Sport is still one of the last bastions of homophobia. For every brave gay man or woman who dares to stick their head over the parapet and publicly ‘come out,’ there are thousands of professional athletes and sportsmen and women who are scared rigid about all the negative consequences that come with revealing their sexuality.
There have been more than a few attempts in the media to chronicle the history of LGBT participation in sports, the most notable of these being Malcolm Ingram’s 2015 documentary Out to Win. Now another three years down the line there is yet another film called Alone In The Game which sets out to explore the ongoing struggles LGBTQ athletes are facing at the professional, collegiate and Olympic levels.
“It’s time to unveil such important and inspirational stories. We’re giving viewers a rare look into the lives of these elite athletes’ unique journeys and open their eyes to the daily challenges these athletes face on and off the field of play,” said David McFarland, “Alone In The Game” creator and executive producer. “With added attention to this issue, I’m hopeful we can affect real change at the highest levels of American sport and that the next generation of LGBTQ athletes will be judged by their athletic performance, rather than their sexual orientation or gender identity.“
Whether or not it achieves its aims is another matter, but this documentary made for the AT & T TV Network puts up a convincing argument with contributions from Adam Silver, Jason Collins, Ryan O’Callaghan, Robbie Rogers, Gus Kenworthy and Megan Rapinoe. The most touching stories are of those of LGBTQ athletes who have found the courage to live their most authentic lives.
“Alone In The Game” will be screened on June 28th on AT&T AUDIENCE Network – DIRECTV ch. 239 and AT&T U-verse ch. 1114. You can also watch via streaming services on DIRECTV NOW, DIRECTV, and AT&T U-verse Apps.
Labels: 2018, homophobia, news, politics, professional sports
