Fans of the Golden Grove Dodgers in Adelaide, Australia got quite a surprise Monday night when one of the team’s star players, Ryan Jordan Santana, came out publicly on live TV.
Santana came out to his teammates (and his mom!) while shooting an episode for TLC’s series This Is Life Live. During the taping, the host asked why he chose this moment.
“I feel like I struggled with it,” Santana replied, “and I know there are others struggling with their sexuality as well.”
He continued: “And I feel like I don’t want them to feel alone or by themselves. And I want to let them know they are not alone. I want to be some kind of outlet, a light.”
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Related: Five Things Major League Baseball Must Do To Help Players Come Out
Santana was raised in a Catholic home in Arizona. He first realized he was gay at a teenager, but kept it a secret for many years.
He attended St. Mary’s Catholic High School in Phoenix. After high school, he attended Azusa Pacific University, a private evangelical Christian university with a policy that specifically bans gay sex.
In an interview with Outsports, Santana says Azusa Pacific “was a tough spot for me because I do believe in God. It was challenging time for sure.”
“I lived a lie my whole life,” He explains. “I was always too afraid to even tell my teammates. But I don’t want to have to lie to them about this part of me anymore.”
“I always felt I couldn’t come out and play baseball. I thought as soon as I came out, I’m done playing baseball. But it shouldn’t be that way. They should be able to know that and judge me off of my athletic ability. If I’m a good baseball player, if I’m a good teammate.”
After coming out to his team on Monday, Santana was met with an outpouring of support. Some even broke down in tears when they thought about the pain Santana must have been feeling up until that moment.
“It doesn’t change anything between our friendship,” Santana’s roommate said.
And as for his mom, she was cool, too.
“I’m accepting of anything and everything with you boys,” she told her son. “You’re still you.”
“I want to live my life authentically,” Santana tells Outsports. “Everyone should be able to. It is important now because I’m at a time in my life where I’m thinking about family and career. I feel like now is a good time and I hope to inspire others to tell their stories.”
Related: Pro wrestler comes out as bi after posting adorable video with his super cute boyfriend
fur_hunter
The straight community has no clue the difficulties a gay person goes through as they grow up as well as trying to hide it as an adult. I applaud all those who are in the limelight, who have the brass and courage to step forward and be recognized. It is a huge step for them and can possibly be career ending. So they are taking a giant chance. But the more who do come out, the more the younger folks will know they are not alone. I watched and recorded the show when Ellen came out to the public. I transferred it recently to DVD from VCR tape as I was afraid the tape would deteriorate in time. To me, that show made history.
Donston
Damn, I thought this was an actual LA Dodgers players. It’s never an active player in the US, is it? Oh well.
But good for this dude. And his story shows that fear is still very much a reason people stay closeted.
MacAdvisor
“It’s never an active player in the US…”
It hasn’t been yet, but it will be, if not today, then tomorrow, but someday and then forever.
gjg64
Now when is a Major League US baseball player going to finally come out? This fan wants someone new to cheer for.
OzJosh
This is virtually fake news. First of all, it’s a massive stretch to call this guy a “professional” player. The Golden Grove Dodgers probably sounds grand to US readers, but it’s a small district club. Baseball in Australia is a minor sport, mostly amateur, not covered at all by the media, and of little interest to anyone beyond the teams involved. Nobody outside of Golden Grove – wherever the hell that is – has ever heard of this guy. His coming out probably made his boyfriend proud, and maybe earned him coverage in the local throwaway paper. But it had zero impact on sport elsewhere in Adelaide, much less the rest of Australia.
Donston
I’m aware that baseball is hella small in Australia, and that this probably made zero news down under. The international soccer players who have come out have been in the minors as well. But I guess the more we get from the “minor leagues” the more like it’ll eventually swing up to the big league-rs. Probably not. And it’s always good to see someone self-accepting after years of hiding.