Everyone Can Play

“I wish I wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, ‘I'm different.’ If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand.” When those words were issued in the May 6 issue of Sports Illustrated Jason Collins became the first openly gay active male athlete.

Homosexuality is becoming more accepted in America every day. The last field of business to open itself up to homosexuality is male professional sports. In the past, the masculine culture of professional sports did not adapt itself as quickly as the rest of society to homosexuality.

Many athletes have announced they were gay but waited until after their athletic career was over. John Amaechi was a high profile NBA player who came out in his book “Man in the Middle” four years after his retirement. He said in an interview prior to him announcing his sexuality, “there is no openly gay player and that’s no real surprise. It would be like an alien dropping down from space. There’d be fear, then panic; they just wouldn’t know how to handle it.” He later said after coming out that he underestimated America and that he received more support than expected.

Amaechi and others feared coming out publicly would cause a negative reaction from their teammates and fans. Luckily America has become increasingly more accepting of homosexuals over the past ten years. Athletes like Jason Collins feel more comfortable coming out today than they would have ten years ago.

Samuel Yeager is a top scorer on Cal State Fullerton’s men’s basketball team. When asked how he thinks his team would react to a player coming out he said, “I don’t know how the team would react. But a man who is comfortable with his sexuality and is not gay would not have a problem with it.” That is the attitude of a lot of athletes have today but it wasn’t always that way.

When Amaechi came out in 2007, the reaction was not entirely positive. Former NBA great Tim Hardaway said, “First of all I wouldn't want him on my team. Second of all, if he was on my team I would really distance myself from him because I don't think that's right and I don't think he should be in the locker room when we're in the locker room. Something has to give. If you have 12 other ball players in your locker room that's upset and can't concentrate and always worried about him in the locker room or on the court or whatever, it's going to be hard for your teammates to win and accept him as a teammate.” Hardaway has changed his opinion and even reached out to Jason Collins when he came out but this is the reaction athletes who come out fear.

Jeff Westling is an openly gay man who is a former high school athlete. When he was in high school he was on the water polo team and said that coming out was out of the question. “I had a teammate that was rumored to have participated in homosexual acts. He was wildly ostracized to the point he quit the team.” Westling said.

“That was six or seven years ago though and maybe things have changed. I hope that high school athletes would react differently now if a teammate was openly gay.” Westling said. There is a masculine culture in men’s sports that makes it more difficult to come out than it is in women’s sports.

Dani Franks is an openly lesbian girls volleyball player at Cal State Fullerton. In her case, being open with her sexuality with her teammates is easy. “They're very understanding and they joke with me and stuff and it's all fun because I'm very open about it.” Franks said. Fortunately being an openly gay female athlete is not uncommon.

A week before Jason Collins came out, Brittney Griner, the most prominent female basketball player came out. Greiner is incredibly tall, athletic, and charismatic. She casually came out during an interview at the WNBA draft. This was hardly even newsworthy. The hope among the gay community is that one day it becomes a non-story when an athlete comes out.

It is more difficult to come out as a gay male athlete than a female one. “There is a stereotype for men to be more masculine especially in sports. I think men are more uncomfortable with it in general.” Franks said. “I think the stereotype of gay men being less masculine than straight men makes it scary for gay athletes to come out. They think their teammates won’t respect them.”

Unfortunately there is a stereotype of gay men being less masculine than straight men. Hopefully Jason Collins can put that stereotype to rest. He is a 7 feet tall center who has played in the NBA for 13 years. He stood toe to toe with Shaquille O’Neal in the 2002 NBA finals and knocked him down viciously to the floor more than once. Nobody who has played with or against Collins accuses him of being feminine.

“I go against the gay stereotype, which is why I think a lot of players will be shocked: That guy is gay? But I've always been an aggressive player, even in high school. Am I so physical to prove that being gay doesn't make you soft? Who knows? That's something for a psychologist to unravel.” Collins said. Unfortunately some athletes will still be convinced that homosexual males are not masculine enough to be athletes.

Alfred Blue is a running back at Louisiana State University, one of the most prestigious college football programs in the nation. “Football is supposed to be this violent sport, this aggressive sport that grown men are supposed to play. Ain’t no little boys out here between them lines. So if you gay, we look at you as a sissy. You know? Like, how you going to say you can do what we do and you want a man?” said Blue. He later apologized for those comments but nonetheless it is bothersome that some people still feel this way in 2013.

Chris Culliver, a cornerback on the San Francisco 49ers, made some disparaging comments about gay athletes in an interview with Artie Lange during Super Bowl week. “I don’t do the gay guys man. I don’t do that. Ain’t got no gay people on the team. They gotta get up outta here if they are. Can’t be with that sweet stuff.” Comments like these make athletes afraid to come out.

Westling and others hope that one day it will be no issue when somebody comes out. “When I came out to my cousin Marisa she was like ‘so?’ and the conversation moved on as if I had told her about the weather. That is the hope we all have about the future.” he said.

Being a homosexual athlete in 2013 may still be considered taboo. The encouraging news is that Jason Collins got more support than he expected from other players around the league and fans. One day it will barely even be on SportsCenter when an athlete comes out as gay. Hopefully that day is nearer than anticipated.