Earlier this week journeyman NBA player Jason Collins, who finished this season playing for the Washington Wizards, became the first active professional athlete in one the top four major American sports to publicly come out as being gay.
This is significant, especially in the United States where gay rights are a hot button political issue between conservatives and liberals, though overall public opinion in the U.S. currently suggests a shift towards the acceptance of the LGBT community.
Jason’s announcement is of great symbolic value and its most significant contribution is as Jason puts it, to start the conversation about gay athletes in pro sports.
The public support has been almost universally positive.
NBA superstars such as LeBron James and Kobe Bryant were quick to take to Twitter to voice their support as did countless other athletes over a variety of different sporting codes.
Even U.S. President Barack Obama took the time to congratulate Jason on his courage.
As a symbol and a defining moment in acknowledging LGBT rights, this announcement is significant. From a sports perspective it is not.
Jason Collins has had a long career, but not a particularly exciting one. He has played 14 seasons for six different teams and boasts career averages of 3.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
It is impressive that he has played so long which more than likely is a testament to his character and leadership abilities, and the fact that he is a big man of which there is a relative dearth in this current NBA era.
It is significant that his announcement comes at the end of his 14th NBA season.
He has no contract for next year and he is now 34 years old.
He played very limited minutes and in only 38 games of 82 this season out.
It is very possible his career is now over which would reduce his announcement as being the first ‘active’ professional athlete to come out in one of the four major American sports to a mere technicality.
Jason’s announcement is not a Jackie Robinson moment as has been widely suggested.
Jackie Robinson was the first athlete to break the colour barrier in the U.S., who as an African American joined the then Brooklyn Dodgers of Major League Baseball in 1947.
Jackie could not hide his race and had to contend with the prejudicial views of society throughout his playing career. If Jackie Robinson did not perform it would have reinforced the perceived inferiority of African Americans in relation to their white counterparts.
Jackie excelled as an athlete and in turn played a major role in changing people’s opinions and opening the door for all future African American athletes to compete at the highest levels of their sports.
Jason Collins’ announcement is of great symbolic significance, and has encouraged debate on issues that should be discussed.
The acceptance of his announcement has reaffirmed the shift in a broader societal view on of LGBT issues.
His announcement however has the feeling of it having been overdue, the acceptance suggests that his announcement, though groundbreaking in it being the first, is not groundbreaking in it being an idea that most people would not already accept.
Jason Collins announcement will not open doors for more gay athletes to participate in pro sports as there are probably plenty of gay athletes already competing, but should encourage more gay athletes be able to be open about their sexual orientation.
It will be one of these future athletes however who will have to put in the yards of actually representing the LBGT community during a long playing career.
nordster
Guest
It is very homophobic in my experience....really depends where u are though and who you're talking to...on average though we are better than most places. The most homophobic places are probably high schools and i dont think that has changed a whole lot...the most damaging time as well.
Tigranes
Guest
Brian relative to what countries...most of the Middle East, the subcontinent or a large chunk of Africa? What a ridiculous statement.
Badi Sheidaee
Roar Rookie
I don't blame Jason Collins either for making this announcement at the end of his career, but I do think all the attention he has received is due to the fact that he is first ACTIVE player from one of the major US sports. The fact that the active part is very much in doubt I think is worth noting, though maybe he will have more of chance of making a team since he has made his announcement. It would be an interesting twist if the NBA somehow doesn't want to create the appearance of not having a spot on a team for Jason now that he has come out as gay. Sports fans would understand that he isn't very good and won't make a team for that reason, but I don't think other people would see it that way, they may just see that after he came out, he lost a job. As for there being 99 reasons for gay pro athletes not to come out, I think you're right that there are still many reason not to, but at the same time there are a lot more reasons now to feel comfortable to do it. Being able to be yourself shouldn't be discounted as strongest motivator, but I think given the very positive response to Jason's announcement and the publicity, there may be marketing opportunities? I think advertisers would love to capitalise on that type of attention
Steve
Guest
Is that fair Brian? I'm with you that there's more homophobia than there should be, but is Australia notably worse than other countries? I've found Aussies usually a pretty fair minded bunch, and usually too sensible to be particularly interested in other people's business.
Luke
Guest
Agree BA, especially when it comes to the Hyper masculine sports like NFL and Hockey. Much like the Aussie football codes I think that there is still a lot of Neanderthals involved who would make it hard for a current player to come out. -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
brian
Guest
Australia is a very homophobic country.
B.A Sports
Guest
The Americans all think this will automatically lead to many gay players coming out. But as we know here in Australia, Ian Roberts came out in 1995... 18 years later we are waiting for number 2 to come out. For other gay pro athletes there might have been 100 reasons why they didn't want to come out, after Collins announement there is still probably 99. You might here one or two more, maybe a brave college kid, but I am not expecting the flood gates to open. As for Collins himself, it probably was a little calculated given his contract situation, but I have no problem with that, we are all calculated in the way we negotiate our arrangements.
Swampy
Guest
Interesting point of view. In the world of macho men professional sport I think there is some ways to go before the acceptance you speak of is truly there. Refer to the comments section on any article from online US coverage of Jason Collins and you will see a sad reflection of where our society is at with regards to acceptance. 'Magic' Johnson johnno - not majic... -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
Johnno
Guest
A good article. I was thinking the same thing. After this story I immediately thought of the Majic Johnson story when he announced to the World about his HIV positive results. Since Majic, a straight man announced to the World, he had HIV that was a massive news story. Everyone was stunned. And this was the day's before internet and globalisation, and youtube , and social media etc. And society has changed and evolved and matured, the shock value was nothing like when Majic's story broke to the World in 1991. The fact a US president took time to congratulate this athlete on his courage on a subject such as this,would never of happened 25 years ago, Show's even how far we have come, and also to the point of the article how insignificant this story almost is on one level. The insignificance is we don't care anymore or a shocked by this, "the significance of this story of this athlete is" we don't care anymore. The next step will be when it's not even a story or even bothered to be asked, that is almost progessing I think. Women's tennis has had some players announce there orientation for the last 30 years on this adult subject. But less so for men. I think over the next 10-20 years more men will come out with regards to there sexual orientation, and it won't be a big deal or even noticed. And this stuff extends to other thing's in sport too, and society, we don't even notice anymore. No one talks or even bother's to take any notice anymore of Australia's rugby league or rugby union team's, having a more distinct pacific islander squad compared to 15-20, or 30 years ago. Also stuff like in Austrlaia being born overseas in politics, or having heritage from countries other than Uk or Irleand. For example both Julia Gillard and Tony Abbot are both born overseas, in Wales and England respectively . This would of been an issue 20 years ago, and beyond but is not anymore. And things like an Australian ethnicity, now it pushes towards the word 2nd or 3rd generation rather than your ethnicity. The people who came from Europe after world war 2, no one even notices if you have any Greek or Italian heritage. No one say AFL supremo Andrew Demetriou , is Australian-Greek, they just look at him as aussy. And the same with this athlete, sooner rather than later his sport will be all one will think off, not skin colour, people are already beyond being consciously aware of one's skin colour, but soon very soon over next 10-20 years no one will be aware of athletes sexual orientation . In soccer too , for example no one thinks of the soccer's anymore as an ethnic team, just we think of them as the Australian team, all these things take time, don't happen overnight but change in attitudes do happen.