Jason Collins Inspires Acceptance

Acceptance is difficult. It takes time and thought to accept the new because our initial instinct is fear of the unknown. The hesitation associated with gay professional athletes coming out was part of this fear.

It’s a new, scary thought that on-court butt-pats and post-game showers might be more than a reflexive part of the sport. Understandable, since the American male locker room has been a reserved area of celebration for triumphant, winning masculinity. Over the past decade, however, this mentality has eroded. Jason Collins, an active NBA player, stated as much on Monday in his coming-out essay to Sports Illustrated:

“I’m glad I’m coming out in 2013 rather than 2003. The climate has shifted; public opinion has shifted. And yet we still have so much farther to go. Everyone is terrified of the unknown, but most of us don’t want to return to a time when minorities were openly discriminated against.” Collins is accurate regarding professional sporting leagues’ opinions on homosexual culture. In early April, NBA Commissioner David Stern sent a memo to the league reminding teams not to question a prospect’s race, religion or sexual orientation. The NHL caused the NBA’s memo due to the NHL’s partnership with the You Can Play Project, an organization dedicated “to ensuring equality, respect, and safety for all athletes, without regard to sexual orientation.” The Project will educate rookies entering the league on gay discrimination. According to the New York Times, when asked about the memo, Stern said “This has been our policy for years, and we strongly support the NHL’s approach to it, and it’s our fervent hope that [the memo] draws less attention, not more, when a player eventually comes out.”

For NFL organizations, teams were reminded, through a league-wide memo on Monday, that asking recent draft picks questions like “Do you like women or men?” or “Do you have a girlfriend?” are prohibited. These newly drafted players entering the NBA, NHL, and NFL are part of a generation that has heard the gay discussion throughout their lifetime. Perhaps the persistent nature of the discussion will prove the gay question to be more a non-issue than an earth-shaking, stop the presses revelation. Brittany Griner, the #1 pick in the WNBA draft, recently announced herself as a lesbian with a matter-of-fact cadence. She urged other closeted individuals “just to be themselves.” Obviously, the WNBA doesn’t come close to the reach of the other four major sports, but Griener’s announcement should be commended as an indictment of a generation’s acceptance. The fear of acceptance was none existent, replaced by individual confidence. Eventually, in the NBA, NHL, and NFL, there won’t be fear. There won’t be accepted. There will only be players.