I knew these photos would cost them! Sorry couldnt resist the "Soccer Girl" thread reminded me of this dark event in US Mens soccer, luckily success at the WC made us all forget these images.
Just before the World Cup, the Portugese federation kidnapped several members of the USMNT and transported them to an undisclosed location. There, they were forced to wear pieces from the fall collection of the critically maligned and commercially disastrous Luis Figo label and forced at gun point to be photographed in quasi-homoerotic poses. After the session, they were released on one condition - the US would ensure a Portugese victory in the first group match at the WC and the incriminating photos and negatives would be turned over to USSF. If the US did not lose to Portugal, the pictures would be published for all the world to see. But all did not go as planned, as a member of the Portugese federation leaked the photos to the New York Times. Figuring that no one would actually read news about soccer players, NYT decided to publish the photos in the Sunday New York Times Magazine as a fashion spread. The photos caused an uproar, and it is said that the apparent association between soccer and homosexuality set the cause of gay rights back 20 years. In fact, the following morning, 2,000 formerly gay New Yorkers turned in their Gay Cards and portable Gay-dars, and both Advocate and Out magazines lost half their subscribers. The gay community may never recover from this. The End. PS: You might be wondering about what happened to the players that posed for these photos. Well, the USMNT, though humiliated, relieved of the burden of the blackmail attempt, got back at their Portugese captors by winning the match 3-2. Some parts of the above story may not be true.