Josh Cavallo & LGBTQ athlete representation
In late October, Josh Cavallo made a statement that was as striking as it was straightforward.
“I'm a footballer,” he said, “and I'm gay.”
In those few words, a relatively unheralded full-back and midfielder for A-League team Adelaide United made headlines around the world. It should not be a remarkable thing to hear from an elite athlete in 2021. It probably should not have been 21 years ago, when Cavallo was born. The simple fact, however, is that he is the only currently active male professional soccer player in the world to have come out publicly as gay.
LGBTQ+ communities are grossly underrepresented in men’s soccer, even compared to the women’s game. Among the people to offer congratulations to Cavallo was Sam Kerr, the captain of Australia’s women’s national team – the Matildas – who came out in 2019. Megan Rapinoe, star of world champions USA, is engaged to WNBA basketball player Sue Bird; two of Rapinoe’s long-time American teammates, Ali Krieger and Ashlynn Harris, are married to each other.
Among male players, these examples are much rarer. US international Robbie Rogers played out the latter part of his career as openly gay and a handful of others, headed by former Premier League hero Thomas Hitzlsperger, have come out after retirement. Yet the scarcity of such role models underlines the bravery of Cavallo’s gesture and makes it clearer why he had waited until he was "ready to speak about something personal that I'm finally comfortable to talk about in my life".
Cavallo is fully conscious of the weight of the statement he is making, and hopeful that it will inspire others to step forward as their true selves with greater confidence.
“There’s a lot of wasted young players missing out – players that could be very talented, but who don't fit the norm," he said.
"As a gay footballer, I know there are other players living in silence. I want to help change this, to show that everyone is welcome in the game of football and deserves the right to be their authentic self.”
For the wider soccer and sports industry, LGBTQ+ representation is as much about fans as talent. Brands and rights holders are eager to create safer, more inclusive spaces where people of different backgrounds can enjoy sport. The aim is to grow audiences and reach wider parts of the culture, as well as expressing values of inclusivity and open-mindedness.
There have been times in the past year where brands have been able to move firmly on this. Perhaps most significantly, sponsors got behind LGBTQ+ fans during soccer’s Euro 2020 tournament in June and July.
The competition was uniquely staged across 11 European cities but coincided with the passage of homophobic legislation by the government of one of its host nations, Hungary. That led to the prohibition of rainbow flags and other Pride-related iconography at games in Budapest.
Supporters were furious and when the mayor of Munich was told by the competition organiser – European soccer confederation Uefa – that it would not be possible to light the LED walls of the city’s Allianz Arena in a rainbow for a game between Germany and Hungary, partners had a chance to step into the gap. Brewer Heineken shared a social media image of a bottlecap, turned upside-down to resemble a stadium with Pride colours streaming from its floodlights. Companies like Volkswagen, JustEat, TikTok and Booking.com followed up with their own statements before Uefa moved to control the damage to its reputation.
Those organisations, ultimately, were only following the lead of players competing at Euro 2020 such as German midfielder Leon Goretzka, who paid tribute to LGBTQ+ fans on the pitch when he celebrated his goal against Hungary. Nonetheless, the on-field absence of those from within the LGBTQ+ community can put sports organisations and partners in the awkward position of speaking on behalf of others, rather than in solidarity with them. More compelling messages can be generated by working alongside LGBTQ+ fan groups to ensure those voices are heard.
In the NFL, the Las Vegas Raiders and their defensive end Carl Nassib – who came out in June – currently lead in their conference division. That has come despite the distraction of a scandal in which head coach Jon Gruden was fired over a series of sexist, racist and homophobic emails, an episode which points to the difficult work ahead in ensuring more tolerant environments within sport.
Still, Nassib’s presence is already helping to change perceptions and there is considerable power in seeing LGBTQ+ athletes succeed at the highest level. At Tokyo 2020 a few months ago, British diver Tom Daley won the first Olympic gold of a storied career. During the subsequent press conference, he sat between athletes from China and Russia, where same-sex marriage is illegal.
The Guardian reported at the time that when a Chinese journalist asked Daley about life as a father, Daley replied: “It’s been the most amazing, life-changing journey for me and I can’t wait to go and see them, my husband and my son, to give them a big hug and be able to celebrate on this incredible journey that it has been.”
He also said: “I feel incredibly proud to say that I am a gay man and also an Olympic champion. When I was younger I didn’t think I’d ever achieve anything because of who I was. To be an Olympic champion now just shows that you can achieve anything.”
It is in that spirit that Cavallo’s big step forward will be received. Whatever brands and sports bodies do, it can only be in support of that lived experience.