Calacus Weekly Hit & Miss – Josh Cavallo & Cricket South Africa
Every week we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the previous week.
HIT - JOSH CAVALLO
There have been a few instances of professional footballers coming out as gay - but the fear of online and terrace abuse still prevents the majority from revealing their sexual orientation.
Justin Fashanu ended up committing suicide after the pressure and upset about his sexuality became too much for him while players like Robbie Rogers and Thomas Hitzlsperger are outliers rather than the norm.
Rogers praised Hitzlsperger for revealing his sexuality and explained the trauma young male professional sports people can face.
He said: “I found that if you grow up hiding the secret of your sexuality, even when you're an adult and your career is no longer on the line, it's not an easy thing to go public with something so personal – something you know would make it impossible to play the game you love.
“When we see men like Thomas make this announcement, it helps to heal the scared gay kid that still resides in each of us, remembering how alone we felt.
“But we were never really alone. And it helps me to know that someone I watched and admired as a boy was just like me when he was out there competing on the field.”
In Australia, Andy Brennan became the first former Australian League player to come out in 2019 when the ex-Newcastle Jet was still playing in a lower tier.
Of course, in the modern world, this shouldn’t be an issue. While women’s football may not enjoy quite the same profile as the men’s game, many of the top female stars have no issue with their sexual status, nor should they.
Much has been written about Carl Nassib, the LA Raiders star who came out in the summer of 2021, so it’s refreshing and positive that finally a current male footballer has taken the somewhat bold step to reveal he is gay.
So last week, another A-League player, midfielder Josh Cavallo, shared a post on his club Adelaide United’s Twitter feed telling his story.
“It’s been a journey to get to this point in my life, but I couldn’t be happier with my decision to come out,” he said. “I have been fighting my sexuality for over six years now, and I’m glad I can put that to rest.
“For the people that know me personally, you’ll know I’m a private person. Growing up, I always felt the need to hide myself because I was ashamed.
“Ashamed I would never be able to do what I loved and be gay. Hiding who I truly am, to pursue a dream I always wished for as a kid, to play football and be treated equally never felt like a reality.
“Being a gay closeted footballer, I’ve had to learn to mask my feelings in order to fit the mould of a professional footballer. Growing up being gay and playing football were just two worlds that hadn’t crossed paths before. I’ve lived my life assuming that this was a topic never to be spoken about.
“I want to help change this, to show that everyone is welcome in the game of football, and deserves the right to be their authentic self.
“It is astonishing to know that there are currently no gay professional footballers who are out and actively playing, not only in Australia, but around the world. Hopefully this will change in the near future.
“I hope that in sharing who I am, I can show others who identify as LGBTQ+ that they are welcome in the football community. As the game of football keeps expanding, I want to help evolve the game even further, and let other players in my situation feel that they’re not alone.”
Cavallo’s statement was carefully crafted and well prepared - hopefully opening the door to others in top flight football around the world to be true about their sexuality and to normalise the decisions for footballers in future.
He later explained to the BBC how much a weight had been lifted: ""It's been a journey to get to this point in my life, but I couldn't be happier with my decision to come out.
"I have been fighting with my sexuality for six years now, and I'm glad I can put that to rest. I feel like everything is off my shoulders and I can be my authentic self.
“It’s a proud moment but a long journey to get to this moment in my life. I hope that one day I can inspire someone from a younger generation or someone that is struggling to see that it’s OK. It’s 2021 and the world is more accepting and I hope someone else can follow my lead and that it’s just normal.”
Former England striker Gary Lineker summed it up when he lamented the fact that an announcement such as this was still actually new. He said: “It’s absurd that coming out is a brave thing to do in football. It is though, and I’m full of admiration for Josh for treading a path hopefully many others will follow.
“I’m sure the overwhelming majority of football lovers will support him and erase the fear others may have.”
While we still have so called ‘fans"‘ sending racist abuse to players online and even in stadia, it’s perhaps too much to hope that respect and tolerance will be universal.
But we have the rainbow laces campaign every year, players take the knee to promote tolerance and diversity and most clubs have an LGBTQ+ supporters’ club.
In light of the World Cup being staged in Qatar next year and the Saudi Arabian-linked PIF taking control of Newcastle United, it will be fascinating to see how some elements of the football family accept homosexuality without the need for it to be the news it currently needs to be.
MISS – CRICKET SOUTH AFRICA
The thing with the demonstrations of unity about a cause of any nature are that they have to be authentic, they have to be genuine, and there have to be intentions to educate and engage with differing perspectives.
We have seen so much over the past few months and years how taking the knee has had a divisive and then a unifying effect on society - from Colin Kaepernick losing his NFL contract and England ‘fans’ booing the national team to applause at most Premier League games this season.
South Africa has had a chequered past when it comes to racism and society, with the apartheid movement seeing preferential treatment for whites at the expense of the black majority for decades.
After being excluded from the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, South Africa was expelled from the Olympic Movement in 1970 with all its major sports teams excluded from international competition until 1991 when the apartheid reign ended.
Last week, former Proteas captain Quinton de Kock made himself unavailable for South Africa's T20 World Cup match against West Indies after refusing to take the knee.
Captain Temba Bavuma took a leaf out of the leadership playbook by refusing to criticise his colleague and said: "As a team we're obviously surprised and taken aback by the news.
"Quinton is an adult. He's a man in his own shoes. We respect his decision. We respect his convictions. I know that he'll be standing behind whatever decision that he's taken."
It’s not the first time that this has come up. In June this year, De Kock said: "My reason? I'll keep it to myself. It's my own, personal opinion.
"It's everyone's decision; no-one's forced to do anything, not in life. That's the way I see things."
The problem with De Kock’s stance is that in a country so bruised by racial division, it betrays those who have fought so hard to bring equality to the country.
A hashtag #IStandwithQuinton started appearing, especially among right-wingers, defending De Kock’s right to dissent, but why had Cricket South Africa (CSA) not foreseen this possibility ahead of the tournament and dealt with it, one way or the other?
Inevitably, CSA then had to react defensively to remind players of the expectations placed upon them.
They made a statement which read: “All players had been required, in line with a directive of the CSA Board on Monday evening, to “take the knee” in a united and consistent stance against racism.
“This is also the global gesture against racism that has been adopted by sportspeople across sporting codes because they recognise the power of sport to bring people together.
“After considering all relevant issues, including the freedom of choice of players, the Board had made it clear it was imperative for the team to be seen taking a stand against racism, especially given SA’s history.
“The Board’s view was that while diversity can and should find expression in many facets of daily lives, this did not apply when it came to taking a stand against racism.”
The question here is why this was not addressed and dealt with ahead of the tournament given De Kock’s stance.
West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite said as much when he told the BBC : "I know Quinton de Kock quite well and I have never felt any bad blood or bad vibe from him. We get on very well but I want to know from him what his reason was.
"I'm not an advocate of forcing anyone to do something that they don't want to do. But I also understand where Cricket South Africa is coming from, this is a watershed moment for the Black Lives Matter movement.
"There are a lot of conversations and a lot of education that still has to happen around why you take the knee, what it signifies, but, more importantly for things to change in society, taking a knee has to be a start and not the be all and end all.
"Why wasn't this planned better? Why wasn't there a meeting or a directive before the tournament to let everyone know that this is where Cricket South Africa stands?"
By Thursday, the situation seemed to have been resolved. A subsequent CSA statement read: “The Cricket South Africa Board … met with the men’s Proteas team and management to discuss the Board’s directive regarding “taking the knee”.
“Following the meeting, the Proteas men’s team agreed to align and unify in taking the knee for the remaining fixtures of the World Cup campaign.
“Cricket South Africa welcomes all of these developments. They confirm Cricket South Africa’s commitment to non-racism. Taking a united stance against racism is a moral issue, not a political issue.
“The CSA Board regrets that the timing of its directive earlier this week may have been unsettling for the players in the lead-up to the match against the West Indies.”
De Kock also posted a heartfelt statement in Instagram, clarifying his situation: “I would like to start by saying sorry to my team-mates, and the fans back home.
"If me taking a knee helps to educate others, and makes the lives of others better, I am more than happy to do so. "I did not, in any way, mean to disrespect anyone by not playing against West Indies, especially the West Indian team themselves.
"Maybe some people don't understand that we were just hit with this on Tuesday morning, on the way to a game. I am deeply sorry for all the hurt, confusion and anger that I have caused.
“I am deeply very sorry for all the hurt, confusion and anger that I have caused. I was quiet on this very important issue until now. But I feel that I have to explain myself a little bit.
“For those who don't know, I come from a mixed race family. My half-sisters are Coloured and my step mom is Black. For me, Black lives have mattered since I was born. Not just because there was an international movement.
“The rights and equality of all people is more important than any individual. I was raised to understand that we all have rights, and they are important.
“I felt like my rights were taken away when I was told what we had to do in the way we were told.
“Since our chat with the board last night, which was very emotional, I think we all have a better understanding of their intentions as well. I wish this had happened sooner, because what happened on match day could have been avoided.
“I know I have an example to set. We were previously told we had the choice to do what we felt we wanted to do. I chose to keep my thoughts to myself, and thought of the pride of playing for my family and my country.
“I didn't understand why I had to prove it with a gesture, when I live and learn and love people from all walks of life every day. When you are told what to do, with no discussion, I felt like it takes away the meaning. If I was racist, I could easily have taken the knee and lied, which is wrong and doesn't build a better society.”
The question will remain about whether De Kock was forced to make that statement and whether he could have done so in the summer to make his stance clearer.
South African cricket will move on, but this entire situation could have been avoided with a little foresight and preparation.