How empowering would it be if four active NFL players came out on the same day?

[B-Fly]

Not sure what Ayanbadejo's motive is in leaking the discussions, but maybe it's a small trial balloon to help get one or more of those players comfortable with the move.

http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2013/4/5/4186668/gay-nfl-players-announcment-brendon-ayanbadejo

[Fresno Bob]

This would be awesome....

[dslaw]

I don't really care if players announce they are gay or not. I do hope that if they announce it that they are doing it because they want to, not because someone else is pressuring them to do it.

[B-Fly]

I don't really care if players announce they are gay or not. I do hope that if they announce it that they are doing it because they want to, not because someone else is pressuring them to do it.

Yes. Although I think Ayanbadejo is correct that organizing behind the scenes for multiple players to come out at the same time would probably make it significantly easier for each of those players than if he had to decide whether or not to come out in a vacuum. So I hope no one is being coerced, but I'm happy if a little bit of coordination works to make coming out easier for the players. Because general demographics would suggest that there are dozens if not hundreds of other gay pro athletes who maybe would also like to be able to stop hiding their identities and who would be relieved not to have to be the gay Jackie Robinson.

[revo]

Jason Collins of the Boston Celtics has now become the 1st athlete of a major professional US sport to announce he's gay, which he did in this week's Sports Illustrated. Good for him.

[B-Fly]

Jason Collins of the Boston Celtics has now become the 1st athlete of a major professional US sport to announce he's gay, which he did in this week's Sports Illustrated. Good for him.

Good for him, yes, although he barely qualifies as "active". He finished the year deep on the Wizards' bench, not the Celtics, his contract is up and even before this announcement, there was probably a good chance he wouldn't have played again in the NBA.

[Judge Jude]

Collins in the article clearly expects to play in the NBA again next season - but I agree that is/was no sure thing.

As someone with a twin brother myself, I got a kick out of this part:

"I didn't come out to my brother until last summer. His reaction to my breakfast revelation was radically different from Aunt Teri's. He was downright astounded. He never suspected. So much for twin telepathy."

fyi, he added:

"But by dinner that night, he was full of brotherly love. For the first time in our lives, he wanted to step in and protect me."

[B-Fly]

what are you guys talking about? whether how successful you are in a professional sport depends on how important it is whether you come out. or is it the other way around?

this isn't the 60's.

you know someday there will be no such thing as sexuality. wrap your heads around that :\

Who said it has anything to do with success in professional sports? This is about society, not sports. No one should have to live in fear of his homosexuality being discovered, or of being shunned/excluded from any activity in life due to his sexuality. The locker room/sports culture is one area where that societal fear remains most pronounced. The more professional athletes who are known to be gay, the quicker those fears and stigmas are likely to disappear in college, high school and youth sports. That's valuable to me, not as a sports fan, but as a person.

[B-Fly]

I am not a fan of Kobe Bryant, the person, but credit for his Tweet today:

"Proud of @jasoncollins34. Don't suffocate who u r because of the ignorance of others #courage #support #mambaarmystandup #BYOU"

[johnnya24]

[Fresno Bob]

Collins in the article clearly expects to play in the NBA again next season - but I agree that is/was no sure thing.

As someone with a twin brother myself, I got a kick out of this part:

"I didn't come out to my brother until last summer. His reaction to my breakfast revelation was radically different from Aunt Teri's. He was downright astounded. He never suspected. So much for twin telepathy."

fyi, he added:

"But by dinner that night, he was full of brotherly love. For the first time in our lives, he wanted to step in and protect me."

I have identical twin brothers that are basically the little brothers I never had, and when one of them came out to the other, it definately put the whammy on him...