Wild reports have surfaced that Real Madrid attacker Cristiano Ronaldo is having a homosexual affair with kickboxer Badr Hadri
Let me be clear. I don’t care at all who Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo does or does not cuddle with. He can fancy men, women, or lamp posts and it’s all the same to me. Still, the latest rumors that claim he’s involved in a romantic relationship with kickboxer Badr Hadri got me thinking what being gay might mean for the Portuguese star.
In terms of his football, I don’t believe him coming out as a homosexual would make a very big difference in his on-field career. He certainly wouldn’t be the first player to come out as gay and most suspect that quite a few players hide their homosexuality all across Europe. He’d certainly be the biggest star to proclaim his homosexuality publicly, but I don’t think he’d receive much, if any on-field backlash.
Sadly, I do think that many fans might treat him differently. We still see amazing displays of ignorant racism all across Europe so I don’t have a lot of faith that crowds would be open-minded. He’d likely be the target of some real hateful stuff. The hate would likely be rather minimal inside Spain, but let’s just say I wouldn’t relish bringing him to an obscure eastern European nation for a Champions League away leg.
At first glance you might believe that his earning potential would decrease by taking a stand on such a divisive topic, but I think ultimately his earning potential would explode. Companies currently employing Ronaldo as a spokesman would face terrible criticism if they dropped him based on his sexual preference. Quite a few global corporations would seek a partnership with a gay Cristiano Ronaldo due to his high-profile status around the world. Coming out as a gay man would make Ronaldo a ton of cash.
From a global perspective, if Ronaldo were to come out as a gay footballer the social implications would be overwhelmingly positive. He could clear the way for athletes all over the world, no matter their sport, to feel free to express their sexuality in the open. The Portuguese superstar could do more for gay rights than almost any other person in the world. That might be a sad thing to say about our society, but it is quite true.
Just to clear up any confusion, I’m in no way commenting on the validity of the rumor regarding Ronaldo’s sexual preference. He’s publicly claimed to be attracted to women and I have zero reason to doubt him.
It’s almost a shame though if he is indeed heterosexual. It might be an easier emotional path but his preference for women might cause him unimaginable fame and fortune.