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LGBT News Jason Collins announces NBA retirement

Discussion in 'Current Events, World News, & LGBT News' started by RainbowMan, Nov 19, 2014.

  1. RainbowMan

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    More at Jason Collins, NBA's first openly gay player, announces his retirement - NBA - SI.com

    One thing that he mentions in the article is that there are gay players in other leagues, some of whom he knows personally. However, in spite of the standing ovation he got at his debut in Brooklyn, and the support from all over the place, we're still not at a place where a pro athlete can be who he is without fear.

    I can't say that I get that, really.....
     
  2. BradThePug

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    One thing that I think that we need to keep in mind here is the view that the athletes have publicly and the view that they have in the locker room. Somebody will be supportive in the public if their job that they are making millions off of depends on it. In the locker room however; all bets are off.

    We also see what happened with Michael Sam. He had a lot of potential, and now he is not even on a practice team.

    Working in college sports, I see the snide comments that go on in many locker rooms. Some players were picked on even if there others just thought that they were gay. Often times, the players that are not starting were referred to as "sissy boys" and were called gay. I've seen this with many different teams that have come to my school.

    So, it's complicated. While it appears that they might be ready, we really don't know the culture inside of the locker rooms, and that is what matters the most.