Hall of Shame: A Recent History of Homophobia in Sports

Has sports made any progression towards tolerance over the last few decades? We'll let you be the judge.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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This week is Gay Pride week, and this year the nationally recognized observance has even more significance as president Barack Obama has voiced his approval of marriage equality. But although much progress has been made, there are segments of society that have lagged behind. Unfortunately, one prominent example is the sports world.

Yes, there have been athletes like John Amaechi who've come out after retirement and other straight athletes like Sean Avery and Michael Irvin who have shown their support, but there are still a number of well-known athletes who've been caught spewing hate speech in recent years. From Kobe Bryant yelling slurs from the bench to John Rocker's infamous SI interview, here is a recent history of homophobia in sports.

Glenn Burke Offered Bonus To Get Married

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Rene Portland Hating Since the '80s

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Cris Carter Doesn't Think Players Would Accept Gay Players

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Rocker's SI Interview

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A.I. Spits Bars Full of Slurs

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White Chocolate Gets At Fan

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Garrison Hearst: "I don't want any faggot on my team"

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Mike Tyson's "I'll F*ck You Till You Love Me" Rant

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Luiz Felipe Scolari Doesn't Want Homosexuals on His Team

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Matt Millen Fails Again

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Todd Jones' Hate-Filled Rant

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Brock Lesnar Doesn't Like Gays and Wants Us To Know

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Paul Scholes Puts an English Twist on Homophobia

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Ozzie Guillen Being Ozzie All Over Jay Mariotti

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Hardaway Hates Gay People

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Tottenham Fans Welcome Sol Campbell Back With Hate

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Marcello Lippi Thinks Homosexuals Bring Conflict

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Greg McMackin Is an Idiot

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Vlatko Markovic Drops The Ball

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Michael dos Santos Forced To Come Out By Hateful Fans

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Eucharia Uche Tries to Remove the Gay "Problem"

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Joakim Noah Gets Frustrated By Fan

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Reggie Evans and Leandro Barbosa Get Ripped for Holding Hands

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Uptown Sports Disagrees With Sean Avery

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Black Mamba Spews Hate

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