Fighting strategic homophobia in football

Abstract

Homophobia among certain men could be understood as a reactionary form of social resilience, insofar as such resilience can work against adaptation and social transformation. Resilience is again closely related to the concept of ‘sustainability’. Many fans position the expression of negativity towards gays as a heroic struggle against ‘political correctness’ and in defence of freedom of thought and speech. But it should also be seen as a strategic action to manipulate the feelings of opponents in order to win. In a time of global hyper commodification, the paramount goal of winning stimulates strategic actions that contribute to shaping norms and values.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

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