McCafferty, Queerball | Beaming with Pride

In the 40^th edition of Beaming with Pride (2026), we highlight “Queerball” performed by alternative band McCafferty.

Are you ready to beam with P-R-I-D-E? Beaming with Pride highlights songs by LGBTQ musicians and allies, offering background, analysis, and discussion of the decadent bops served up. All genres are welcome, and both classics and new songs are recognized. So, without further ado, in the 40^th edition of Beaming with Pride (2026), we highlight “Queerball” performed by McCafferty.

Most of what is said here, I cosign. If he’s cute and hot, there is nothing wrong with acknowledging this.  We all have feelings. That last line, however, gets a big thumbs down. Why? It reeks of homophobia, specifically internalized homophobia.  Yuck! McCafferty delivers a compelling single about football players falling for one another on “Queerball”. The chorus continues, “Cuddle his chest / Kiss on his ear / What will the team think if they know we’re queer.” Again, we had something going here, until homophobia crept in, once again.  Nick Hartkop, the founder, singer, and guitarist of the band, wrote “Queerball.” Jado Styles produced it.  Hartop approaches the song sort of like an alternative/emo-rap record; it’s un-pitched with plenty of rhythmic lyrics.

Throughout “Queerball,” our closeted football players are secretive about their relationship. Why? “Ohio’s homophobic / It’s a small town with conservative views.” McCafferty is not off base.  The state was a swing state politically for years but has settled into its redness over the last couple of election cycles 👎. Nothing about it screams progressive, particularly regarding the LGBTQ+ community. Also, there is still the matter of that girlfriend, too.  That said, she’s not the focal point of the song, so we’ll just mention her in passing.  Our narrator is enamored, physically and emotionally, even if they are forced to fool around in the backseat instead of freely, sans fear of being caught, judged, or outed.  Keeping the same energy as the recurring chorus, he describes his boy as having “Nice eyes with a kind face / And a strong chest / Man, you are beautiful.”  Hot 🥵! As the song progresses, the narrator doesn’t want to hide: “I’m sick of hiding these things that we do in bed / If we just tell them, I bet that they’ll stay our friends.” It is always a risk, and in some places, unfortunately, it’s not safe to come out.  That shouldn’t be the case for anybody, but it’s true. Also, support for queer individuals is not universal, differing from family to family and beyond. All told, McCafferty delivers an ear-catching, thought-provoking alternative record with “Queerball”.  We still don’t think of football as queer, but something tells me there are far more gay or bi football players than Carl Nassib, Michael Sam, or R. K. Russell.

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McCafferty » “Queerball” » Queerball » 2021

McCafferty, Queerball: Beaming with Pride No. 40 (2026) [📷: Brent Faulkner/ The Musical Hype; Queerball; Cristyan Bohn, Ketut Subiyanto, Luis Morales Torres, SHVETS production, Uriel Mont from Pexels; Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Gordon Johnson, Wolfgang Eckert from Pixabay]

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