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[Football] Referee James Adcock







Uh_huh_him

Well-known member
Sep 28, 2011
10,696
[tweet]1447439592953626627[/tweet]

Well done, this is a brave and confident decision to announce.
Good luck chap :thumbsup:

I was told of another Premier league ref who decided not to come out.
I wonder if this will change his mind?
( unless I was fed a load of bullshit)
 






Jul 25, 2021
208
Why does coming out have to be seen as the sort of revelation coming from Doctor Who?

It's 2021. Why is someone stating they're gay still such big news to some people plus the mainstream media? Doesn't this make coming out that bit harder every time we've got a newspaper story associated with it?
 






timbha

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
9,908
Sussex
Why does coming out have to be seen as the sort of revelation coming from Doctor Who?

It's 2021. Why is someone stating they're gay still such big news to some people plus the mainstream media? Doesn't this make coming out that bit harder every time we've got a newspaper story associated with it?

So what is my thought. I never really consider a referee’s sexuality, I’m more worried about their competence.

It’s a bit like a referee announcing that he was adopted, or born out of wedlock!!
 


nickbrighton

Well-known member
Feb 19, 2016
1,927
Why does coming out have to be seen as the sort of revelation coming from Doctor Who?

It's 2021. Why is someone stating they're gay still such big news to some people plus the mainstream media? Doesn't this make coming out that bit harder every time we've got a newspaper story associated with it?

nail meet head

This is the problem with well know figures, if anyone of them does its all over the newspapers, social media etc and that results in the abuse

Its hard enough telling friends and family but at least thats reasonably private. Imagine the torrents of abuse that a premier league player would get from opposition fans, and tbh home fans as well if any errors were made, or they had a bad game, let alone the red top papers expose on any partners

It doesn't surprise me one bit no footballer has come out publicly in this country and I dont blame them one bit
 




Swansman

Pro-peace
May 13, 2019
22,320
Sweden
Why does coming out have to be seen as the sort of revelation coming from Doctor Who?

It's 2021. Why is someone stating they're gay still such big news to some people plus the mainstream media? Doesn't this make coming out that bit harder every time we've got a newspaper story associated with it?

Agree its not necessarily all positive that it gets so much attention. Could be plenty out there who would be fine with being open about being gay, but doesnt feel like getting a thousand headlines about them.

Anyway, still lots of people out there who hates all gay people for no good reason and also a fair amount of people who loves all gay people for no reason, so its obviously a talking point that is going to generate clicks, comments and so forth.

Brave from this man though, people generally doesnt like refs and I'm sure he is well aware that people are going to try to use this against him.
 


Me and my Monkey

Well-known member
Nov 3, 2015
3,354
Why does coming out have to be seen as the sort of revelation coming from Doctor Who?

It's 2021. Why is someone stating they're gay still such big news to some people plus the mainstream media? Doesn't this make coming out that bit harder every time we've got a newspaper story associated with it?

Maybe it's because of the toddler mentality of a lot of the newspapers and a lot of their readers. "Oooh, look! It's a gay person!". Hopefully, eventually, they'll get bored of writing it and people will get bored of reading it because, quite frankly, it's a bit of a non-story. So coming out publicly is still quite a pioneering thing to do, in my opinion, and a brave thing to do. Unless you're just a publicity seeking TART, of course.
 


Gwylan

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
31,341
Uffern
Nigel Owens came out many years ago and he's had no abuse at all for it. In fact, when he retired last year, he was probably the most respected and popular ref in rugby.

Ok, it's a different sport but rugby refs still get plenty of abuse from fans - Owens seems to have escaped it all
 




Seagull58

In the Algarve
Jan 31, 2012
7,284
Vilamoura, Portugal
Nigel Owens came out many years ago and he's had no abuse at all for it. In fact, when he retired last year, he was probably the most respected and popular ref in rugby.

Ok, it's a different sport but rugby refs still get plenty of abuse from fans - Owens seems to have escaped it all

Possibly because he was the best ref in rugby who explained his decisions to the players and took no shit rom them. Of course, Rugby is a very different game. If only football referees and players would behave more like Rugby.

I would add that Colina could have been gay, transgender or anything else and I would doubt that anyone would have taken any liberties. Personality is a factor.
 


GT49er

Well-known member
Feb 1, 2009
46,757
Gloucester
So what is my thought. I never really consider a referee’s sexuality, I’m more worried about their competence.

It’s a bit like a referee announcing that he was adopted, or born out of wedlock!!

I thought that was a prerequisite ....................
 


Poojah

Well-known member
Nov 19, 2010
1,881
Leeds
Honestly, one of the most positive things about this story is that it’s barely been reported, to the best of my knowledge at least. Yeah, I heard it briefly on TalkSPORT yesterday and of course the tabloids are going to cover it, but increasingly there’s a sense of “yeah, and?” about it.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t doubt or take for granted this bloke’s bravery in coming out. He’s working in a role where members of the public don’t need much of an excuse to shout abuse at you, and this will no doubt be dynamite for the ignorant few, but looking at this more broadly it’s a story which would have been massive 20 or even 10 years ago. Today, it’s little more than fish and chip paper.

And that’s a good thing.
 




Eeyore

Colonel Hee-Haw of Queen's Park
NSC Patron
Apr 5, 2014
23,597
Nigel Owens came out many years ago and he's had no abuse at all for it. In fact, when he retired last year, he was probably the most respected and popular ref in rugby.

Ok, it's a different sport but rugby refs still get plenty of abuse from fans - Owens seems to have escaped it all

I'm going to risk all sorts of flack here, but I do think rugby crowds are a bit... more mature of attitude... in general. I've never witnessed trouble, although I did have a slightly uncomfortable experience at Leicester once.

I can only speak from ample experience of watching Quins home and away. So I shouldn't back down really.

Nigel Owens was respected. I'll never forget his finger wagging 'Christopher !' when Robshaw challenged a decision. Robshaw knew his place.

I think Nigel was viewed with intrigue more than anything else. Rugby isn't as tribal.
 




DJ NOBO

Well-known member
Jul 18, 2004
6,346
Wiltshire
Honestly, one of the most positive things about this story is that it’s barely been reported, to the best of my knowledge at least. Yeah, I heard it briefly on TalkSPORT yesterday and of course the tabloids are going to cover it, but increasingly there’s a sense of “yeah, and?” about it.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t doubt or take for granted this bloke’s bravery in coming out. He’s working in a role where members of the public don’t need much of an excuse to shout abuse at you, and this will no doubt be dynamite for the ignorant few, but looking at this more broadly it’s a story which would have been massive 20 or even 10 years ago. Today, it’s little more than fish and chip paper.

And that’s a good thing.

That is possibly more because no one has heard of him, than evidence of shifting society values.
There’s a long way to go when it comes to homophobia in football and beyond
 


Brovion

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 6, 2003
19,380
nail meet head

This is the problem with well know figures, if anyone of them does its all over the newspapers, social media etc and that results in the abuse

Its hard enough telling friends and family but at least thats reasonably private. Imagine the torrents of abuse that a premier league player would get from opposition fans, and tbh home fans as well if any errors were made, or they had a bad game, let alone the red top papers expose on any partners

It doesn't surprise me one bit no footballer has come out publicly in this country and I dont blame them one bit

Sadly true. I think it's a case of just bashing away. The more officials, ex-footballers and people in other sports who come out smooth the path for the first active footballer to come out. Yes they will have to be a phenomenal individual as they will get dog's abuse, as well as being subject to intense media scrutiny, but then the second player to come out will get less. And the third less again. Until eventually, and no it won't be this year, only the hyper-stupid will even raise an eyebrow at the news that so-and-so is gay.

We've seen it with female officials. I'm not sure if people were even aware that the recent Andorra v England game had an almost all-female officiating team. (I think only the fourth official was male, even the VAR ref was a woman). I only know because one of the preview articles I read mentioned it in passing, and that only because it was the first time it had happened for an England game. Not so many years ago it would have been a major talking point.
 




Change at Barnham

Well-known member
Aug 6, 2011
4,920
Bognor Regis
The Athletic covered this story, followed by readers comments.

A reply that made me smile was from Gareth D:

"Good luck and chapeau to James.
Must take a lot of guts to be so honest and open about something quite embarrassing.

I couldn't imagine sitting my parents down and telling them that I wanted to be a referee."
 


m@goo

New member
Feb 20, 2020
1,056
Why does coming out have to be seen as the sort of revelation coming from Doctor Who?

It's 2021. Why is someone stating they're gay still such big news to some people plus the mainstream media? Doesn't this make coming out that bit harder every time we've got a newspaper story associated with it?

It's not a revelation in the real world but papers print it and people buy the papers.
 


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