Jake Daniels - will he change football?
Homophobia is still a big problem - charities and clubs have been campaigning for a change in attitude for years. Is this the first sign that football is finally catching up?
It shouldn't matter - and to many, it won't. But Jake Daniels' decision to speak publicly about the fact he's gay is a massive moment, both for him personally and for British football as a whole, because the last active male professional footballer in the UK who felt comfortable enough to come out was Justin Fashanu in 1990. The foundation set up in memory of the former striker, who killed himself in 1998, has praised Jake, saying "it's an incredible moment".
The men's game has changed significantly since 1990. Josh Cavallo, Thomas Hitzlsperger and Thomas Beattie have all shared their stories as gay men in the sport; gay and bisexual men play regularly at a grassroots level; and it's hard to find a club in the English game that doesn't have its own LGBTQ+ supporters' club. Yet for all that progress, not a single man playing professionally in the English game has felt comfortable enough to come out since Fashanu - until now.
With just a few simple words, Jake may well have changed the game.
Jack Murley is presenter of the 大象传媒's LGBT Sport Podcast. Christian Hewgill is a sports broadcaster and presenter for the 大象传媒. Both men are gay and for 5 Minutes On, they share their thoughts.
Image Credit: Sky Sports News
