Subscribe to SI
Give the Gift of SI
Extra MustardSI On CampusFantasyPhoto GalleriesSwimsuitVideoFanNationSI KidsTNT
Posted: Tuesday April 12, 2005 1:18PM
Free E-mail AlertsE-mail ThisPrint ThisSave ThisMost PopularRSS Aggregators
Homosexuality and Sports
Survey conducted for NBC/USA Network by Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, Inc. Methodology: Penn, Schoen and Berland conducted 979 interviews among the general population from March 18-21 of this year. The margin of error sampling is +/-3.1 overall and larger for subgroups.
Question Agree Disagree
It is OK for gay athletes to participate in sports, even if they are open about their sexuality 78% 22%
It is OK for male athletes to participate in sports even if they are openly gay 86% 14%
It is OK for female athletes to participate in sports even if they are openly gay 78% 22%
It's OK for homosexuals to participate in sports provided they are not open about their sexuality 40% 61%
Having an openly gay player hurts the entire team 24% 76%
I would be less of fan of a particular athlete if I knew that he or she was openly gay 24% 76%
Having an openly gay athlete hurts the entire sport 23% 78%
I would enjoy the sport less if I knew a player was gay 21% 79%
Positive portrayals of gay athletes in the media may encourage children to become gay 19% 71%
Openly gay athletes should be excluded from playing team sports 14% 86%
Americans are more accepting of gays in sports today than they were twenty years ago 79% 22%
It would hurt an athlete's career to be openly gay 68% 21%
Gay athletes are unfairly treated in both their private and professional lives 66% 34%
Society is more accepting of gays playing sports like golf or tennis and less accepting of gays athletes participating in more contact sports like wrestling and boxing 65% 35%
Women's sports are typically more accepting of gay athletes 60% 40%
Openly gay athletes cannot receive the same endorsement deals as other athletes regardless of how they perform on the field 51% 49%
I admire an athlete who is openly gay 48% 52%
What America needs now is an open discussion about homosexuality and sports 47% 52%
Many women in professional sports are lesbians 20% 79%
Lesbians are better athletes than straight women 10% 89%
Whether they like it or not, professional athletes are role models for children 90% 11%
What athletes do in their private life is their own business 67% 34%
What an athlete does off the court does not affect my enjoyment of his/her performance on the court 54% 46%
It is a sin to engage in homosexual behavior 44% 46%
Homosexuality is a way of life that should be accepted by society 61% 33%
Brands and products are unlikely to select athletes as endorsers if the athletes are gay or even have been accused of being gay 64% 11%
The reason there is so little coverage of gays in sports is because America is not ready to accept gay athletes 62% 13%
The reason there is so little coverage of gays in sports is because gays in sports are largely in the closet 57% 11%
If Sports Illustrated put more emphasis on gay athletes, a public buzz would develop and it would be largely negative 52% 15%
If ESPN created a television special on the accomplishments of gay athletes, viewers would be enraged 42% 22%
Americans would be less proud of an Olympics gold winning athlete is he/she were gay and "out" 41% 32%
If Sports Illustrated put more emphasis on gay athletes, in far-ranging editorial features, its readership and the general public would welcome this shift 19% 43%
The reason there is so little coverage of gays in sports is because so few gays play sports 15% 43%
Society should not put any restrictions on sex between consenting adults in the privacy of their own home 77% 18%
Gay and lesbian coupes can be as good parents as heterosexual couples 59% 35%
Gay marriage would go against my religious beliefs 55% 38%
Additional Highlights
55% of Democrats "agree" that America needs to partake in an open discussion about homosexuality and sports.
65% of Republicans "disagree" that Americans should enter into discussion about homosexuality and sports.
40% of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of gay men and 36% have an unfavorable opinion of lesbian women.
27% say that greater acceptance of gays and lesbians would be a bad thing for the country
22% feel "uncomfortable" when around homosexuals.
61% know a friend, colleague or family member who is gay.
Homosexuals Working In Sports
Job Not Appropriate Certain Circumstances Appropriate
Little league coaches 37% 30% 33%
Locker room attendants 33% 33% 35%
Little league referees/umpires 32% 31% 37%
College sports coaches/trainers 21% 33% 46%
Professional sports coaches/trainers 19% 30% 51%
College sports referees/umpires 16% 30% 54%
Professional sports referees/umpires 15% 28% 57%
Professional sports owners/club managers 14% 25% 62%
Related Links
Jon Wertheim: Americans believe they have become more accepting -- but have they?
Gary Smith: The Shadow Boxer: Emile Griffith beat Benny (Kid) Paret to death in the ring after Paret called him queer. That was 43 years ago. He's still struggling to come to grips with it. So are we

Search