On Feb. 9, University of Missouri Senior Defensive End Michael Sam announced to the world that he is gay, becoming the first openly gay active football player in history. Two weeks later on Feb. 23, the Brooklyn Nets signed Jason Collins, making him the first openly gay athlete in North America’s four major professional sports.
Both athletes have received positive feedback from other players, coaches and the general public. In a survey conducted by ESPN, 51 current NFL players were asked about four true or false questions about their thoughts on having a gay teammate and 86 percent of the players responded that a teammate’s sexual orientation does not matter to them. Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh and Los Angeles Clippers Head Coach Doc Rivers both said during interviews that they were glad that Collins was given another chance in the NBA not because of his personal life, but because of his talent as a basketball player.
However, there are those in the sports world who are still hesitant to completely accept a gay athlete. Many general managers in the NFL stated that they would not draft Sam in May’s NFL Draft because they wanted to avoid bringing unwanted attention to the team and its players. It is very ironic to me that these general managers are saying that they are afraid of attention when it seems like football players are being arrested every other day for domestic violence or drunk driving. I think professional sports teams, and the world, need to be worried about much more important issues than concerning themselves about other people’s sexual orientations.
Being an athlete myself, I believe that Sam and Collins will be completely accepted on a professional team. After conducting an unofficial survey with a few of my teammates, all of them agreed that they would be comfortable having a gay teammate.
My teammates and I all agree that we and most other athletes do not care about our teammates’ personal lives or sexualities, all we care about is whether or not they can play and help our team get better during practice and help us win during games.
I am extremely glad to see Sam, Collins and the rest of the LGBT community and its supporters stand up for their beliefs during a month where gay rights have been suppressed in so many places. People around the world have been questioning Russia and its anti-gay policies while they were hosting the Winter Olympics. It is very uplifting for me to see the Nets, who are owned by Russian billionaire and political figure Mikhail Prokhorov, sign Collins. In a world where the smallest of differences can start a war, it is amazing for me to see how sports allow us to put our problems aside and just face off in friendly competition.