Abdul El-Sayed, current Democratic Party nominee for the U.S. Senate seat in Michigan, previously argued that “toxic masculinity” governs American football while saying sports culture is rife with misogyny, racism, and homophobia.
Even though El-Sayed played football in his youth, he wrote in a 2021 Substack post that “toxic masculinity” thrives in American football following the resignation of Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden following revelations of racist, homophobic, and misogynistic language in his emails.
“The toxic masculinity at the heart of America’s most popular sport — and men’s sports culture more generally — is way deeper than a few emails or a Jay-Z turnaround,” El-Sayed wrote.
The current U.S. Senate candidate then reflected on his own high school football experience, saying that he enjoyed himself on the field while feeling alienated in the locker room due to “racist taunting,” adding that “bro” culture dominated football.
“On the football field, I felt free,” El-Sayed wrote. “And yet on the sidelines and in the locker room, I was fed a hefty dose of the worst kinds of racist taunting.”
“Racism, misogyny, and homophobia were lingua franca,” he added.
El-Sayed contrasted American football culture with that of Apple TV+ series character Ted Lasso.
“Ted cries. He talks through his problems. He encourages his players. He bakes biscuits (er, cookies) for his boss. He smiles … like, all the time,” he wrote, adding that athletic culture should be built around “positive, inclusive, and empowering values.”
“Sport is a metaphor for life,” he added. “For millions of young people, sports can teach life’s lessons in a safe and nurturing environment.”
Abdul El-Sayed secured the Democratic nomination against his party’s establishment last week by a razor-thin margin just under one percentage point, leading to speculation that he faces an uphill challenge in the general election due to his courting of left-wing extremists like Hasan Piker.
“Abdul El-Sayed’s younger and higher-educated base drove him to victory in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, according to an analysis of county voting patterns. Those results also show exactly where El-Sayed has work to do to go from primary winner to general election victor,” NBC News noted.