When Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch threw a punch at Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster after Sunday night’s game, he didn’t just earn a suspension — he sparked a hilarious and thought-provoking take from Outsports co-founder Cyd Zeigler.
Zeigler’s opinion piece, dripping with humor and shade, made one bold claim: the NFL would be a lot calmer (and probably more fabulous) if there were more gay men on the field.
In the article, Zeigler points out that fights like the one between Branch and Smith-Schuster are all too common in “straight” sports spaces. He jokes that if the NFL locker room were full of gay players, postgame “handshakes” might mean something very different — and the only chaos would be deciding where to go for brunch after the game.
Branch’s frustration after Detroit’s 30–17 loss to Kansas City was clear. He not only refused to shake Patrick Mahomes’ hand but also punched Smith-Schuster in the face, saying later:
> “I did a real childish thing… I’m tired of people doing stuff in between plays and refs don’t catch it. They be trying to bully me out there.”
To Zeigler, that comment said it all — gay men, he argues, have spent years mastering how to handle teasing and tension without letting it explode into a brawl. “Most of us learned to shrug it off back in high school,” he wrote. “If someone hits on your boyfriend, you take it as a compliment — not a call to fight.”
In typical Outsports style, the piece uses wit to make a point about masculinity and emotion in men’s sports. Beneath the humor lies a reminder: maybe it’s time to rethink what toughness really looks like in the NFL.
NFL Chaos: Why Brian Branch’s Punch Proves We Need More Gay Men on the Field
