Yep, that’s right. Rick Welts is gay. So he becomes the only out gay man actively involved in any professional sport in the USA. I guess it doesn’t surprise me he is the first gay man to take this step given the macho attitude that is so prevalent in sports. Attitudes have shifted enough in American culture over the last decade or so that something like this doesn’t seem so unusual. But the world of professional sports has always been very closed to any athlete being openly gay. I mean someone like Kobe Bryant calling a ref a faggot shows how accepted that sort of talk must be in the locker room.
So, I guess what I am interested in here is whether this will translate to any actual active athletes coming out anytime soon. Up to this point the only out sports professionals I have been aware of are ones who are no longer active and certainly not any athletes who have been star players.
Is there any chance this marks a change in acceptance in this realm of American life?
I used to think acts like this could be and should be ground-breaking.
But then sometimes it feels like acts like this are another of the drops of water that will eventually wear its way through the stone. Necessary, but not individually significant.
Most of the time I’m optimistic, and grateful for people who are braver than I am. I think that once gay people are integrated into the military, sports might well follow. But it will still be a long, tough road for the pioneers. This particular case might make it easier for a coach, or even a player, to follow suit. What I hope to live long enough to see is for a number of young men who are quite open about their sexuality to pass through the fire, by being undeniably the best at what they do, and become accepted as members of their teams.
Roddy
It’s indicative of the broader changes happening in American society. We know which way things are moving on issues like gay rights and gay marriage. I’m not sure Welts coming is the most significant event on its own terms or in relation to jock culture: he was never a player in the NBA, although he’s a basketball lifer. A couple of weeks ago Sean Avery of the NHL (who is straight) appeared in a pro gay-marriage ad campaign and has said he would support any gay teammate or another hockey player who felt unsafe in coming out to his teammates.
Owners aren’t athletes, this is an apples/oranges thing. Since a large portion of team in the US have African Americans on them, it becomes even more complex, as homosexuality is more restricted in the black community.