Resumen
This article presents the findings of a discourse analysis carried out on forty-eight
association football (soccer) message boards from across the United Kingdom
concerning fans’ views towards the presence of gay footballers. It draws on over 3,000
anonymous posts to examine whether hegemonic or more inclusive forms of masculinity
existed. The overall findings are that, despite evidence of heteronormativity and some
orthodox views towards homosexuality, a majority of supporters demonstrate more
inclusivity through the rejection of posts that they feel have pernicious homophobic
intent. Rather than avoiding any contestation of these orthodox posts, fans frequently
challenge them and suggest that on-the-field performance is what is valued the most.