It has been 18 exhilarating months since I came out in Sports Illustrated as the first openly gay man in one of the four major professional team sports. And it has been nine months since I signed with the Nets and became the first openly gay male athlete to appear in a game in one of those leagues. It feels wonderful to have been part of these milestones for sports and for gay rights, and to have been embraced by the public, the coaches, the players, the league and history.
On Wednesday at the Barclays Center, I plan to announce my retirement as an NBA player. …
… There are still no publicly gay players in the NFL, NHL or major league baseball. Believe me: They exist. Every pro sport has them. I know some of them personally. When we get to the point where a gay pro athlete is no longer forced to live in fear that he’ll be shunned by teammates or outed by tabloids, when we get to the point where he plays while his significant other waits in the family room, when we get to the point where he’s not compelled to hide his true self and is able to live an authentic life, then coming out won’t be such a big deal. But we’re not there yet.”
— Jason Collins announcing his retirement in a column he wrote for Sports Illustrated
BJ McFrisky
I’m sure there are closeted pro athletes, but unlike Jason Collins or Michael Sam, they put their careers first and their sexual identity second, hence, they are more successful professionally and less tabloidy personally.
hyhybt
Thanks for the correction; this makes much more sense.
gaym50ish
There have been many players who have come out after their careers ended, David Kopay wrote a book about it. His first lover was Washington Redskins tight end (no pun intended) Jerry Smith, who never acknowledged his homosexuality before his death from AIDS in 1987. Offensive lineman Roy Simmons came out on Phil Donahue’s TV talk show after his career ended. Defensive lineman Esera Tuaolo also came out after retirement.
Baseball players who outed themselves after their careers ended include utility player Billy Bean. This year, Bean was hired to help make major-league baseball more inclusive. His new role was announced at this year’s all-star game in Minneapolis — the same game at which the late Glenn Burke received long-overdue honors for his pioneering role as a gay player.
Burke was a promising outfielder in the 1970s, thought to be a potential great in the mold of Willy Mays. He was closeted throughout his career, but his sexual orientation was well-known by his teammates, who accepted him because he was very likable and a great athlete. But he was vilified by manager Tommy Lasorda, who was in deep denial that his own son, Tom Lasorda, Jr., was gay. (When Tom died of AIDS in 1991, the senior Lasorda even denied the cause of death, telling the press it was cancer and pneumonia.) Lasorda was disturbed that his son had befriended Burke, and eventually he traded him to the Oakland A’s. Burke’s book, “Out at Home: The Glenn Burke Story,” was published in 1995, the same year he died of complications of AIDS.
Another athlete who wrote of his experience in professional sports is John Amaechi, who wrote a 2007 book, “Man in the Middle.” Both Kopay and Amaechi said they knew of other closeted gays in the NFL and NBA, and Kopay expected some to follow suit after he bared his soul in his book. But they didn’t.
jason smeds
A casual sexual interest in men doesn’t make a man gay or homosexual. There are many men with a casual sexual interest in men. Just because they hide it, it doesn’t mean they are going through an identity crisis akin to a closeted existence.
The closet is over-exaggerated.
hyhybt
@jason smeds: A man who is sexually interested in men is, by definition, bisexual if not gay. That does not change no matter how they act, whether they accept the term for themselves, whether they have an identity crisis, etc.
TrekBear
So far, I haven’t seen a reason given for Collin’s retirement. Can anyone enlighten me on this?
DonW
@BJ McFrisky: They also have zero chance of making a difference for isolated LGBT youth who are in need of role models. Kudos to these brave guys — they’ve laid the groundwork that will make it much easier for others to live their lives honestly, and the more who do so, the less the tabloids will even notice.
pscheck2
@jason smeds: Jason: your bias shows!
enlightenone
@jason smeds: You are absolutely RIGHT. “There are many men with a casual sexual interest in men.” They are called “BISEXUAL!”
enlightenone
He FINALLY came out of the closet long enough to see his shadow!
RedBlissKid
@TrekBear I think he is retiring because he is 35.
mz.sam
The aging process always takes its toll on pro-basketball athletes. Prime examples can be seen with the LA Lakers’ dismal season and Jason Collins was smart enough to retire with dignity.
taylormatt
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martinbakman
@TrekBear: His own words told that his body is no longer up to the challenge of playing NBA ball. Perhaps that is part of the reason teams were not picking him up for their rosters.
Kangol
I applaud his courage for being the first in his sport, and wish him the very best. He’s helped pave the way for others to follow.
@BJ McFrisky: And of course you endorse the closet. Typical, let others fight for your freedoms and attack those who do.
enlightenone
@BJ McFrisky: “Hence” they are unethical, ego-driven, WEAK males like yourself!
enlightenone
@BJ McFrisky: Correction: “Hence” they are unethical, ego-driven, WEAK males like you!
juanchi83
Why when it comes to openly gay men in sports that only Jason Collins (a past his prime journeyman) and Michael Sam (never played in the NFL regular season) are the only two mentioned? Robbie Rogers is a starting defender on the LA Galaxy that just made it to the Western Conference Championship game in Major League Soccer, oh and he’s openly gay. I get that soccer isn’t mainstream but that doesn’t take away from that we (Americans) do have an openly gay athlete that is very successful that our youth can look up to.
enlightenone
@juanchi83: “Robbie Rogers is a starting defender on the LA Galaxy that just made it to the Western Conference Championship game in Major League Soccer, oh and he’s openly gay.”
Never heard of him or this sport’s team until he announced last year he grew a pair and was coming out of his self-imposed closet.
Good news to pacify you: It is rumored that he signed a contract to do a “reality” show called “Men in Shorts.” Excited? If not, you still have “Big Brother.”
hyhybt
@juanchi83: that you’re asking the question shows that no, you don’t get what you claim to. Football, basketball, and baseball are enough bigger and more cared about in this country than any other sport that, for how real it is to the average person, others don’t count. And that’s the reason they don’t.