Study finds U.S. ranks worst in sports homophobia and discrimination

Out of six countries surveyed, the United States fared worst in a new homophobia study released on Saturday, Time reports.

Out On The Fields surveyed more than 9,000 people from the U.S., Britain, Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand, on their experiences with homophobia in sports. The researchers reported than 80 percent of all respondents "said they have witnessed or experienced homophobia in sport." Just one percent of those surveyed said LGB people were "completely accepted" in sports.

On an "inclusion score," the U.S. fared worst, followed by Ireland. Canada had the highest score. Time notes that the study was not published in a scientific journal or peer-reviewed, and an unaffiliated researcher noted that "the recruitment and sampling technique used likely resulted in a significant over-representation of higher-earning, racial- and ethnic-majority, pro-LGBT respondents to the study."

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Still, "the study holds the potential to provide a significant contribution," Joshua Newman, a Florida State University sports sociologist, wrote to Time. "The results illustrate the extent to which LGB sport participants across multiple nations share common experiences of harassment, bullying, and even physical violence."