Soccer and homosexuality: The conflicts that lie within the affective game of the coach-adolescent athlete relationship

Altair Moioli,Marcelo Callegari Zanetti,Afonso Antônio Machado,Debra Frances Campbell,António Rui Gomes

doi:10.1590/s1980-65742014000400001

Abstract

Discussions regarding homosexuality within a sports context are mediated by emotional nuances, especially in the world of soccer, where practitioners are required to have attributes such as strength, masculinity and aggressiveness. As a consequence, this work aimed to analyze the symbolic representation of homosexual relationships between adolescent soccer players and their coaches; and, furthermore, to understand the intention behind homoerotic relationships that are established between members of the management team and its players. In this study, researchers used the life history methodology, with participation from three adolescent athletes, ages 14, 15 and 16, and three former athletes, ages 26, 28 and 45, who we called speakers. Based on the collection and analysis of research participants' testimonies, homosexual relations were found to have occurred between athletes and coaches, or between athletes and other members of the management team, as a part of a "social contract" that is exclusively linked to their professional objectives. These relationships appear to be purely objective; authentic affective links are absent, due apparently to the transient nature of the athletes in these groups. Too, this context is usually marked by the athlete's physical and emotional vulnerability, and the agreements he makes within this context are accompanied with moral dilemmas, because such adolescents idealize the coach as a paternal archetype.

Highlights

Ancient philosophers, including Plato, noted that issues related to sexuality are phenomena that are linked to the socio-psychological aspects of being human (Badinter, 1993)
Concerning the practice of soccer, the individual carries in his body the myth of hero through social representations of strength, bravery, and virility
This work has resulted in a body of research based on the social representation of soccer and its subjectivities, which are intrinsic to this environment

Summary

Introduction

Ancient philosophers, including Plato, noted that issues related to sexuality are phenomena that are linked to the socio-psychological aspects of being human (Badinter, 1993). The day-to-day sports environment in which soccer is played is filled with sensations and emotions for all participants––whether they are athletes, coaches, officials, media representatives, or fans––that make them co-dependent on the professional and personal actions of others (Franco, 2007; Rodrigues Filho, 2003) These actions foster a network of common interests marked by interpersonal relationships, and by emotional and sexual consequences. This work has resulted in a body of research based on the social representation of soccer and its subjectivities, which are intrinsic to this environment These subjectivities are important psychological elements in the integral formation of young athletes (Moscovici, 2001).

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Conclusion