Is the NRL the world largest closet?
Posted 2/3/2011
By Shaun Maher
With English wicket-keeper Steve Davies announcing recently that he is gay, we started to wonder why the NRL seems to be a homosexual free zone.
Ian Roberts came out all the way back in 1995, and has since been quoted as saying that "coming out is not hell, it’s about being honest to oneself and teamates." But that was now sixteen years ago, and during that time not a single Australian Rugby League player has followed his lead. It could mean that there are no more out there, perhaps the league is 100% hetero, but very unlikely given that it is supposed to be somewhere between 5% and 10% in the general population.
When the news came out about Steve Davies, the reaction from the public and his team mates was pretty much "ah well, whatever." So what makes Rugby League different?
Maybe the problem is with Australia. The Australian male psyche is a complex construct born partly from history and partly from myth and the young Aussie male is constantly hearing things like "take it like a man", “stop playing like a bunch of girls" and "don't be a poof".
Professional footballers have had these phrases yelled at them more than most so we shouldn’t be surprised that it's almost impossible for a young gay guy to come out in this environment. Plus, who wants to stand out and be the one gay dude in a room full of testosterone crazed straight guys? It would be very daunting, but nowadays it seems like it should be possible. I feel like the game is ready.
And think of the upside. Gareth Thomas, the world’s only outwardly gay rugby player, is in talks to be played by Mickey Rourke in a movie about his life. (Quick sidebar: Mickey Rourke is a 58 year old man. How is he going to play a professional football player??? He bulked himself up for the Wrestler, but what do you do with his face? They could make him up to look like Marv from Sin City which would be pretty awesome, but not exactly realistic??).
While there’s no guarantee of a movie deal for the next league player in Australia to come out, there will almost certainly be a book deal and some post retirement employment on the after dinner speaking circuit, so if there’s anybody thinking about making an announcement – now’s the time! You don’t want anybody beating you to the punch, no-one is going to pay much attention to the second guy to declare his gayness.
If Rugby League was able to embrace the gay world, it would make it much easier for individuals to come out and there could be some significant benefits for the game as well.
Think of recruitment. This is an area that could improve with a bit of outside the box thinking. The gays love the gym and a big strong physique is required to play first grade league……… so instead of focussing on high school kids and juniors, talent scouts could also work nights and cruise the city bars and night spots. Once they see a suitably built bloke swinging his shirt like a helicopter blade above his head they could ask him out to the laneway to check out his ball skills......Granted there is potential for a little confusion once they actually get outside, but what's a little bit of social awkwardness when we are talking about something as serious as unearthing the next superstar?
The sooner we start this the better. We’ve got to get on top of this before the other codes think of it. The AFL want to invade the Rugby League heartlands of the Gold Coast and Western Sydney, so lets send our scouts into Melbourne's men's clubs and see if we can steal a second rower or two from right under their noses.
