Sports are evolving, but sports fans have been resistant to growing alongside it. As fans of the game and the culture, sports fans must actively work to cultivate an inclusive environment and fight against bigotry for future sports fans and sports as a whole.

The Philadelphia 76ers were looking rough to start the 2024-25 season. Despite having lots of talent on the team such as league MVP winner Joel Embiid and All Star Tyrese Maxey, success has been hard to come by for this team. 

A combination of injuries to their star players, drama surrounding Embiid and his dedication to playing for the team and his teammates, and overall misfortune has led to a lack of playoff success for the Sixers. This team has struggled to even reach the conference championships despite having one of the best players in the league, and fans were not expecting that to change coming into this season.

Despite the bad circumstances surrounding this team, there was one thing to look forward to. Their 16th overall pick from the draft, Jared McCain, was having himself a stellar rookie season. His flashy style of play and his consistency, with seven straight games with 20 points, made him a contender for the rookie of the year award before his season ending injury on Dec. 13. 

This high level of play attracted both fans and critics, as expected for an NBA player, however the detractors had a unique problem with McCain. It wasn’t his play most critics had issue with, but rather it was things off the court. Things like him painting his nails. Doing TikTok dances that make him look “zesty”, which is common internet slang for feminine behavior, usually used to poke fun at heterosexual men. 

To some these may seem like innocuous things to point out or just truthful observations, but that is ignorant to what’s really going on here. Sports fans should be able to recognize what this is, thinly veiled homophobia.

This pattern of homophobia is not an uncommon or new phenomenon (Dennis Rodman in the ’80s and ’90s got a lot of hate for his eclectic ways of presenting himself), nor is it only confined to the NBA. In the NFL we have the example of Caleb Williams, the current starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears. Coming out of the University of Southern California, he was a stud among other quarterbacks in his class. 

His high football intelligence and remarkable passing talent, and his improvisational skills when things don’t go according to plan were some of his standout features that made him the number one overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Criticism for his play was rare to come by, but some critics had concerns surrounding whether he was capable of being a leader. 

Leadership is an important quality to have for a quarterback, the captain of the offense for a football team, however the reasons for this doubt don’t seem coherent on further inspection. Williams also has painted his nails and has not been shy about it like McCain, as well as other things people have deemed effeminate, such as wearing dresses to photoshoots and having a pink phone case. 

These behaviors don’t have any bearing on the ability to throw a football, or the ability to lead others in playing football. People have also pointed to Williams crying after a crushing 52-42 loss against University of Washington last year as a sign of his emotional immaturity and lack of strength as a man. 

This idea falls apart when you realize that athletes have cried all the time playing their sport and have not been deemed as incapable of being leaders. 

An all-time basketball great, Michael Jordan, has been known to be emotional and cry at numerous points throughout his career – such as when he would win NBA championships. Despite this, Jordan has been praised for his “killer mentality” and his natural ability to strike fear into the opponents he faces.

Why is that? Why is it for some players eccentricities are just part of who they are and make them unique, but for others it’s a problem of character? There’s a simple answer: Jordan fits into the masculine character sports have come to expect whereas McCain and Williams do not. 

Sports have long been seen as for the masculine, an acceptable arena to show off and appreciate dominance. As fun as the art of competition can be, it’s not all the value that sports bring to the world. Sports can be just as much about having fun doing exercise, building bonds with the people you’re playing with, and pushing yourself and the people around you to be the best they can be. People have made friends, found family, and benefited from community through playing sports. 

To alienate so many people for such an antiquated idea of what gives you value as a man is a tragedy. 

Sports fans can and need to do better at encouraging and celebrating diversity when they see it. It’s not enough to be passive about casual bigotry or ignore the issue, this is a culture that harms the growth of a sport and more importantly works to bolster a system that marginalizes our fellow people. Our voice has value, and lending the power of our voices to those who need it the most goes a long way. 

Seeing someone like Caleb Williams or Jared McCain as a young person may be a source of inspiration, proof that anyone truly can be a great sports athlete if that’s what their heart calls for. A source of inspiration that might’ve not existed years ago, or won’t continue to exist if we don’t work to maintain it today. 

The path to succeeding in major sports is tough for anyone. That’s just what it’s like competing with the best of the best. Whether it’s recovering from a tough first season with the Bears for Williams, or a torn meniscus for McCain, there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind they are more than able to come back better than ever.