Homosexual marriage is now lawful in 17 states. Ellen Degeneres, Ellen Page, Neil Patrick Harris, and Anderson Cooper are openly gay and lesbian celebrities. And according to Gallup polls, more than half of America is in favor of legalizing gay marriage. The last part of society in which homosexuality is not accepted is sports.
For some reason, unbeknownst to me, athletes who publicly announce that they are gay or lesbian are looked down upon by their sports communities. Jason Collins, a 13-year veteran player in the NBA, was not invited to any NBA teams’ training camps prior to the 2014 season due to the fact that he came out as gay. Michael Sam, a young college football player from Missouri, is expected by NFL executives to drop in rank in the NFL draft after he announced that he was gay. When former first-ranked women’s tennis player Billie Jean King came out as a lesbian in the midst of a lawsuit against her, she admitted that she had felt the need to hide her sexuality from her parents and that it even caused her to have an eating disorder. Billie Jean King was arguably one of the best women’s tennis players in history. But that didn’t stop her sponsors from dropping her when she announced that she was a lesbian.
These instances make me question the relationship between one’s sexuality and one’s athleticism. I don’t think that loving someone of the same sex has anything to do with the drive, confidence, strength, and talent that make successful athletes. After these athletes announced their homosexuality, other athletes must think that they have somehow lost their talent, drive, speed, or strength.
What I hear a lot in the news are petty complaints that homosexual players make the other players uncomfortable in places like the locker room. I am appalled that professional athletes, whom I assume want to better themselves and the teams they play for, would pass up talented players simply because they are uncomfortable with them. Sexuality doesn’t play a role on the field, and it shouldn’t play a role in the locker room.
The worst part is that after these athletes announce their sexual orientation, that announcement becomes the only news about them. Very seldom is there any mention of the person’s other accomplishments. After Michael Sam announced his homosexuality, countless magazines, newspapers and websites published only the fact that he was gay and how it would affect his rank in the NFL draft. What was not published was the fact that Sam grew up without many many of the privileges we take advantage of. Media outlets cared more about Sam’s sexual orientation than the fact that Sam’s older sister died as a baby, one of his older brothers has been missing since 1988, he was homeless for part of his childhood or that he witnessed his older brother being shot to death. The real news here is that Sam is to be commended for managing to make it to the top ranks of the NFL despite an incredibly difficult and violent history.
NFL executives say that the NFL is not ready for an openly gay player. But apparently, the NFL is ok with accused rapists, dog fighters and murderers. I would expect the NFL to be more uncomfortable with accused felons than homosexuals, but maybe I’m just weird.
America is placing too much weight on a players’ sexual orientation. It doesn’t affect their ability as athletes, and therefore it has no place in the discussion about any athlete’s merit.
