2/17/07
The issue I'm about to comment about might, in other people's minds, at least strattle the line between this blog and the sports blog, but to me this is a social issue, not a sports issue, and it's fairly distinct.
Recently, ex-NBA player John Amaechi came out of the closet. He is not the first former professional athlete to do so, nor is he the first to write a book about it. However, every time this happens, it opens up the discussion about when might a current athlete come out.
This time, a little old fashioned Fear & Loathing entered into the discussion, when another ex-baller, Tim Hardaway, told Dan Lebetard on his show that he "hates gay people", which seems to me to be a hell of a statement to make, seeing as they represent over 1/10th of the world's population andit would be difficult to know all of those people well enough to hate them. It also seems to me that Tim Hardaway probably knows more than a few gay people and does not hate them - in fact, I'd say he was friends with them - but just didn't know that they were gay.
It's statements like Hardaway's, of course, that keep current players in the closet. People see the hate and they fear retribution from the like-minded bigots in the League. However, I think that the proportion of those bigots to decent people is very much overestimated. The people who speak the loudest on the issue of homosexuality are those in whom it draws out the most passion - so it seems, by listening to the debate, that either you ARE a homosexual, or a heterosexual gay rights advocate, or you HATE homosexuals, because those are the only groups screaming. But it seems to me that there is an ever-increasing "middle class" for lack of a better phrase. People who might not be marching in the streets demanding EQUALITY NOW, but aren't willing to stop talking to their best friend forever if it turns out he is into other dudes.
People have called Amaechi's coming out an irrelevant, cynical ploy to sell books. It may be a book-selling ploy, but I don't think it's irrelevant. Every time an ex-athlete comes out, it reenforces the fact that there are many who are currently playing of the same orientation.
Jim Rome said recently he doesn't believe a current athlete would come out in his lifetime, or his children's lifetime. I think that is ridiculous. Rome vastly underestimates the rate of social change. Homosexuality is growing increasingly accepted in society, and I believe that when an athlete does finally come out - and it will happen within the next decade - he will get more support than hatred. And by the time Jim Rome's children are being laid to rest, homosexual athletes will be as commonplace and accepted as black baseball players are today.
The issue I'm about to comment about might, in other people's minds, at least strattle the line between this blog and the sports blog, but to me this is a social issue, not a sports issue, and it's fairly distinct.
Recently, ex-NBA player John Amaechi came out of the closet. He is not the first former professional athlete to do so, nor is he the first to write a book about it. However, every time this happens, it opens up the discussion about when might a current athlete come out.
This time, a little old fashioned Fear & Loathing entered into the discussion, when another ex-baller, Tim Hardaway, told Dan Lebetard on his show that he "hates gay people", which seems to me to be a hell of a statement to make, seeing as they represent over 1/10th of the world's population andit would be difficult to know all of those people well enough to hate them. It also seems to me that Tim Hardaway probably knows more than a few gay people and does not hate them - in fact, I'd say he was friends with them - but just didn't know that they were gay.
It's statements like Hardaway's, of course, that keep current players in the closet. People see the hate and they fear retribution from the like-minded bigots in the League. However, I think that the proportion of those bigots to decent people is very much overestimated. The people who speak the loudest on the issue of homosexuality are those in whom it draws out the most passion - so it seems, by listening to the debate, that either you ARE a homosexual, or a heterosexual gay rights advocate, or you HATE homosexuals, because those are the only groups screaming. But it seems to me that there is an ever-increasing "middle class" for lack of a better phrase. People who might not be marching in the streets demanding EQUALITY NOW, but aren't willing to stop talking to their best friend forever if it turns out he is into other dudes.
People have called Amaechi's coming out an irrelevant, cynical ploy to sell books. It may be a book-selling ploy, but I don't think it's irrelevant. Every time an ex-athlete comes out, it reenforces the fact that there are many who are currently playing of the same orientation.
Jim Rome said recently he doesn't believe a current athlete would come out in his lifetime, or his children's lifetime. I think that is ridiculous. Rome vastly underestimates the rate of social change. Homosexuality is growing increasingly accepted in society, and I believe that when an athlete does finally come out - and it will happen within the next decade - he will get more support than hatred. And by the time Jim Rome's children are being laid to rest, homosexual athletes will be as commonplace and accepted as black baseball players are today.
posted by k - L - g at 4:28 PM
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