Gay former player encourages current gay players to come out (1 Viewer)

[Sarcastic]

Gay former player encourages current gay players to come out | ProFootballTalk

If every gay player in the NFL (and surely there are a few more than one or two) would simultaneously come out, they would find strength and support from their numbers alone. That’s extremely unlikely to happen, and so the question continues to be who will be the first football player to declare that he’s gay? And then the question will be what happens to him, both in the locker room and on the practice field and when he emerges from the tunnel as a member of the home team or, more importantly, the visiting team?

 

[WhoDat9to12]

Jerry Seinfeld once lamented being outed, even though he was never in. Former NFL player Wade Davis has now outed himself, even though he was already out.

Technically, that’s not what Davis did. But the folks at Outsports.com had previously sold it that way, subtly but unmistakably.

Last month, in an item that explores attitudes among current NFL players regarding the acceptance of gay teammates, Outsports.com said that a former NFL player would soon talk publicly about being gay, for the first time.

But Davis never played in a regular-season NFL game, and he came out, at the latest, in early 2011.

As a result, my initial reaction was to conclude that I’d been the victim of a bait-and-switch, via an effort to build advance buzz for something that, standing along, wouldn’t have drawn much attention. So I initially refused to consider the article or watch the companion interview of Wade Davis.

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Gay former player encourages current gay players to come out | ProFootballTalk

 

[SharonT]

Merged threads and deleted a bunch of replies which crossed the TOS. Bigotry is not allowed.

To the OP(s): Please avoid posting controversial topics without offering some meaningful input, otherwise it looks like just trolling or setting up other members for a smackdown, which creates work for the volunteer staff.

To the members: You are responsible for what you post, so take care with your words. Discuss the topic with maturity or move on to the next thread. It's not usually the opinion, but how it is expressed that crosses the line.

 

[Charlie Brizzown]

I think he'd have a much easier time encouraging people in a different profession to come out. Make that happen on a more broad basis first then athletes will follow ... eventually.

 

[Zack Lee]

I don't know that there is anything to be gained by coming out. I think most NFL teams are in cities big enough that it would not be received poorly but I could be wrong. The stadiums would just have to keep a close eye on the signs at visiting games.

edit: see my clarification in another post.

 

[Sarcastic]

Merged threads and deleted a bunch of replies which crossed the TOS. Bigotry is not allowed.

To the OP(s): Please avoid posting controversial topics without offering some meaningful input, otherwise it looks like just trolling or setting up other members for a smackdown, which creates work for the volunteer staff.

The fact that this article would be so controversial as to require a bunch of reply-deletions probably says more than I ever could have. That's sad.

If someone comes in here and posts bigotry, they deserve a smackdown, but that wasn't my intent.

Anyone who is a regular poster on the EE will know where I stand on this issue. Honestly, I don't think sanitizing the thread really progresses the discussion, because it's part of the expected response when a player comes out also (unfortunately).

Imagine if Drew Brees or someone like that came out. I wonder if people would still hold tightly to their jacked-up beliefs if it was one of our own "heroes". That's really the point here. The courageous first player to come out while still playing will make a few people second-guess their stances. Even if it is a sorry way of ordering priorities (football vs. civil rights for goodness sake), it'll be a positive if it makes people think a little.

I understand the need to delete those posts, but they'll still be around when the inevitable day comes that a player reveals he is homosexual, and that has to be part of what's keeping some players from doing so right now.

 

[Sarcastic]

I don't know that there is anything to be gained by coming out.

How about not having to hide a significant part of your life?

Providing role models for younger gay people who are scared to reveal who they are?

Taking a public stand against homophobia which runs rampant in sports, at least among fans (I don't pretend to know the attitude in an NFL locker room)?

Nothing to gain?

 

[Sarcastic]

I hadn't heard that Matt Ryan retired...

Funny. Obvious tie-in, since we revile both the falcons and the gays

And obviously, none of them homosexuals could ever be good at football, so that would explain a lot

 

[Symbiote]

Ok let's have them come out and worry more about drama rather than actually playing football. This is ridiculous, but then again, the world of sports is really all about drama these days, especially the NFL. It's like they need some drama to throw into a game, like the Harbaugh/Payton crap over a pre-season game before the 49ers playoff match. I miss the old days when teams just played cause they wanted to win and none of this drama had to matter, and no one cared about anyone's sexual interest.

 

[Symbiote]

How about not having to hide a significant part of your life?

I totally agree here. It's football why do we need to throw sexual interest into it? Last thing I am thinking about when watching a game is if someone is gay or not.

 

[Sun Wukong]

So far, we've got several deleted posts because of bigotry, one post asking "Why even bother coming out?" and a gay joke. This thread basically sums up what the problem is.

Could you imagine an openly gay player having to play in Philadelphia? The things he would endure would be horrible. Sports, specifically American sports and football in particular, are the last bastion of neanderthal hypermachismo in our society. The NFL will be one of the last places where you see openly gay people as we continue this slow, often ugly and saddening march toward being more civilized and caring people.

 

[Zack Lee]

How about not having to hide a significant part of your life?

I get that and I agree 100 percent. There are very few things sadder than someone having to live a lie. What I meant though was making a public statement about it. They should not have to do that either. If they are gay then they should just live their lives. Play football on the football field. I don't care what any players do in a bedroom with any other consenting adult.

sorry I was not clear on that.

 

[SeminoleMarine]

The NFL will be one of the last places where you see openly gay people as we continue this slow, often ugly and saddening march toward being more civilized and caring people.

And it is going to take someone a little more known league wide than Wade Davis........(um who???), who never even played a regular season game.

 

[parlorcitysaint]

How about not having to hide a significant part of your life?

Providing role models for younger gay people who are scared to reveal who they are?

Taking a public stand against homophobia which runs rampant in sports, at least among fans (I don't pretend to know the attitude in an NFL locker room)?

Nothing to gain?

I'm so tired of the "role model for younger" blah blah blah. It's not the job of the job of these people to be role models. It's the parent's job to be a role model. It's the beat cop on the corner who's a role model. It's the lady next door who lives a clean life, works hard, and always has a kind word for your child who's a role model.

Football players, actors, and any other celebrity of whichever ilk you might name have been given too much power over our kids, simply because we've forgotten how to set examples ourselves. "Stick 'em in front of the TV because I'm tired after a long day at work" etc has become the norm, to the detriment of our society.

Should "alternate lifestyle" athletes "come out"?

The decision is a very personal one, and may make their lives geometrically more difficult. As a civilian, their lives would be in a state of upheaval from such an announcement. As a celebrity, every action isn't judged based on the action alone, but by their preference in a partner. The same can be said about any of those gays or lesbians in our midst. But where celebrity is concerned, they're being judged by hundreds of millions of people. Your neighbor could simply move, and no one in their new town would know. The celebrity? Not the case at all. No. The decision is infinitely more complex where they're concerned.

Besides. What business is it of mine if he's (she's) straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transexual, hermaphrodidic, or whatever?

Is it really affecting their ability to do their job?

Didn't think so.

 

[You]

Between having to admit that i was a falcon fan and admitting i was gay, i'd have a tough time choosing the former.

People actually choose to be falcon fans....