Fan attitudes towards sexual minorities in German men’s football

ABSTRACT

This article investigates German football fans’ attitudes towards homosexuality. Drawing on an anonymous online survey with 212 Germans football fans, this article is the first to empirically investigate attitudes towards homosexuality in German football. Contrary to ongoing claims that German football remains hostile to sexual minorities, 95% of respondents were supportive of same-sex social and legal rights, while 81% espoused support for an ‘out’ gay male professional player. Despite this, however, 90% also believed that homophobia was still a major problem in German football, as evidenced by its hypermasculine environment, lack of out players and the prominence of homosexually themed language at events. While the presence of this language has previously been argued as evidence of pure, undiluted homophobia this research highlights the complexity of this language, and supports calls to recognise intent, context, and effect in the utility of homosexually themed language. This research develops existing work on equality, diversity and inclusion in the context of leisure and fandom. It provides further evidence that narratives regarding sport’s intolerance of homosexuality are outdated. Findings are more progressive than other research on German sport and confirm that German football has become more acceptant of the idea of inclusive masculinities.

KEYWORDS:

• Fans
• German football
• inclusive masculinity
• homophobia
• homosexually themed language

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. ‘LGBT+’ refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender – as well as other, more marginal forms of sexual identity (including asexual, queer, pansexual and so on).

2. We refer here to the most dominant and popular version of ‘football’ (or soccer).

3. Football was officially banned by the national governing bodies of the UK (1921–1971) and Germany (1955–1970).

4. Common in European football, ‘tifos’ refer to a united display where fans in stadia raise a banner or a sign that forms a large image.

5. Third gender [or third sex] people, are individuals who do not entirely identify themselves as male nor female within a binary gender system.

6. 11 Freunde (English translation: 11 Friends) is a German football magazine, published monthly.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Julia Walser

Julia Walser is currently working for the European Championships Munich 2022. Prior to this she studied MSc Sports Events Management at Leeds Beckett University, UK and BSc Sport, Business and Law at University of Bayreuth, Germany.

Thomas Fletcher

Thomas Fletcher is Reader in the School of Events, Tourism and Hospitality Management. His research is concerned with equality, diversity and social justice in the contexts of sport, leisure and events. His most recent book, 'Negotiating fatherhood: Sport and family practices' (Palgrave, 2020) won the Leisure Studies Association's 2021 Outstanding Book Prize. He is Editorial Board member and Convenor of the Leisure Studies Journal. He is currently working on a major AHRC funded project examining online hate in the context of the European Football Championships.

Rory Magrath

Rory Magrath is Associate Professor of Sociology in the Faculty of Sport, Health and Social Sciences, Solent University, Southampton. His research focuses on decreasing homophobia and the changing nature of contemporary masculinities, particularly in the context of football.