Inclusive masculinities of working-class university footballers in the South of England

Abstract

While British football has traditionally been a highly homophobic environment, recent years have seen a shift toward inclusivity for sexual minorities. In this semi-structured interview research, I use inclusive masculinity theory (IMT) to frame attitudes toward homosexuality among 20 male, ostensibly heterosexual, working-class footballers. Consistent with other recent IMT studies on working-class masculinities, I show that these young men espouse overwhelmingly positive and inclusive attitudes toward social and legal rights for sexual minorities – and the hypothetical notion of having an openly gay teammate. I also show how sport is integral to these men’s emotionally intimate friendships with one another. Accordingly, this research advances recent findings that young, working-class men are adopting increasingly inclusive dispositions toward the presence of homosexuality in sport.