Note: Although not vulgar, this post contains discussion of an adult topic. Reader discretion is advised.
At last, we finally have our first openly gay professional athlete! Well, the first if you don’t count diver Greg
Louganis, Jason Collins of the NBA, Orlando Cruz of the World
Boxing Organization, US Women’s Soccer Player Megan Rapinoe, David Testo of Major League Soccer, Tennis
Player Billie Jean King, and a good swath of the WNBA[1]. I’m sure I’m overlooking many other
well-deserving icons. But never mind all that:
Michael Sam, All American defensive tackle of Missouri, has ‘come out’
and proclaimed his sexual preference.
Finally, we have a reason to watch football!
Sam was all over the
mainstream media today, taking bows for his honest, courageous proclamation of how
he likes his sex. This is certainly a
bold step forward for Americans.
Again.
Of course, it was 40
years ago that Billie Jean King ‘came out’. In fact, Elton John’s song “Philadelphia
Freedom” was written about her back in 1975.
And several ex-NFL players have since declared themselves gay. (If
only they could crack into men’s gymnastics: That last holdout of old-school testosterone-drenched
bigotry!)
Come to think of it,
I’m not sure what actually is ‘news’
about an athlete’s sexual behavior, including the media’s insistence that we
find it relevant. But if this is
important, I feel bad for all those athletes who are forced into the dichotomy
of being gay or straight. What if they
prefer foursomes? Or have a shoe fetish? When will we hear from the first pro athlete
who really loves his German Shepard (a consenting canine of appropriate age, of
course)? Or how about farm animals
in general? I don’t know about you, but I just can’t
follow an athletic contest unless I know what stimulates their genitalia. Same with news anchors, judges, doctors,
singers… I mean how can you really appreciate anybody’s contribution to your
entertainment or well-being unless you know what they do when they are
naked?
If these arguments
seem ludacris, ask yourself why an athlete’s sexual preference should be
mainstream news on CNN, CBS, ESPN or any other network. Tim
Tebow starts every interview by thanking God and proclaiming his faith, yet he
is vilified by the sports media for being a failed athlete. Can we expect the same ‘honest’ criticism if
Michael Sam washes out of the NFL? Or is there a different standard if your
belief system is based on sexuality?
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