Uh, OK.
I think that number has been discredited, and it’s really something like two to five percent. Your average NBA team has about 12 players, and athletes are a self-selecting population. Anyway, it’s not a rational thing for people like Hardaway, it’s just the “ick” factor. Like you said, I think they are really bothered by the idea that a gay guy could look at them sexually, and of course they’d never believe any gay man doesn’t want them.
Shaq is no dummy, especially when it comes to the media. The selection of the word “outsiders” to describe homophobic attitudes is pitch-perfect. It doesn’t reflect reality, but it’s the right way to handle it.
I guess we really have no way to put exact numbers on how many gay athletes are currently on any professional sports team, since none of them are volunteering the information. I would be comfortable saying that my general point still stands; I believe there are many closeted athletes currently playing on professional sports teams. At least one on every pro team wouldn’t surprise me. And a double handful on the football teams - you can’t tell me those guys aren’t gay.
Well… actually the negatively self selecting aspect does have some credibility if the general tenor of the team is anti-gay or not gay friendly, as it would be in many (if not most) male sports teams. If approx 3% or so of the at large population is gay (or gayish) then at best (IMO) 1-2 % of a male sports team is likely to be gay.
The self selecting argument also works the other way re female sports & sports teams. There are certain female sports, like pro golf, where the professional levels have a far greater percentage of gay players than would occur by random chance in the at large population. This is obviously self selection at work. If it works positively for female sports teams there’s no reason it can’t work negatively for male sports teams.
I don’t normally click on the ads at the bottom of threads - well, to be more exact, I have never clicked on an ad until this thread, but was intrigued by one and clicked on it.
Seems at least one casinos here in Las Vegas has developed a new marketing campaign targeted to Gays: Gay Paris Las Vegas.
Cool. He always struck me as a guy with a good heart.
But we were about to do our big Hawaiian number!
:sadly puts away her grass skirt:
I agree.
American football, or soccer? :dubious:
While I agree with you about Shaq’s current comments, I beg to differ with your initial statement.
Heh. I missed that. Wow.
He is–first off, he can’t stand Kobe Bryant, which is always a good sign in my book. Also, I read a story a while back (in Sports Illustrated) about how Shaq was playing a game in Phoenix and one of the Suns camera crew–this was when he was playing for the Lakers and Phoenix was one of his biggest rivals–mentioned that his son had a birthday and a hockey game that weekend, so Mr. O’Neal showed up at the game to wish the kid a happy birthday, meet and greet the players and parents and give a little speech where he said “I don’t know much about hockey, but I know we’ll get 'em in the fourth quarter!” 
American, of course. But then again, soccer players make their living by kicking balls and grabbing sweaty men by the shirt to yank them to the ground.