An Investigation of Male College Athletes’ Attitudes toward Sexual-Orientation

Homophobic attitudes and intolerance of gay/lesbian athletes, while most often forbidden by university policy, may still exist within intercollegiate athletic departments across gender and revenue sports. Against this backdrop, this study examined attitudes toward sexual orientation from a sample of Division I & III university athletes (N = 698) from four universities in the Southeastern United States. The study’s primary research questions were: a) What are the sampled athletes’ attitudes toward sexual orientation? and b) Are there significant differences in male and female college athletes’ attitudes toward sexual orientation? This article highlights the study’s results, offers conclusions, and discusses the results’ significance for university athletic administrators, faculty, and intercollegiate athletes.