Examining the experiences of the first openly gay male team sport athlete in Spain

Abstract

Spanish sports literature is devoid of studies investigating the voices of gay athletes. Using semi-structured interviews, the purpose of this research was to examine the contextually relevant experiences of the first-ever openly gay elite athlete in a Spanish team sport context. Our investigation covers multiple personal and institutional layers of the sporting complex, which are analysed in three ways: (a) using Troiden’s notions of identity; (b) using Anderson’s Inclusive Masculinity Theory; and (c) using McCormack’s theory of gay discourse. Our findings reveal that coming out was a more positive experience than the athlete had expected. He experienced inclusivity from his teammates, trainers, managers and supporters. There was no physical aggression or verbal harassment. He did, however, frequently hear antigay language spoken, which he reported as not being homophobic. Our findings provide one of the few examinations of this topic outside of the USA.