A Major League Coming Out Party

So in case you haven't heard, today, for the first time in the history of the four male, major professional American sports leagues (MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL) an active player has come out. Now normally when we think of a professional athlete's coming out party, we think of their first big impact game; the game where they score 30 points, throw for 5 touchdowns, or net a hat trick. Not the off-season day where a professional athlete reveals to the world that he is gay. Today, April 29th, 2013, Jason Collins, a free agent center in the NBA, has announced to the world that he is gay.

From Stanford to the NBA, Collins has been setting records and exceeding expectations. At Stanford, while shooting 60.8% from the field, Jason set the record high for field goal percentage. In the 2004-2005 NBA season, Collins led the league in personal fouls. He has been a key asset for each team with which he has played. Now Jason has set a new standard. He has set the standard for professional male athletes when it comes to living their true lives. But more than that, Jason has become a role model for all people, regardless of athletic affiliation.

I have the utmost respect for Mr. Collins. Not only is he blazing a trail that no one before him has been brave enough to blaze, but he is doing it at a critical point in his career. For all intents and purposes, he is unemployed. As a free agent, he is not guaranteed a roster spot for the next NBA season. As a 34 year old center, he is quickly approaching the end of his long and storied career. But he wants to keep playing. And I would argue that, as long as he is physically capable of competing, he should keep playing the game he loves.  The question is, will teams accept him for who he is, and sign him to a contract?

While reading the Sports Illustrated article that Jason himself wrote, I was impressed by his words and actions:

• Over the past two years he has worn the number 98 in remembrance of the hate crime that was committed in 1998 against Matthew Shepard, a University of Wyoming student. 
• His loyalty to his team is the reason that he didn't come out sooner. While the thoughts of teammates, fans, or friends shouldn't matter when it come to sexual orientation, the unfortunate reality today is that is does. So instead of thinking only about himself and his needs and wants, Jason unselfishly took into account the affect of his decisions on those around him. Again, it shouldn't have to be this way, but Jason chose to lead with integrity and thoughtfulness.
• Jason is a free agent. There is no guarantee that he will play in the NBA next season, but he had the courage to come out with faith that teammates, owners, and coaches won't care about his orientation. They shouldn't.

I would hope, for all that is good in the world, that teams will recognize Jason's talent and choose to scoop him up out of free agency. I'll be honest, I have never followed the career of Jason Collins, and I don't know that if at 34 years old he is past his prime, but if he isn't and is still able to play the game at a competitive level he should still be playing. As The University of Cincinnati Student Athletes and Athletic Director say: If you can play, you can play.

Jason, I thank you for the example that you set for the rest of the world. You are a role model and inspiration to all. I am not really a fan of the NBA; I think that too much emphasis is placed on the individual. Today, the emphasis was taken off the individual and placed on the broader rights that each and every human is entitled to. There are many things bigger than professional sports. Equality for all is one of them.