Watch: Gay British Journalist Opens Up about Being a Sports Writer, Says 'You're Always Coming Out'

Gay British sports journalist Mark McAdam says that even though he came out 10 years ago, athletes and other sports figures still have no idea. "The weird thing about coming out is you never come out once," UK newspaper the Daily Mail quoted him saying during an appearance on the "All Out with John Dean" podcast.

@watchallout The only out gay male Sky Sports reporter Mark McAdam on having to come out again, and again, and again - especially working in the football industry. When asked about having a wife, girlfriend etc. in general conversation - do you always have the energy and/or confidence to come out again? Listen to the full conversation on all major audio platforms. Or watch the full show on YouTube. #skysports #rainbowlaces #markmcadam #lgbtfootball #lgbtpodcast #lgbtqpodcast #prideinfootball ♬ original sound - All Out with Jon Dean

"You're always coming out for the rest of your life, especially in my industry," McAdam went on to say, "because I meet people and I meet players and I meet managers, and even now they don't know you're gay because they didn't read Gay Times or they didn't look at social media or they had never had that conversation."

"But they'll say 'Oh, did you have a good summer?'" McAdam continued. "'What did you get up to? You away with the kids, wife?'"

When that happens, he said, "you always have that moment. You're like, 'Oh, here we go again. What do I say here? Do I come out or do I just say, "Oh, no, no, I'm single," or whatever?'"

Even if the guys on the pitch don't know who he is, gay sports fans do. McAdam has been vocal about the need for gay pro soccer players to come out of the closet, and he's said that if they did it would be fine.

"I think the football dressing room would be open to a gay footballer because that's the way they operate," McAdam said in a 2017 interview, the Mail recalled.

McAdam posited that "teammates are teammates, whatever their color, sexuality, race, or religion – when you put on the shirt, you're in it together."

Since publicly coming out in a 2014 interview, McAdam "teamed up with gay comedian Tom Allen to commentate on a match between Charlton and AFC Wimbledon in 2020 for an episode of Sky Sports' 'I'm Game' series," the Mail recalled.

"The event was organized as part of Charlton showing their support for Stonewall's Rainbow Laces campaign, which was set up to raise awareness around LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport."

But while it's a mathematical certainty that there are pro soccer players, very few have actually emerged from the closet. Among them are Australian soccer player Josh Cavallo, who came out in 2021. He was the lone male pro soccer player to be out and proud until British soccer pro Jake Daniels, inspired by Cavallo, came out the following year. Czech player Jakub Jankto followed suit in 2023.