". . . sports are pretty homoerotic. . . . watching men talk about or watch sports tends to border on homosocial, but oftentimes homosexual tension."

I am anything but homophobic; I want athletes to feel free to "come out" if they want. With that said, I see no factual basis for your assertion. I mean, it's the sort of statement that some people toss out in order to jolt middle American-conservative guys out of their narrow-mindedness, etc. But from what I've seen, there's nothing to such an assertion.

Did you have something specific in mind when you said that?

Kissing?? The shorter dude looks like he's trying to take a bite out of the other dude's chin--which, IMO, would actually be pretty gross.

First, they aren't kissing. Guh.

Second of all, to Tim: Slapping of naked asses with towels in locker rooms is NOT homoerotic?

I don't know, there seems to be a lot of homoeroticism within sports, but for the most part, it was during the high school years when young men are still exploring.

But to see two men are being homoerotic by enjoying a beer over a football game or throwing the football around, is pretty a broad assumption ...

That said - sports, it seems, is an agency in which racism is never accepted (think Rush Limbaugh's comments about Donovan McNabb a few years ago), but sexism is pretty rampant. I mean - just listen to the sports talk radio shows ...very homophobic and racist.

Recently I was in the kitchen while my little brother was looking though the sports section (he's 11). He went "ewwww, gross!" and I asked him what it was. He said, "nevermind, I thought this was a picture of two guys kissing." The picture was of a sports coach kissing his wife. Her hair was covered by a hat, and it was hard to see her face. However, at a closer look, one could see a ponytail hanging outside the hat. I turned to my brother and asked "Why would it have been gross if it had been two guys? Why would that have been any different." He kind of struggled with his answer and then resigned and said "I guess it wouldn't be different...." My brother is a good kid, but our society has certainly made it's impression. He has been taught that two men kissing is "gross" while a man and a woman is "okay." I'm sure this is fueled by the mindless wrestling he watches where there are big beefy men putting each other down about their sexuality. I'm trying hard to educate him, and help him see why these things are not okay. He's getting their. I've also managed to upset him a number of times when I point out how mysoginistic his favorite shows and songs are. He gets mad and runs to one of our parents. They usually respond with "it's a good thing you have a sister who points that sort of thing out."

I just hope he grows up to be a better man that the ones he likes to watch.

I think the dominant motivation between and among men, both as participants and spectators in the sports milieu, is the yearning for intimacy with other men. This yearning may at times also be infused with erotic feelings, but not necessarily. Not unlike wanting to cuddle up with your sweetie on the couch, but not necessarily wanting to do the Wild Thang right then. Sports is one of the very few socially sanctioned environment for straight males to achieve intimacy with other men.

In all fairness, if the Cardinals and the Wildcats weren't so atrocious on the court this year, most Kentuckians wouldn't even demand a technical foul if David Padgett went down on Patrick Patterson in the middle of the second half.

Tim (and anyone else interested): i highly recommend Mariah Burt Nelson's "The Stronger Women Get, the More Men Love Football: Sexism and the American Culture of Sport."

crshark--bingo.

I don't think they are kissing. I don't think their heads are touching in any way. I think the camera angle is bad for this photo. It seems like that dude's lips are behind the other dude's head.

I think if anyone should apologize, it should be the photographer for releasing a picture that misrepresents some of the players' sexualities.

And as for glbtq people in sports- more power to them. Of course.

My friend was a wrestler in high school in conservative ol' Kansas- and they chased each other around with their dicks out and compared sizes and such. He said it was really homoerotic. And I don't believe it is just in Kansas that boys and men do this sort of thing. I think its pretty common.

I'll never forget when Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson made out for 25 minutes at halfcourt, delaying the start of Game 1 of the 1988 NBA finals.

Of course, that was like 20 years ago, so my memory may be a bit fuzzy.

Wait - how does this picture misinterpret anyone's sexuality? Photography is supposed to be candid and capture the "moment," and this moment is merely two players embracing after the game. Is it the best viscom picture I've seen? Nope! But it's not the photographer's fault for capturing the moment.

Sports is one of the very few socially sanctioned environment for straight males to achieve intimacy with other men.

I'd say misogyny is the other one.

I find that the whole towel flicking, ass patting is uniquely North American, (I'm in europe) I remember seeing men behave like that on tv and was agast! No way would that carry on be ok when I was in school.

Er, I should add that I was 13/14 when I first saw the homoerotic sports behavoir, hence my being agast.

ZOMG GO CARDS!! I love this picture!!

Okay, this is my team, and Jerry Smith ( the non-action goggles one, heh) is know for being an incredibly emotional player and the fans adore him for it. The problem is the trolls who comment on the courier journal. EVERY news story turns into something racist, homophobic, or about women being too fat. The Courier Journal isn't a terrible publication, but I've had to quit reading the comments online for this reason. It makes me pretty embarrassed to be from here, really.

Which my last comment did nothing to contribute to the conversation, technically, I just got excited to see my basketball team on a feminist site. Two of my favorite things together at last!!

I'll quit off topic-ing now.

C-Bird, I find that most comments on online articles are racist, homophobic, or about women being too fat.
Most *people* are generally racist, homophobic misogynists.

Some people are asking for an apology just for having seen this picture? Wow! I have to say, this made me laugh. I love the sense of entitlement that some people have. I cannot imagine the reaction I would get if I asked for an apology for every heterosexual display of affection I see in the media.

I also think classifying men's team sports like basketball as homoerotic is unfair. Certainly there is related behavior that dallies in it (locker room horesplay, for example), but as feminists, should we encourage men to be close, even physical with other men without giving them the you-must-be-gay face?

Male bonding is a touchy subject because it often culminates in sexual ranking, proved by overpowering women or other men. But it doesn't have to -- isn't that what we believe?

I played contact sports with other girls in high school and people didn't assume we were just looking for excuses to roll around together. Same with swapping piggyback rides and pedicures.

I may be in the minority, but I think fear of male bonding is something feminists have to overcome, or we'll be hypocrites. Healthy, harmless outlets for men to be close to each other without having their manhood jeopardized is exactly what we need to combat rape and abuse, which are often assertions of hetero status.

Of course some might argue that competitive sports themselves are assertions of hetero status, but that's a chicken-and-egg logic puzzle, and I'd prefer to give men the benefit of the doubt if it's up to me.

Lizadilly, well put. There are plenty of things that are common for women to do where one can easily (and inappropriately) ascribe a label of homoerotic. Dancing on the dance floor together, helping each other with clothes, hug each other, etc. Sports are just the same. Not sure about that towel-butt thing though, but i don't think its wide spread.

SarahMC: I'd say misogyny is the other one.

From my experience misogyny is more closely related with homophobia than male bonding.

Laurie Anne: Some people are asking for an apology just for having seen this picture?

Yeah the nerve of some people.

I decided recently that football is a really gay sport. Big, muscled men in tight capri (often shiny) pants piling up on each other and touching one another's butts in celebration? Come on. Gay.

(Disclaimer: This is not an anti-gay sentiment. Just an observation. Besides, it would really piss off most of the jocks I know and that is so much fun to do.)

The problem is the trolls who comment on the courier journal. EVERY news story turns into something racist, homophobic, or about women being too fat. The Courier Journal isn't a terrible publication, but I've had to quit reading the comments online for this reason. It makes me pretty embarrassed to be from here, really.

Likewise. I like how the tone of the article is pretty much like STFU if you think this picture is gross! :)

In my experience, women athletes are no less homophobic/homoerotic than male athletes. I grew up playing boys ice hockey but switched to girls when a team formed in high school. I went on to play college women's hockey. On my college team, the girls were openly hateful towards the lesbian(s) on the team. This is despite the fact that many of the girls would run around naked and give each other lapdances. The whole environment was intensely uncomfortable for me and I quit after my first year.

I think Desipis ( and a few others) have a point that sports allow men an opportunity to have an intimacy between friends that isn't seen as socially allowable. Women are allowed to touch each other (hugs, kisses, etc.), change in front of each other, have there bodies be close or touching without someone going "omg, lesbians!" (well, most of the time.) With guys there is the "dude that was so gay factor." There are limits to the amount of touching affection guys are allowed to do before they start to feel like people will question their sexuality. Sports gives men that outlet to touch each other, and offer that aspect of friend relationships that women are allowed all the time. So, guys hug each other after sports games, slap each other on the ass, make jokes in the locker room, because society has decided that that is an acceptable outlet. If it is all about being manly, and competitive in sports, working as a team, routing for your team, then no one can question your sexuality, because you are obviously doing a super manly thing.

Side note: Wrestling is the most awkwardly homoerotic sport ever. Guys, in super tight unitards, bodies in close contact, junk visible, and half the time somebodies head gets shoved near someone else's genital or rear. Wrestling has always weirded me out. I half expect them to start making out after the winner pins the loser.

It may not be quite accurate to describe sports in the U.S. as homoerotic. I think it's certainly fair to say that the types and degree of physical contact (and emotional intimacy) between men which is considered sanctioned bonding behavior in sports would be considered homoerotic in almost any other context. And sports are absolutely a homosocial activity.

Oh, I should say that my post was in response to Tim, who wanted some factual basis for the argument that there is a strong homophobic and/or homoerotic undercurrent in sports.

FemiDancer: Wrestling is the most awkwardly homoerotic sport ever.

I understand what you're trying to say here, but I think there's a problem with how your saying it. The sport itself is not homoerotic, but its rather the way in which you view the sport that is homoerotic.

Just to clarify, homosocial and homoerotic are not interchangeable terms. Homosocial is just people of the same sex/gender spending time together- sports definitely qualifies, as does a women's group of any kind. It's a fairly asexual concept. Homoerotic connotes sexuality or sexual tension. Sure, this can also happen in sports, but a homosocial space is not necessarily a homoerotic one.

My sweetie was on the wrestling team in high school. From the stories he's told me, I would say it was a homosocial, though not necessarily homoerotic atmosphere. We still see three or four of the guys he was on the team with, they formed extremely close bonds.
He is, sadly, rather homophobic and I've always found the lines he draws to be interesting. Rolling around naked with another man -- gross. Rolling around with another man in a tight singlet on mats in front of a large crowd -- totally acceptable and fun.
I think it would be nice if our society allowed men other spaces in which to be close both physically and emotionally to other men. It seems like sports is the only way for a man to be close to other men and even that involves a great deal of shared misogyny and competition.

Uh... sorry to be "that person," but there's some serious (unintended, I'm sure!) heteronormativity going on in these comments.

I don't understand the need to deny the homoeroticness of sports. By pointing out that sports can be pretty homoerotic, we feminists are hardly suggesting that this is a bad thing, and men should therefore not bond, and a lot of the comments here seem to be assuming that homoerotic=bad and therefore saying something is homoerotic is not saying men should not do it. I understand that this is the association most people in modern society make and that for that reason, we may not want to point out to our less evolved male friends that sports is homoerotic (although there's an argument to be made for normalization by identification, or whatever you'd call it). But when we're on a feminist blog I see zero problem with pointing out that sports has a homoerotic element to it. It does. So what? Good for sports! Girls dancing with each other like one is the pole and the other is a stripper is also homoerotic, and trying to deny this is silly. In fact, I have no problem with that in and of itself, I have a problem with women doing it primarily for men's enjoyment rather than their own. But that's a different discussion.

Anyway. I'm just getting a little irked at people rushing to "defend" sports against charges of homoeroticism. Unless you have a problem with homosexuality, there is nothing to defend. Again, I'm not trying to be accusatory, I understand that we're raised in an incredibly heteronormative society and even the most enlightened among us have moments of blindness, so I'm not trying to say anyone here is homophobic or is intentionally gay-bashing. I'm just pointing out, let's really, REALLY think about the implications of how we're discussing homosexuality in the context of sports.

/soapbox

The Law Fairy: I (possible others) wasn't defending sport from some perceived negativity surrounding homoerotic behaviour. I was defending it from attempts to sexualise what is not an inherently sexual activity. I've played in mixed gender sporting teams and celebrated victory through physical embraces. There was nothing sexual about it. There would be nothing sexual about if it was a single gender team.

Given the common theme of physical interaction I can see how some people would relate sporting behavior to sexual behaviour. But we should be careful not to forceably project these views onto all people involved in sports, or the idea of sport itself.

Oh, and I'm not saying heteronormativity isn't an issue.

Law Fairy -- My reading of the comments differs from yours. I haven't perceived any tendency of commenters to imply, as you phrase it, "homoerotic=bad". In fact, several commenters have taken pains to explicitly deny any homophobic perceptions that might be read into their comments.

The discrepancy in our interpretations stems from the difference in how we perceive the same behavior prevalent in sports culture; i.e., the close touching, the engagement of physical contact, the interaction in various stages of undress, etc. This behavior could certainly reasonably be seen as homoerotic. But what I and other commenters have pointed out is that the exact same behavior could also be attributed to other motivations (such as the desire for intimacy or emotional bonding), which may or may not include homoerotic elements.

I respectfully suggest it is incorrect to infer that because I argue that men’s behavior in sports culture may stem from elements other than homoeroticism, that I harbor any negative perception of same-sex physical attraction.

Pup,MD: In all fairness, if the Cardinals and the Wildcats weren't so atrocious on the court this year, most Kentuckians wouldn't even demand a technical foul if David Padgett went down on Patrick Patterson in the middle of the second half.

I am cracking up right now.

C-Bird: The problem is the trolls who comment on the courier journal. EVERY news story turns into something racist, homophobic, or about women being too fat. The Courier Journal isn't a terrible publication, but I've had to quit reading the comments online for this reason. It makes me pretty embarrassed to be from here, really.

I second this. Remember when the school district added protection for homosexual teachers and people wrote in about how this would give homosexuals the opportunity to "recruit" students? Such ignorance.

As for the photograph, they don't look like they're kissing to me. They look like they were doing that rough "manly" embrace thing that guys do to celebrate, and their faces collided awkwardly (but not erotically) at the very second the photo was taken. I've got a bit more to say but the baby is crying.

Okay, to continue: I think the awkward position in the photograph probably resulted from the roughness with which I presume they pulled each other into the embrace. I presume there was roughness involved because that seems to be the norm in this type of situation. Supposedly the context of a sports victory is a socially acceptable instance for males to express physical affection with one another, but it seems like even in this type of situation the expression must be masculinized. There are striking actions (slaps on the butt and claps on the back) rather than caressing ones and one-armed embraces that the man is jerked into rather than full-on hugs (and if there is a full-on hug, it's a bearhug and one man lifts the other off the floor.) It's like these displays must maintain masculinity through roughness and displays of strength.

So....I guess I'm the only one who likes to watch sports for a little guy-on-guy and/or girl-on-girl action? How terrible crass and uncivilized of me. :)

Actually, I'm not really a sports fan, but when I do watch, I generally end up admiring the physical grace and agility of the athletes more than the score. And yes, I end up thinking that if there were any more UST in the air, it would combust, but that's me.

(UST - unresolved sexual tension, which only makes sense. Heightened physical activity, emotional duress and adrenaline can often and easily translate into physical arousal, both for the players and for those watching the 'action'.)

HollyPop: It's like these displays must maintain masculinity through roughness and displays of strength.

It's sport. You'll find all female teams doing the same thing. Although perhaps not so much chest bouncing, for obvious reasons.

What about two men ACTUALLY kissing? Pudge Rodriguez and Ugueth Urbina used to kiss all the damn time and no one really cared.

WOW, kt. I hadn't ever heard about that.

As for *this* picture, seems like they're just goofing around to me.

I want to share my observations from the "sport" in which I participate. So, I'll have to explain a bit...
I help run a local amateur wrestling promotion. Not college wrestling, it's hit-you-with-a-chair-in-a-crazy-
costume-wrestling. The athleticism is real, but every thing else is...a little but fake.
It is very homosocial. When two guys form a tag team, they usually end up becoming best friends in real life. I remember after this one match, were an "evil" tag team one the team titles and ran into each others arms for a celebratory embrace after the bell. After most of the matches, it's not unusual to see the competitors hugging once they get to the locker room. And, yes, many of them were leotards.
I enjoy seeing this behavior because it's a contrast to the usual, "dude, that's gay" stuff in movies and commercials. I am proud of the men that show intimacy with other men.

Excuse me, Hollypop, but since when are the Cardinals not good this year? I do recall a few loses when our best players were injured at the beginning of the year, but equating them to a righteously terrible UK team is unfair.

"I don't understand the need to deny the homoeroticness of sports. By pointing out that sports can be pretty homoerotic, we feminists are hardly suggesting that this is a bad thing, and men should therefore not bond, and a lot of the comments here seem to be assuming that homoerotic=bad and therefore saying something is homoerotic is not saying men should not do it."

I think the assumption of homoeroticism in sports is absurd. Just because people are engaged in physical activity with each other doesn't imply sexuality. Is a co-ed softball team a display of heteroeroticism?

"Girls dancing with each other like one is the pole and the other is a stripper is also homoerotic, and trying to deny this is silly."

True. However, this is what they are going for, pandering to the fact that many men find the idea of two woman together sexually exciting. This had nothing to do with sports however.

"There are striking actions (slaps on the butt and claps on the back) rather than caressing ones and one-armed embraces that the man is jerked into rather than full-on hugs (and if there is a full-on hug, it's a bearhug and one man lifts the other off the floor.) It's like these displays must maintain masculinity through roughness and displays of strength."

HollyPop, i don't know if you have ever played sports. I would guess not from the above comment. Sports don't lend themselves to soft caressing type hugs. When excitement is pumping through your veins after a slam dunk, home run, whatever the inclination is not towards gentle. Watch women's sports. The hugs are just as rough as in men's sports.

Back to the original topic...I think it's silly, sad, stupid (whoa, alliteration gone wild) that anyone would be offended by this picture. If they were kissing I would feel the same way.

CBird: Excuse me, Hollypop, but since when are the Cardinals not good this year? I do recall a few loses when our best players were injured at the beginning of the year, but equating them to a righteously terrible UK team is unfair.

I never said they weren't good. Pup,MD did. I was merely amused by the statement, at least partly because what you say is true; no way the Cards are anywhere nearly as bad this year as the Cats.

Hokwei: i don't know if you have ever played sports. I would guess not from the above comment. Sports don't lend themselves to soft caressing type hugs. When excitement is pumping through your veins after a slam dunk, home run, whatever the inclination is not towards gentle. Watch women's sports. The hugs are just as rough as in men's sports.

I haven't ever played sports, at least not since I was a little kid, since I'm generally uncoordinated . So, I hadn't considered it from the angle of the roughness being simply a result of the sports situation, regardless of gender. Thanks for pointing that out, you've revised my consideration of the topic.

"I don't understand the need to deny the homoeroticness of sports. By pointing out that sports can be pretty homoerotic, we feminists are hardly suggesting that this is a bad thing, and men should therefore not bond, and a lot of the comments here seem to be assuming that homoerotic=bad and therefore saying something is homoerotic is not saying men should not do it." [The Law Fairy]

"I think the assumption of homoeroticism in sports is absurd. Just because people are engaged in physical activity with each other doesn't imply sexuality. Is a co-ed softball team a display of heteroeroticism?" [Hokwei]

"Just to clarify, homosocial and homoerotic are not interchangeable terms. Homosocial is just people of the same sex/gender spending time together- sports definitely qualifies, as does a women's group of any kind. It's a fairly asexual concept. Homoerotic connotes sexuality or sexual tension. Sure, this can also happen in sports, but a homosocial space is not necessarily a homoerotic one." [SociologicalMom]

I agree with SociologicalMom and Hokwei. I can't believe that The Law Fairy, a poster I've always admired and respected, actually confused the concept of homoerotic with homosocial. I am also disappointed that Samhita said that sports is charged with homoeroticism.

Why must it be that when men hug and touch each other, it can only be viewed in a homo-erotic context? How about camarederie or just friendship? The joy of just knowing that someone has your back and you win the game as a team? No wonder some men are often so hesitant to share with each other if even feminists call such acts homoerotic.

I am actively involved in martial arts. there are times when we work out without shirts, to get better sensitivity withe skin (and just because sometimes it can get stuffy!). Does that mean when I am grappling another shirtless guy or in turn, trying to find a way to get out of that iron-armed grapple myself, that I am having some sort of erotic moment with another man? My only goal is to break out of the hold before he chokes me, makes me unconscious or breaks my arm...I've never felt the least bit aroused, or filled with sexual energy in doing so. Neither have I felt uncomfortable being held in a grip by a shirtless men. It's just....martial arts (or sports), something that we all got into because we loved the art. Why must it be tinged at all with homoerotic energy?

Lastly, I can't agree enough with lizardilly:

"I played contact sports with other girls in high school and people didn't assume we were just looking for excuses to roll around together. Same with swapping piggyback rides and pedicures. "

"I may be in the minority, but I think fear of male bonding is something feminists have to overcome, or we'll be hypocrites. Healthy, harmless outlets for men to be close to each other..."

Sports not homoerotic? Are we talking about "erotic" for the players, or the spectators?

Because, personally, part of my desire to watch sports is awfully similar to my desire to watch gay porn - young, muscled, sweaty guys on display. Assuming (and perhaps these are false assumptions) that men are visually oriented in sexual matters, and that a certain percentage of men are bi on the sexual spectrum to differing degrees, I have a difficult time believing that straight-identified male viewers are never aroused by spectator sports. Now, how big an attraction that sexual stimulus may be, I have no idea.

Does that make sports homoerotic? Hmm, half-naked men/men in tight uniforms/men in uniforms that exaggerate masculine physical traits - touching each other, hugging, sweating, and fighting. The viewers - mostly male, thus visually oriented where sex is concerned. Sounds kind of homoerotic to me.

I guess I just find it unlikely that sports make me wet, but somehow men find the spectacle completely unerotic. Maybe all the beer and buffalo wings lower the male libido or something . . . .

"Does that make sports homoerotic? Hmm, half-naked men/men in tight uniforms/men in uniforms that exaggerate masculine physical traits - touching each other, hugging, sweating, and fighting. The viewers - mostly male, thus visually oriented where sex is concerned. Sounds kind of homoerotic to me." [Ksms]

As a participant in several types of martial arts and involved in ring fighting, I would think that not many of the fighters would be aroused by their opponent and are rather trying to avoid about having their face smashed in or some other body part broken. I also highly doubt that any significant percentage of men in the audience would find themselves getting erections while witnessing such fights. Sure, they might compare themselves with the fighters, but its more along the lines of "Whoah! Look at how he's trained his body to move like that" or "He's so agile and quick!" rather than "Oh, he's yummy!" , unless they self-identify as homosexual.

You mention that men are "visually oriented in sexual matters". Sure, I agree. But just because men are visually stimulated doesn't mean that they are aroused by other men during sports, (whether they are the players or spectators). You'd be hard pressed to find a male Red Devil fan going to a Manchester United match and going "Man, Ronaldo has a big package!" or "Cor, he's got fine legs!" This assumes of course that he is heterosexual, which, might be news to some people, but which a large majority of men are.

Regarding bisexuality, I believe there was a post just one or two days ago, saying how, while female sexuality is more fluid, male sexuality is more polarized between homosexual and heterosexual.

Now if you were talking about males getting aroused at watching women play sports, that might resonate more with me, just as the fact that women often like to look at good looking men who play sports and who have a perv or two at the male form.

Well, Timothynakayama, I wasn't talking about participants. Thought that was clear with my opener "Are we talking about "erotic" for the players, or the spectators?" And the rest of the post, for that matter. I sort of assumed that when playing sports, concentration might be elsewhere. Though I've heard from a couple of people involved in high school wrestling mention that hard-ons aren't all that uncommon in boys' wrestling. Then again, hard-ons are pretty constant in high school age boys. Difficult to say whether there are more erections during wrestling practice than during trig class, or if it's just more noticeable.

I do remember the article about the fluidity of sexuality in females vs. males. I didn't interpret it as meaning that there are no male bisexuals, or that bisexuality in men is incredibly rare.

I doubt that many men would say "Man, Ronaldo has a big package!" or "Cor, he's got fine legs!" during a match. Not really socially acceptable, and probably a good way to get the shit beat out of you, or at the very least confuse and alienate your friends.

I see where it's a scary thought - you could be there at the pub, and the guy sitting on the bar stool next to you might be getting off on watching the male form and you wouldn't even know it! That's some terrifying shit. Far more comfortable to believe that the majority of men are firmly heterosexual, and you can recognize the ones who aren't by their exclamations of "Oh, he's yummy! during sporting events.

I get the joy of admitting this is my hometown newspaper... however Louisville is a slightly progressive city, especially for Kentucky. We have a fairness amendment including gay rights, and people keep their bigotry to themselves except in anonymous online posts. Quiet hatred makes it a great place for me to be gay!

Ksms,

Just because you choose to assign homoerotic attributes to something doesn't make it inherently so. Two strippers cavorting on a pole is homoerotic. They are engaging in simulated sexual behavior. I have watched a lot of women's sports. I may find the participants attractive, but I have never been turned on by the butt slaps, or celebratory hugs. Would you call women's basketball or rugby homoerotic? My gay male cousin likes to watch basketball because he thinks the guys are hot. He likes to watch gay porn because he finds it erotic. Maybe I'm splitting hairs, but I think there's a difference.