Out & Proud in Sports

Team sports is one of the the last remaining bastions of homophobia, but the walls of silence and oppression surrounding major league sports are finally starting to crumble.

First out and a true American hero is basketball player Jason Collins, still actively playing in the NBA.

I found this via Joe.My.God. and the excerpts below is from his blog. Read the full article in Sports Illustrated:

"I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay".

"I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation. 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."

"My journey of self-discovery and self-acknowledgement began in my hometown of Los Angeles and has taken me through two state high school championships, the NCAA Final Four and the Elite Eight, and nine playoffs in 12 NBA seasons."

"I've played for six pro teams and have appeared in two NBA Finals. Ever heard of a parlor game called Three Degrees of Jason Collins? If you're in the league, and I haven't been your teammate, I surely have been one of your teammates' teammates. Or one of your teammates' teammates' teammates."

"Now I'm a free agent, literally and figuratively. I've reached that enviable state in life in which I can do pretty much what I want. And what I want is to continue to play basketball. I still love the game, and I still have something to offer. My coaches and teammates recognize that. At the same time, I want to be genuine and authentic and truthful."

A few tweets (Do I need to get a Twitter account I, wonder? Nah, I would never be able to handle the word count limitations.)