makes plenty of sense.

WTA = "strong is beautiful", right?

 

Because man's world can be very mean when it comes to sexuality. And obviously we are talking about serious money in tennis world, so... no one wants to lose it. But, it will change in 5-10 years. I expect first ATP player who admits he is gay to become actually a big star and even to become very attractive for sponsors.

 

While in WTA they are out of the closet? List the countess out lesbians in the tour.
I don't see players in either tour coming out lately.

 

There are none who are officially out as far as I know, it's all hearsay and shouldn't be part of this topic.

 

The lockerroom is a very scary place already, so I imagine it'd be hell for someone out of the closet.

 

Because she's the last major player that is known to a broad sport audience that has come out, it's a simple fact.

 

So the only ones who count are slam champions?

 

Simple, because in our sexist world lesbians = hot, gay males = disgusting :shrug:

 

Not true at all. A 'lesbian' is only seen as hot as long as she fulfils the straight male fantasies (eg. is willing to fuck 'em) that's hardly acceptance.

 

I'm sorry but it's hilarious how desperately you're trying to be offended by anything I say :lol:

 

are you lesbian? :speakles:

 

And the answer to this thread is simple. Society is sexist, being seen as feminine is negative and a sign of weakness. Many straight men make the incorrect assumption that being gay means you are feminine. Being seen as masculine is, while not necessarily seen as positive, is more acceptable. The different ways gay men and gay women are often treated from each other stems from society equating gayness with femininity, then femininity with weakness and negativity.

 

Amelie Mauresmo did not lose any endorsements when she came out in fact she is a hero in France for being the first French woman since the 1920s to be Wimbledon champion. Mauresmo is adored in France and respected by the French people. Yes, money or the fear of losing endosements could be a reason top players remain in the closet. But if the media found out, wouldn't that hurt a company that would strip a player of endosement money by coming out? I have to believe in the year 2012, a company that would cut ties with an openly gay player would get bad press.

It does seem like everything is going in reverse on the WTA. Notice the recent WTA championships and all the top 8 players getting their makeup done, wearing gowns ect. Back in the 1990s, at the WTA championships I don't think they did that. This whole glam thing is new, to indicate to the audience that these fit female tennis players are still feminine and still can present a heterosexual image to male consumers. I find it odd that the WTA is trying to appeal to heterosexual men and not appeal to straight women or the gay community who support women's tennis.

Also, there is a current tennis champion top 10 player on the WTA who is a lesbian everyone knows she's gay she lives in a glass closet. This particular top player isn't hiding she's got a girlfriend she simply doesn't feel the need to come out which is disappointing I believe.

And it makes me wonder, why it is so easy to identify the lesbian tennis players yet on the ATP Tour the general public is lead to believe all the top guys are heterosexual and have model type girlfriends. There's got to be one guy in the top 20 who is gay or bisexual.

 

Also, there is a current tennis champion top 10 player on the WTA who is a lesbian everyone knows she's gay she lives in a glass closet. This particular top player isn't hiding she's got a girlfriend she simply doesn't feel the need to come out which is disappointing I believe.

Just who might that be, Orville?

 

I hate to throw in names to this, but does anyone remember back in like '07 or '08 when Richie Gasquet kept denying that he was gay even though the rumors about his sexuality (dating that banker old guy or something like that) died like a year prior to his comments? It was something like "Yea, I don't have a girlfriend, just male friends...but I'm not gay." Why would he have to sit there and defend that when no one brought it up in the first place? My point is that I wonder that there has to be something fishy going on in the ATP that somehow frowns on being open. Just conspiracies of course, but if that's true, then that is really sad. =[ Us gay male tennis fans (there's plenty of us) would love a male role model.

 

In France, lots of men tend to justify themselves for not being gay. We often hear men saying "I don't have a girlfriend but I'm not gay" or "I'm not gay but I think this man is not handsome". I've heard it a bit abroad but not as much as in France.

 

It's also true that in various professions, various groups are over- and underrepresented, often as a result of bias, perceived opportunity, etc. Examples being in the NBA, blacks are significantly overrepresented, while in Fortune 500 boardrooms they are severely underrepresented. For any number of reasons, it's possible that lesbians are reflectively or overrepresented in the WTA while gay men are underrepresented in the ATP and other professional sports.

I am not suggesting that gay men can't be athletic, as obviously there are some excellent gay athletes. However, one could certainly see that hostility, the somewhat neanderthalic code of male sporting culture, etc. might discourage many gay men from pursuing any sport at its higher levels. This perpetuates the vicious circle, driving a less supportive culture for gay male athletes.

(And I'm not saying all straight men who play sports are neanderthals. I just know from having played sports and having sons who played sports there is a lowest common denominator element at work that makes it very hard for even straight males of a reasonably straight sort to put up with some of the crap that goes on in the locker room). At least IMHO.

 

I think a player can benefit from revealing that he's gay. Look at Frank Ocean - before he revealed he's gay he was basically unknown, but after, he became a huge star, his album was released early due to high demand from fans - it went #1 on iTunes, he got invited to lots of shows and music awards. It's expected that he'll be nominated for several Grammys and other musicians praised him for coming out. I think the first one to come out could potentially really benefit from it. Society is more acceptable of gays & lesbians than ever.

 

That's not exactly true. Frank was well known in hip hop because he was a member of Odd future, and he has some high profile colaborations like Beyonce. It was a good buzz about him and his talent way before Channel Orange was released.
He came out (well that wasn't exactly a coming out) because he was very honest in his lyrics, so anybody who hear the album will know that some of the lyrics talk about men.
The fact that the reviews of the album were great probably help him to have good sales.

I think sooner or later a player will decide to come out, but it has to be because he really feels better doing it. Right now most young talented players are struggling to reach their potential, and coming out (in the case that one of them is gay) will be a big distraction.
And it depends of personality, some mentioned Richard Gasquet, i don't know if he is gay or not, but he is exactly the kind of player who won't come out of the closet, because the guy is very shy and he won't be comfortable aswering questions.

Coming out of the closet is not the same that talking about your private life, saying that you are gay is not giving more information that saying that you are straight, but we know how press works, so the guy who decides to come out must be ready to that.

But the Frank Ocean comparision is good in some sense, a year ago nobody could think that someone linked to hip hop (he is more a r&b singer) will come out, and even less, have success after that. So who knows what is going to happen in a near future. There are rugby players that came out, and in a sports team is far more difficult than in an individual team.

I think the first high profile athlete to come out it will be a tennis player, because is an individual sport (so basically it will be his decision) and because it's a sport well payed. People on individual sports who depends of endorsements are less likely to come out (even with the fact that firms will not retire the endorsements, because that will be very bad publicity), and the same in sport that depends of jury (like gymnastics).

 

Martina Navartilova was one of the first to set the precedent for lesbian women in sports, even though it's still not talked about alot, it's more accepted than gay men.

 

Come to think about it, I do see a pretty big market for the first guy to come out of the closet. Not only would gay tennis fans root for him (and there are more than plenty, just look at this forum), but let's say someone ranked #80 comes out. He'd get endorsements and contracts he couldn't possibly dream of signing if he were just another pro tennis player. He could be made a spokesperson for gay sportsmen all over the world and yeah, it would be a havey burden to carry on your shoulders, but I'd also mean loads of money. And let's face it, most pro tennis players care a lot about it. More money means better training conditions, better coaches, and therefore better chances of making it to the top.

 

I agree with this, mostly. Send it to Grigor Dimitrov's team.