So yesterday morning the big news came out that Jason Collins was gay.
For those that don't know him, he is an NBA Center who has played for many teams.
Now, this is obviously a big story, as no male athlete in the four major sports has ever come out.
Now, that last sentence is very specific.
We've had big sports stars come out before (Read: Martina Navratilova). We've had current players come out (Read: Brittany Griner).
But never in the big four sports in America. For the underinformed, those being the Men's versions of Baseball, Basketball, Football and Hockey.
But waking up this morning, nothing has changed for me, and my view of sports.
Which is good I guess. Because big picture, it doesn't really matter that he's gay and a professional athlete.
Read the full Sports Illustrated story here.
PS. Did you notice that he also came out as being black? Who woulda thunk!?
Just wondering why it would make a difference if a pro ball player was gay. (In terms of affecting the image of the big four, because I do understand what it can do for a famous individual personally, how it sometimes becomes his identity.) This really doesn't change the face of pro sports at all. I mean, if you're buying into the typical straight male "macho" stereotype, you should realize that not all straight males are such, perhaps not even all pro sports straight males. Even if it were so, only about half the gay population presents as more feminine. To carry this a bit further even, so what if we had an gay effeminate male pro ball player? It doesn't so much as reflect on the sport as reflect on the society we live in.
ReplyDeleteAh, but it does.
DeleteIt changes how a team plays, and acts around in each.
For a pro team to work, they need to have chemistry, and stuff like this can make things uncomfortable. In the last day and a half, many players have come out saying that this is fine and nothing has changed.
However, some still think it is not necessary to be public knowledge, as it would change the mentality in the locker room.
For example, here is retired pro-footballer Hines Ward's take on open-gays in the NFL:
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/30/hines-ward-doesnt-believe-football-is-ready-for-openly-gay-player/
The first player to come out in each sport, will get such media attention, that if done during his own season, will be a major distraction to his team.
Big picture: Would you be naked in a locker room, with a gay man?