{"id":24214,"date":"2015-08-16T08:15:14","date_gmt":"2015-08-16T12:15:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/could-sport-change-your-life\/"},"modified":"2015-08-16T08:15:14","modified_gmt":"2015-08-16T12:15:14","slug":"could-sport-change-your-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/could-sport-change-your-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Could sport change your life?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>Could sport change your life?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>When I was growing up I wasn&rsquo;t a huge fan of sports. I was tall but skinny, and not&nbsp;very coordinated. Phys.Ed classes at school usually involved being picked last for&nbsp;teams and merciless teasing for being <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Unsurprisingly, this is a relatively common experience for <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a> <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">men<\/a> &ndash; sports clubs&nbsp;can be fairly unforgiving environments, and somehow seem to expose and amplify&nbsp;any confidence or identity issues that you may be grappling with.<\/p>\n<p>While <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a> <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">men<\/a> knock it out of the park in terms of looking after their body and going&nbsp;to the gym (we&rsquo;re about twice as likely to go to the gym then straight <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">men<\/a>), the&nbsp;participation level of <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a> <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">men<\/a> in sport is significantly lower than that of our straight<br \/>\ncounterparts.<\/p>\n<p>Does that matter? As long as we&rsquo;re looking good who cares if we&rsquo;re not playing&nbsp;sport?<\/p>\n<p>I discussed this with Dr Qazi Ramen, assistant professor in cognitive biology at&nbsp;London&rsquo;s Queen Mary University. According to Ramen, just focusing on the&nbsp;physical health benefits of sport is missing the bigger picture &ndash; that mental health is<br \/>\nactually the big danger zone for <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a> <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">men<\/a>:<br \/>\n&lsquo;Let&rsquo;s look at some facts&hellip;&rsquo;, says Ramen &ndash; talking quickly and with passion, &lsquo;Scientific&nbsp;research is showing us that <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a> <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">men<\/a> are something like two to three times more&nbsp;likely to suffer from the entire range of psychiatric problems &ndash; including depression,<br \/>\nanxiety, panic, substance abuse, and suicide.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But can playing sport have a positive impact on our mental health? I spoke to&nbsp;some of the sporty <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gays<\/a> that I know to get their perspective, they came up with&nbsp;three compelling reasons why <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a> sport is the way forward.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Exercise<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The physical benefits of playing sport and exercising are well documented and fairly&nbsp;self-evident. Giving your body a good workout occasionally is not only good for&nbsp;your physical health, but the adrenaline and endorphins released as part of physical<br \/>\nexercise have also been shown to have a positive impact on mental health as well.<\/p>\n<p>Swimmer Claus Kruse took up sport to get his fitness and self-esteem back on&nbsp;track:<br \/>\n&lsquo;I wanted to get off my fat <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/?mp_code=akftr\">ass<\/a> &ndash; I was becoming addicted to bad TV and was feeling&nbsp;lonely. I joined a <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a> sports club as I didn&rsquo;t want to have to deal with some of the&nbsp;personal questions about your sexuality that you seem to get with straight clubs.&rsquo;<\/p>\n<p>Footballer Rory Desch stumbled across his club by accident:<\/p>\n<p>&lsquo;At the time I was fitness mad, but it was mainly centered around the gym. I wanted&nbsp;to do something that would be outdoors. I saw an ad for a <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a> football club that&nbsp;trained near where I lived and decided to give it a try. The team were surprisingly&nbsp;welcoming &ndash; mixed abilities but the stronger players were very supportive and&nbsp;helpful, giving me much needed direction.&rsquo;<\/p>\n<p>Diver David Forrest reports that he joined a <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a> club primarily to keep fit:<br \/>\n&lsquo;I&rsquo;d always been part of straight clubs previously, and I wanted to try something&nbsp;different &ndash; the <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a> club was a lot more fun, I instantly felt more comfortable.&rsquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Meet People<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The benefits of joining a sports club extend beyond the physical &ndash; clubs and teams&nbsp;can help to provide valuable social interaction, opening up new networks and&nbsp;contacts with people from different walks of life but with common interests.<\/p>\n<p>Rugby player Niall Caverly joined a <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a> sports club on moving to London:<br \/>\n&lsquo;I&rsquo;d never played rugby when growing up out of fear of being the <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a> kid on the&nbsp;team, so I&rsquo;d mostly stuck with individual sports. But having moved to a new city I&nbsp;didn&rsquo;t really know many people &ndash; so joining a sports club seemed like a good option.&nbsp;The Kings Cross Steelers take beginner rugby players so it was a great way to&nbsp;learn and be open and feel included.&rsquo;<\/p>\n<p>Swimmer Claus Kruse has definitely seen the social benefits of joining a sports&nbsp;club:<br \/>\n&lsquo;I&rsquo;ve met a whole new crowd of <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">guys<\/a> and <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/?mp_code=akftr\">girls<\/a> &ndash; it also helped me realize that the&nbsp;hunky <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">guy<\/a> on the swim team that I never had the guts to talk to on a night out has&nbsp;exactly the same insecurities as me.&rsquo;<\/p>\n<p>Runner David Maher was also looking to join a sports group for the social&nbsp;perspective:<br \/>\n&lsquo;I felt that I would be able to find like-minded people in a <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a> club. I hadn&rsquo;t really&nbsp;had any exposure to team or club sports before and I thought I would feel more&nbsp;comfortable participating in a <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a> club.&rsquo;<\/p>\n<p>Footballer Rory Desch deliberately joined a <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a> sports club to meet more <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a> <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">guys<\/a>:<br \/>\n&lsquo;Having previously struggled to make many <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a> friends I thought it would be an&nbsp;opportunity to meet other <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a> <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">men<\/a> and interact socially with them, if only when&nbsp;training or playing games. I also thought that they might be more sympathetic to my&nbsp;lack of football skills (and they were), helping me to improve. All of a sudden I had&nbsp;this extended network of friends and acquaintances. I hadn&rsquo;t appreciated the social&nbsp;opportunities I could experience by being a member of a team &ndash; after-game socials,&nbsp;nights out, and tournaments both home and abroad. For the first time in my <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a> life&nbsp;I felt I fitted in.&rsquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Sex<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There is a common misconception that <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a> sports clubs aren&rsquo;t really about sport at&nbsp;all but are just an excuse for everyone to have <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/couples\/?mp_code=akftr\">sex<\/a> with each other. While this is&nbsp;probably not true, opportunities to meet <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">guys<\/a> for <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/couples\/?mp_code=akftr\">sex<\/a> are likely to increase if you&rsquo;re&nbsp;out and about, being active and meeting new people &ndash; this builds your confidence&nbsp;and helps motivates you to stay active and focused.<\/p>\n<p>Swimmer Pascal Anson cheekily but honestly answered that he joined a <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a> sports&nbsp;club for the <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/couples\/?mp_code=akftr\">sex<\/a>, but instead he got &lsquo;sport, <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/couples\/?mp_code=akftr\">sex<\/a>, and drama!&rsquo; Anson has gone on to&nbsp;travel the world competing in <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a> sports swimming tournaments and has also&nbsp;established a <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a> swimming club in Brighton.<\/p>\n<p>Water polo player Louis Chaidron happily reports that:<br \/>\n&lsquo;Your <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/couples\/?mp_code=akftr\">sex<\/a> appeal just explodes when you say you&rsquo;re in a water polo team &ndash; that&rsquo;s not&nbsp;the only reason that I play water polo, but it&rsquo;s definitely one of the positive aspects&nbsp;of the sport!&rsquo;<\/p>\n<p>Rugby player Niall Caverly confirms that:<br \/>\n&lsquo;Having &ldquo;rugby player&rdquo; written on your online profile is a great way to break the ice &ndash;&nbsp;often people will ask you about the club even just out of curiosity rather than hitting&nbsp;on you, or just as a way to start chatting instead of &ldquo;Hi m8&Prime;.&rsquo;<\/p>\n<p>Gay sport &ndash; get into shape, meet new people, improve your <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/couples\/?mp_code=akftr\">sex<\/a> life. Sign me up!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gmfa.org.uk\/sites\/fsmagazine\" target=\"_blank\">This article was originally published in FS Magazine.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/article\/atlanta-takes-gold-in-eurogames-water-polo-tournament\/london-orca_dan-morgan\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/London-Orca_Dan-Morgan-100x100.jpg\" alt=\"London Orca at Eurogames Stockholm\"><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/article\/atlanta-takes-gold-in-eurogames-water-polo-tournament\/atlanta-rainbow-trout_cameron-street\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Atlanta-Rainbow-Trout_Cameron-Street-100x100.jpg\" alt=\"Atlanta Rainbow Trout take the water polo gold at Eurogames in Stockholm\"><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/article\/atlanta-takes-gold-in-eurogames-water-polo-tournament\/toronto2_ming\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Toronto2_Ming-100x100.jpg\" alt=\"Toronto Triggerfish at Stockholm Eurogames\"><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/article\/atlanta-takes-gold-in-eurogames-water-polo-tournament\/toronto_ming\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Toronto_Ming-100x100.jpg\" alt=\"Toronto Triggerfish at Stockholm Eurogames\"><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/article\/atlanta-takes-gold-in-eurogames-water-polo-tournament\/orca_sefryn-penrose\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Orca_Sefryn-Penrose-100x100.jpg\" alt=\"London Orca at Stockholm Eurogames\"><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/article\/atlanta-takes-gold-in-eurogames-water-polo-tournament\/orca_john-sadler\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Orca_John-Sadler-100x100.jpg\" alt=\"London Orca at Stockholm Eurogames\"><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/article\/atlanta-takes-gold-in-eurogames-water-polo-tournament\/img_4787\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/IMG_4787-100x100.jpg\" alt=\"Toronto Triggerfish at Eurogames in Stockholm\"><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/article\/atlanta-takes-gold-in-eurogames-water-polo-tournament\/img_4786\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/IMG_4786-100x100.jpg\" alt=\"Toronto Triggerfish at Eurogames in Stockholm\"><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/article\/atlanta-takes-gold-in-eurogames-water-polo-tournament\/img_4785\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/IMG_4785-100x100.jpg\" alt=\"The water polo tournament at EuroGames - Stockholm\"><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/article\/atlanta-takes-gold-in-eurogames-water-polo-tournament\/img_4780\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/IMG_4780-100x100.jpg\" alt=\"The water polo tournament at EuroGames - Stockholm\"><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/article\/atlanta-takes-gold-in-eurogames-water-polo-tournament\/img_4778\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/IMG_4778-100x100.jpg\" alt=\"The water polo tournament at EuroGames - Stockholm\"><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/article\/atlanta-takes-gold-in-eurogames-water-polo-tournament\/img_4774\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/IMG_4774-100x100.jpg\" alt=\"The water polo tournament at EuroGames - Stockholm\"><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/article\/atlanta-takes-gold-in-eurogames-water-polo-tournament\/img_4773\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/IMG_4773-100x100.jpg\" alt=\"The water polo tournament at EuroGames - Stockholm\"><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/article\/atlanta-takes-gold-in-eurogames-water-polo-tournament\/brussels-manneknfish-in-stockholm_photo-by-mannekenfish\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Brussels-Manneknfish-in-Stockholm_Photo-by-Mannekenfish-100x100.jpg\" alt=\"Brussels Manneknfish in Stockholm\"><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/?attachment_id=124506\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/gay-star-news-travel-stockholm-eurogames-5_0-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Synchronised Swimming at Eurogames Stockholm\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/article\/gareth-johnson030215\/\" target=\"_blank\">Read more from Gareth Johnson<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/article\/game060315\/\" target=\"_blank\">Read more gay sports stories<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/article\/could-sport-change-your-life\/\">Could sport change your life?<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/\">Gay Star News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Gareth Johnson<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gaystarnews.com\/article\/could-sport-change-your-life\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\">www.gaystarnews.com\/article\/could-sport-change-your-life\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Could sport change your life? When I was growing up I wasn&rsquo;t a huge fan of sports. I was tall but skinny, and not&nbsp;very coordinated. Phys.Ed classes at school usually involved being picked last for&nbsp;teams and merciless teasing for being <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a>. Unsurprisingly, this is a relatively common experience for <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a> <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">men<\/a> &ndash; sports clubs&nbsp;can be &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/could-sport-change-your-life\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Could sport change your life?<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2466,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[107],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Could sport change your life? - GAYFRIENDSCHAT.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/could-sport-change-your-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Could sport change your life? - GAYFRIENDSCHAT.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Could sport change your life? When I was growing up I wasn&rsquo;t a huge fan of sports. I was tall but skinny, and not&nbsp;very coordinated. Phys.Ed classes at school usually involved being picked last for&nbsp;teams and merciless teasing for being gay. 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