Former NBA star Andrew Bogut has drawn a wave of criticism towards Football Australia – soccer’s national governing body – after coming out in an attack on an issue about his son’s soccer registration.
Bogut took to Twitter to specific his disappointment with the national sporting body for having gender-sensitive options in a drop-down box on his 6-year-old son’s soccer rulebook form.
The list included options to pick from for male, female, non-binary, or gender fluid players, and a fourth option for those whose “gender identity will not be sufficiently represented.”
Bogut shared an image of the list with his followers directly calling Football Australia.
“Signing our 6 12 months old! Again, 6 YEARS! for football,” he wrote. “Cmon @FootballAus.”
Picked #1 in the 2005 NBA draft, Bogut spent 13 seasons in the NBA playing for the Bucks, Warriors, Mavericks, Cavaliers and Lakers.
His tweet divided the web, with many agreeing with his message and many making fun of the 2015 NBA champion for being furious over what they saw as a minor detail.
“Did the drop-down menu move you, Andrew? Are you energized???” one user wrote.
![Andrew Bogut speaking at a basketball game in Australia in 2021.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/bogut3.jpg?w=1024)
“Would the solution for Andrew be just a bit of less triggering,” replied one other.
Many noted that the option was likely available to the entire club fairly than younger players.
Others agreed with the athlete’s indignation.
“Sheesh @FootballAUS must be ashamed,” wrote TV personality Adam Kuhn.
Australian journalist Lilly Vitorovich said that “it’s ridiculous and painful to think it’s an option about (six)!”
Many didn’t understand the outrage over such a minor detail, saying that Bogut must have just ticked the box that concerned his son and moved on.
“He’s a typical dude,” wrote ABC journalist Matt Bevan. “Are you suggesting they adjust this just so the parents (of the six 12 months olds) don’t go crazy about checking the field?”
“Would not or not it’s simpler to only answer the query and move on? Why do we elect to agonize over these little things,” replied one other user.
Football Australia said they take pride in the diversity of their sport and the registration form reflects this.
“Football Australia is proud to make our game the most diverse and inclusive sport in Australia, where our sport and communities offer a protected and welcoming environment for all participants, regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, cultural background or ability.” the spokesman said in an announcement.
![Andrew Bogut of the Warriors in 2019.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/bogut.jpg?w=666)
“Football Australia’s registration platform reflects the diversity and openness of our game where it asks a series of fixed questions, with a drop-down feature where participants can select options that best fit the way they discover themselves.”
Football Australia is one of the founding members of Pride in Sport, the country’s first and only sports inclusion program specifically designed to support sports organizations to change into more LGBTQI+ players, volunteers, officials and spectators. Pride in Sport declined news.com.au’s request to comment on Bogut’s tweet.
In 2020, Football Australia was one of 13 national sports organizations to commit to developing a transgender and gender diverse integration framework for successor sport.
At the time, Pride in Sport program manager Beau Newell said the involvement demonstrated “a fundamental shift in Australian sport towards greater inclusion of transgender and gender-diverse athletes.”
![Andrew Bogut of the Warriors in 2019.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/bogut2.jpg?w=1024)
“The demand for more inclusive sports cultures makes it clear that there’s an increasing expectation from Australian society that sport must be for everybody, including transgender and gender diverse people.” he said in an announcement.
Football Australia’s chief executive James Johnson said in an announcement that the body was committed to “introducing measures to advertise inclusion and make football accessible to all”.
“We look ahead to working with Pride in Sport to formalize a framework and guidelines that promote the inclusion of transgender and gender-nonconforming people in our game – whether at the local, skilled, administrative or every other level,” he said. .
“Football is a world game and our mission is to make football open to all.”