There is a new movement starting in the world of competitive sports, and this girl is so for it.

The new year has brought to light a lot of underlying issues in our country, and regardless of your political affiliation, you can be assured that you’re going to see an insane amount of change throughout the U.S.

The Football Association of America has released a report stating they are calling for a lengthy, possibly permanent, ban from stadiums of all fans that shout homophobic slurs during games. The report was released after a study concluded that more than 73 percent of fans will hear some kind of derogatory slur shouted at athletes who are of a different sexual orientation during games.

Soccer is another sport doing something about the issue. The English Rugby Union is being praised for the effort they are making in eliminating homophobic fans from their stands.

Rugby teams, along with sports such as swimming and diving, are campaigning against the judgement from their cheering section, and has openly supported many of their athletes who have come out. The “We Call It Rugby” campaign aims at breaking down barriers that are hindering the LGBTQ community with a series of videos that have reached upwards of 35 million people.

The world of sports has an impact on the behavior of others. Society gets crazy about who made it to the Super Bowl, and the teams heading to the NBA playoffs. It’s refreshing to see teams taking a stand on an issue so prevalent in our lives.

But we still have more work to do. Because many of the suggested bans have not been passed yet, they have yet to take effect. More awareness needs to be raised here with American sports. If baseball, a national pastime, released an advertisement supporting people of all backgrounds and orientations, the benefits would be monumental.

We live in a progressive country. It is important for American sports to be inclusive of everyone, despite their sexual orientation.

Natalia Marcus can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_sports on Twitter.