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Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton told Afternoon Edition that Clarke had "taken the easy way out" by being "dictated to by 8% of cavemen".
Sutton, who played for Norwich, Blackburn, Chelsea and Celtic, said: "Coming out wouldn't be a problem in the workplace. Working at a football club is just like anywhere else. Players I played with wouldn't bat an eyelid.
Sutton is talking crap again, football is not like the workplace. If you openly "came out" in the workplace would you have thousands of opposition supporters (wrongly) hurling abuse at you.
[Post edited 26 Oct 2016 9:44]
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8% of fans would stop watching if their team had an openly gay player on 09:13 - Oct 26 with 1958 views
8% of fans would stop watching if their team had an openly gay player on 09:13 - Oct 26 by Lohengrin
I know plenty who have stopped going because of the price of tickets. That's the real scandal.
Compared to the news that 8% of fans are so uncomfortable with someone being gay, that they couldn't stomach sitting in a seat 100 yards away from a gay player?
That's the scandal.
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8% of fans would stop watching if their team had an openly gay player on 09:26 - Oct 26 with 1926 views
8% of fans would stop watching if their team had an openly gay player on 09:22 - Oct 26 by nice_to_michu
Compared to the news that 8% of fans are so uncomfortable with someone being gay, that they couldn't stomach sitting in a seat 100 yards away from a gay player?
That's the scandal.
I've been going for thirty five years, mate. In all that time, over all those beers before and after the match, I can't honestly recall gay footballers cropping up in conversation so much as once. Not once in three and a half decades.
Do you think it weighs heavily on peoples' minds around here?
An idea isn't responsible for those who believe in it.
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8% of fans would stop watching if their team had an openly gay player on 09:30 - Oct 26 with 1916 views
8% of fans would stop watching if their team had an openly gay player on 09:11 - Oct 26 by Whiterockin
Sutton has his say.
Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton told Afternoon Edition that Clarke had "taken the easy way out" by being "dictated to by 8% of cavemen".
Sutton, who played for Norwich, Blackburn, Chelsea and Celtic, said: "Coming out wouldn't be a problem in the workplace. Working at a football club is just like anywhere else. Players I played with wouldn't bat an eyelid.
Sutton is talking crap again, football is not like the workplace. If you openly "came out" in the workplace would you have thousands of opposition supporters (wrongly) hurling abuse at you.
[Post edited 26 Oct 2016 9:44]
Thousands of fans hurling homophobic abuse would be no different to racial abuse.
It should lead to banning orders and arrests.
Personally I think it would be a very small minority that would abusive, and they wouldn't last long.
8% of fans would stop watching if their team had an openly gay player on 09:46 - Oct 26 by Whiterockin
Different times I know, but I remember the abuse hurled at Justin Fashanu.
I also remember racial abuse being heaped upon black players from the north bank. One game against Brentford I recall with sadness from about the same era.
I like to think that we've moved on and any abuse would be from a very small minority and the individuals involved would be swiftly removed.
It's their own business. I bet there are loads of gay footballers comfortable in their sexuality and happy with their lives and feel no need to announce it to the world, singing I am what I am with jazz hands running onto the pitch.
Don't understand why society and the media expects gay people in any industry to publically announce they're gay.
The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
8% of fans would stop watching if their team had an openly gay player on 11:00 - Oct 26 by Highjack
It's their own business. I bet there are loads of gay footballers comfortable in their sexuality and happy with their lives and feel no need to announce it to the world, singing I am what I am with jazz hands running onto the pitch.
Don't understand why society and the media expects gay people in any industry to publically announce they're gay.
It's not really society at all, High, and it's only a section of the media. This is all down to the pressure/lobbying groups like Stonewall. What you need to understand is it doesn't matter to them how uncomfortable the position they put a reticent individual in, this is what they do for a (publically funded) living. If they don't court controversy, if they don't kick their way into the headlines, then their income may be placed in jeopardy in an age of cuts. They need to maintain visibility.
Your "I am what I am" bit was funny. Perhaps they could have the combined subs bench perform this in the centre circle at half time after the raffle draw.
An idea isn't responsible for those who believe in it.
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8% of fans would stop watching if their team had an openly gay player on 11:25 - Oct 26 with 1735 views
8% of fans would stop watching if their team had an openly gay player on 09:26 - Oct 26 by Lohengrin
I've been going for thirty five years, mate. In all that time, over all those beers before and after the match, I can't honestly recall gay footballers cropping up in conversation so much as once. Not once in three and a half decades.
Do you think it weighs heavily on peoples' minds around here?
Well, I think that has something to do with the fact that gay sportsmen often don't come "out" for fear of ridicule (which is justified considering the abuse gay people have received over the years).
Personally, I've heard fans shout "ponse, f*g nancy boy" and all the rest of it, not because they thought that person was actually gay, but because they think that they are "weak" or whatever, and they turn to homophobic insults as a way of belittling them.
Before anyone suggests I'm being holier than thou, yes, I have said those types of things as a youngster and I wished I hadn't. Now I know better.
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8% of fans would stop watching if their team had an openly gay player on 17:33 - Oct 26 with 1611 views
Robbie Rodgers (LA Galaxy) is openly gay. Not sure there's a massive bit of name calling for any of the matches I've been to.
Though, those passionate about MLS are a strange breed...
And though I know there's a high ratio to homophobia among sport fans, I find it hard to believe that if people don't quit supporting when the board has given them two fingers, when players quit turning up, etc that a single player enjoying the company of those of their gender would be enough to abandon their club.
Though to be fair a sport-loving proper british citizen, has to be... irresistible force v unmovable object.
8% of fans would stop watching if their team had an openly gay player on 17:33 - Oct 26 by phact0rri
Robbie Rodgers (LA Galaxy) is openly gay. Not sure there's a massive bit of name calling for any of the matches I've been to.
Though, those passionate about MLS are a strange breed...
And though I know there's a high ratio to homophobia among sport fans, I find it hard to believe that if people don't quit supporting when the board has given them two fingers, when players quit turning up, etc that a single player enjoying the company of those of their gender would be enough to abandon their club.
Though to be fair a sport-loving proper british citizen, has to be... irresistible force v unmovable object.
Robbie Rodgers was at Leeds and "retired" from football - aside from the obvious joke about retiring and Leeds, I believe he revealed in an interview it was because of the "pressure" at not coming out as gay?
The fact he was just a bit shit at football at the standard required would of course be irrelevant.
People's sexuality is irrelevant unless it breaks the law - the problem is where people play off it for personal gain. Looking at you, Gareth Thomas...
8% of fans would stop watching if their team had an openly gay player on 17:36 - Oct 26 by blueytheblue
Robbie Rodgers was at Leeds and "retired" from football - aside from the obvious joke about retiring and Leeds, I believe he revealed in an interview it was because of the "pressure" at not coming out as gay?
The fact he was just a bit shit at football at the standard required would of course be irrelevant.
People's sexuality is irrelevant unless it breaks the law - the problem is where people play off it for personal gain. Looking at you, Gareth Thomas...
Why do you think it was personal gain with Gareth Thomas?
Even if it was (though I don't agree, for the record), it was an important step and I think we should respect that.
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8% of fans would stop watching if their team had an openly gay player on 18:01 - Oct 26 with 1570 views
8% of fans would stop watching if their team had an openly gay player on 17:56 - Oct 26 by nice_to_michu
Why do you think it was personal gain with Gareth Thomas?
Even if it was (though I don't agree, for the record), it was an important step and I think we should respect that.
Gareth Thomas has done very well out of coming out. I don't believe for a second that his motivation was anything other than to unburden himself and act as a role model for people in similar situations though.
Absolutely it was a big step and talk some serious bravery. Any footballer doing it would need to be equally brave.
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