Game overtakes reality: gay players go out to light
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Football Manager is probably the most real game related to King Soccer, but in the new version of the cult creation of Sports Interactive, things go even further. This was made clear by Miles Jacobson, who is the director of the game, and admitted to BBC Sport that one of the innovations in FM is that players will be able to reveal their different sexual orientation. We decided on this move because we know there are players with homosexual orientation. In view of the number of professional players, there are certainly gay men who are not ready to admit it. I personally find it strange and that`s why we decided to show that this is not a problem and may be positive. In 2017 everyone can be yourself, said Jacobson on Sports Interactive`s revolutionary decision.
Of course, the innovation will not involve real players because publishers can not know about their orientation, but will only cover the so-called newgens / regens - players that are generated by the game itself to keep the database up to date after the end of each season. Jacobson adds that if a player who admits to being homosexual is in the team you lead, this will result in extra profits for the club. `The sales director will tell you the increase in the profits from the sold items because of the increased interest of the LGBT community, ` he explains.
There is currently no active Premier League footballer or any of the other elite championships in Europe who has openly admitted to being gay. On the other hand, Thomas Hitszilhesperger, who has more than 200 games in the championships of England, Germany and Italy, has attracted the recognition, albeit two years after the end of his career.
A survey among fans in England shows that 8% of them would refuse to support their favorite club advised by football sure bets if there is a homosexual player in it. Former Leeds United David Hail has announced that at least 20 players from the two highest levels of the England Premier League and Championship football are in a similar orientation but are afraid to admit it publicly. He himself did not hide that he was gay.
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