It was revealed this morning that Sports Illustrated’s latest issue, due out May 6, will feature an article by NBA center Jason Collins about coming out and being openly gay.
The very first line of the article sets the tone early, reading “I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay.”
Collins took to SI to announce his sexuality just days after Baylor standout Brittney Griner was drafted by the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and inked a fat deal with Nike. Griner is the first openly gay person to endorse Nike.
Collins, who played part of last season (his 12th) with the Boston Celtics, decided to come out now because, simply, there’s no better time than the present. He notes in the article, “Why am I coming out now? Well, I started thinking about this in 2011 during the NBA player lockout…But I lacked the distraction that basketball had always provided.”
Collins was further fueled by an old college friend as well as the tragic Boston Marathon bombings, writing that the bombings “reinforced the notion that I shouldn’t wait for the circumstances of my coming out to be perfect. Things can change in an instant, so why not live truthfully?” Collins was roommates with Massachusetts Rep. Joe Kennedy at Stanford and said the congressman helped inspire him to come out by his marching in the Boston Gay Pride Parade last year.
The courage it took for Collins to divulge some of his most personal details in manner that he did is truly impressive. Already the article has accumulated a number of comments, some supportive, some spiteful, and that’s not likely to change anytime soon. Such a sensitive subject exposed on such a large scale is inclined to attract a lot of attention (both wanted and unwanted), so kudos for Collins for putting it out there.
So far, the comments are filled with mixed reactions. Some commentators, like Chattolanee wrote “Good for him! Now let’s let this revelations settle into history.” Most others seem to be wondering, who cares?
People should care because, as the Globe notes, “He is the first known athlete in one of the big four American professional sports (basketball, baseball, football, and hockey) to declare he is gay.” In a country where some parts are still divided on the issue of gay rights, Collins’ announcement is likely to come as a bit of a shock. But it paves the way for those athletes who are still in the closet to come out to themselves, loved ones, and the general public to come out if they so desire.
Homosexuality is now on the forefront of issues concerning athletes in any sport, as seen in the recent bazaar Manti Te’o scandal and comments by NFL linebacker Scott Fujita, who according to the Huffington Post back in March, “would argue that the overwhelming majority [of NFL players] would be fine with having a teammate who was gay,’ and that ‘it would not be an issue” to have an openly gay player in the locker room.” The post ends by suggesting Collins is likely to snag an endorsement from Nike in similar fashion to Griner, though Nike may have “even bigger plans” for Collins.
Here are some of Jason Collins’ photos and images of him playing basketball.
