By Mark Baber
September 17 – An imaginative new campaign to tackle homophobia in football, devised by bookmaker PaddyPower in association with gay rights charity Stonewall, kicked off on Monday . The campaign includes the distribution of rainbow football laces to every professional player in the UK, who have been asked to wear them for the upcoming weekend fixtures (September 21 and 22).
The idea behind the campaign is to get players, fans, and the public to show their support for gay players and against discrimination and homophobia.
PaddyPower have kicked the campaign off, in their inimitable fashion, with a billboard in a prominent position on High Holborn in Central London asking the question “Over 5,000 professional footballers and none of them are gay – what are the odds on that?”
Amongst those actively supporting the campaign is player Joey Barton who tweeted: “Join the rainbow laces movement. Sexuality in sport should not be an issue in the 21st century.”
According to PaddyPower and Stonewall, there are over 5,000 professional footballers across England, Scotland and Wales but none of them are openly gay. It is widely understood that gay footballers are worried about the impact on their careers and personal lives if they ‘come out’ – rather than there being no gay footballers, a scenario the odds of which being the case would be in the region of “a quadragintillion* to one!”
The message of the campaign is ‘Right Behind Gay Footballers’ and is designed to kick start a fundamental change in attitude rather than forcing players to come out.
Monday September 16 saw the start of the campaign which will use daily advertising and editorial support across traditional media, billboard sites, and through social media with the aim of getting support from footballers, celebrities, fans, and the public.
Aside from players showing their support by wearing the rainbow laces, fans, celebrities, and the general public can simply show their support by taking to social media and using the hashtag #RBGF, standing for Right Behind Gay Footballers, during the week and in the build-up to the weekend fixtures.
Paddy Power, spokesman for PaddyPower, said; “We love football but it needs a kick up the arse. In most other areas of life people can be open about their sexuality and it’s time for football to take a stand and show players it doesn’t matter what team they play for. Fans can show they are right behind this by simply tweeting using the #RBGF hashtag whilst all players have to do is lace up this weekend to help set an example in world sport.”
Stonewall Deputy Chief Executive Laura Doughty said: “It’s time for football clubs and players to step up and make a visible stand against homophobia in our national game. That’s why we’re working with Paddy Power on this fun and simple campaign. By wearing rainbow laces players will send a message of support to gay players and can begin to drag football in to the 21st century.”
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