oken” wrist movements were prevalent among many of the players. In fact, the definitive player would not only be one that would perform well on the field, but would also be popular with the ladies. Insults such as “faggot” and “Homo” were passed on to those who many of the players felt were not playing to the “standard” that somehow heterosexuals played at. This can be seen as extremely sardonic in the fact that many anthropologists have seen football as, “… a form of symbolic homosexual behavior, (similar) to the initiation rites of aboriginal Australia…” (Rosman, Rubel 78). Dundes, a sports anthropologist also stated that football was, “… combat between groups of males attempting to assert their masculinity by penetrating the endzones of their rivals.” (Rosman, Rubel 78). The penetrating of endzones can symbolically seen as a very homoerotic symbol, and yet the same individuals who have accepted these symbols as literal manifestations in their life, have been the ones discriminated against. While morally wrong in discriminating against gays, these influences can be paralleled to the discrimination many gays feel in everyday life. If a player on the football team I participated in was gay, then there would be a great deal of tension amongst the rest of the team, particularly during shower and changing times. In the same sense, many cases of homosexuals being shunned or avoided in the workforce have been equivalent to the manner in which a homosexual on a football team would be received. Doubtless, there would be some form of acceptance for gays in both contexts, but for the majority of their co-workers or players, there would be a sense of uneasiness and sometimes outward hostility. One individual that I interviewed, Randy Wiecek, a varsity football player for three years, was an outstanding linebacker at a highly ranked high school in Souther...
