Can we take a moment to talk about hate?
It's not a subject that sports fans or officials like to address. However, it's a core part of the collective experience of watching and participating in sports.
Teams hate other teams; fans hate players; players hate other players and so it goes and goes.
Hate, hate, hate.
There is love, too, but truth be told love plays a smaller role. In fact, sometimes the most hate is directed towards those that we also claim to love – here in Toronto we know that phenomena all too well.
It's hard for non-sports fans to understand the hate. It seems irrational because most often, it is. It especially seems irrational when you realize that the hate makes sports more enjoyable to most fans.
What's good about seeing your team win if you can't also see fans of your rival burning with rage at the victory? That's half the fun.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
To that end, derby games are relevant far beyond the communities they take place in because of the edge – and the spectacle that creates – that surrounds them.
The visceral nature of this can be intimidating to many non-sports fans, but most of those who enjoy it understand that there is a large amount of theater involved.
The hate isn't real. On a personal level I, as a Manchester City supporter, may hate Manchester United, but outside of the 90 minutes on game day, I can count several good friends who just happen to have terrible, Red taste in football teams.
See, like most fans in the world, I understand the difference between real hate and sports hate. And, I know that the two realities should never meet.
Which brings me to last week's news that former MLS and US international forward Robbie Rogers is gay. He went public with his orientation on his personal blog. At the same time he announced that he was stepping away from the game for a while to discover himself.
He's just 25. And, despite some set-backs in his career of late, he still has a great deal to give back to the sport. If he does return he will become the first openly gay footballer to play at a level where there is widespread attention (there are some out players at very low levels of the sport).
It would be significant. It would be especially significant if he did so back in the United States, where gay rights are increasingly becoming a hot button political issue.
It would also be a personal challenge. Sadly, there remains a vocal minority of fans that don't understand that it is OK to “hate” Rogers because he played for the Columbus Crew, but it is most certainly not OK to hate him because of who he loves.
We all want to think that we are able to ensure that our sports hate doesn't cross over into creating a truly hateful environment. Those who stand in the stadiums want to think that we can create an intimidating environment for players, but not one that actually drives them away from the game.
And, for the most part, we do. There are lines that don't get crossed (and, speaking from experience, homophobic language is one of those lines). But, it's a delicate balance.
At times like this we should all take some time to reflect on why no active player is out and on what our role is in creating an environment that doesn't feel safe for gay players (and we all know there are more).
When Rogers made the announcement the response was universally positive by fellow players. Although it would be somewhat naive to think that there wouldn't be some push back in the room it seems that the real problem goes far beyond the immediate participants – and it involves you and I.
It seems that now more than ever it is imperative that fans keep our hate in its proper perspective.