Exploring the Attitudes Toward Homosexuality of a Semi-Professional Swedish Football Team with an Openly Gay Teammate

The last 20 years has seen a significant shift in attitudes toward homosexuality in sport. Despite this, there is still a common perception that football is a homophobic environment—thus preventing gay professional players coming out. This research examines the experiences of Anton Hysen, an openly gay semi-professional footballer in Sweden. Using an online survey, we investigate his current teammates’ attitudes toward homosexuality, and having an openly gay player on the team. Results indicate that the vast majority of participants espoused positive attitudes toward homosexuality, and often go to great lengths to support Hysen. This research thus contributes to a body of existing work documenting the football industry’s growing tolerance of homosexuality in the game.