Jason Collins Comes Out

[WindyCitySports 407]

Good for Collins. His announcement should get more attention than the assholes who decided to jump on it with criticism. They have their right to free speech, but I also have the right to ignore them. Respect for Collins for opening up the gate for gay sports players, as I am sure there are others that are struggling with whether or not they should come out. He has made it easier for them.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

I used to like Mike Wallace.

 

And I am not quite sure this is going to "open the flood gates". Don't get me wrong, it's a huge step for gay acceptance in sports and more specifically pro sports... But it's going to take more than a 40 year old center who I can't even call a has been because he has never been anybody.

 

Again, huge step. But we have a long way to go, yet.

[Piggly Wiggly 960]

Gay or not... fuck him. Absolutely hated that dude when he was on the Nets lol.

[BucD+ 648]

Gay or not... fuck him. Absolutely hated that dude when he was on the Nets lol.

 

[WindyCitySports 407]

And I am not quite sure this is going to "open the flood gates". Don't get me wrong, it's a huge step for gay acceptance in sports and more specifically pro sports... But it's going to take more than a 40 year old center who I can't even call a has been because he has never been anybody.

Perhaps, but it will definitely make it easier for anyone who was questioning whether or not they should come out to do so.

[CARDINAL 205]

Mark Jackson is about to take some heat for his comments too I imagine.

 

Edit: Chris Broussard too.

 

Both Chris Broussard and Mark Jackson are entitled to their own opinions! If someone happens to disagree with that opinion, then just accept their right to their own opinion and shut the fuck up.

 

I don't understand why Jason Collins would even do this, I could care less about his personal life!

[Bucman 891]

Both Chris Broussard and Mark Jackson are entitled to their own opinions! If someone happens to disagree with that opinion, then just accept their right to their own opinion and shut the fuck up.

 

I don't understand why Jason Collins would even do this, I could care less about his personal life!

Because gay people like to let the world know these things

[CARDINAL 205]

Because gay people like to let the world know these things

 

But why exactly, I don't understand why you would let the whole world know. I understand if a gay person wants to do that with friends or family, inform them of their choice of lifestyle, but the whole world doesn't need to know that!

[blotsfan 2,112]

Yes the world does. It is good to see a barrier like this being broken. I promise he isn't the only gay player. People shouldn't have to be in hiding about who they are.

[CARDINAL 205]

Yes the world does. It is good to see a barrier like this being broken. I promise he isn't the only gay player. People shouldn't have to be in hiding about who they are.

 

But is it really that necessary to tell the whole world that, wouldn't just telling your family and friends be enough?

 

What if someone said that they sleep with prostitutes or whatever, does the whole world really need to know that, or is that really only between that person and whoever may be directly involved?

[blotsfan 2,112]

But is it really that necessary to tell the whole world that, wouldn't just telling your family and friends be enough?

maybe not necessary, but it's good to have a public figure in sporta that's out of the closet

[Maverick 791]

Obama expressed 'condolences' for Whitney Houston - now add a public statement of support for Jason Collins.....but still no mention of Chris Kyle in any way (as far as I can tell).

[blotsfan 2,112]

Didn't we already have this discussion and come to the conclusion that Kyle wasn't a good person?

[Bucman 891]

Didn't we already have this discussion and come to the conclusion that Kyle wasn't a good person?

He did what he was suppose to do.

[blotsfan 2,112]

We determined that soldiers shouldn't be judged by their kill count so unless its standard for the president to acknowledge every veteran that dies (outside of combat no less), this is a non-issue.

Edited May 1, 2013 by blotsfan

[Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014]

Chris Kyle was a psychopath and narcissist. Leave that shit in the thread from February.

 

http://www.thegridironpalace.com/forums/index.php?/topic/64120-flag-will-not-be-lowered-to-half-mast-for-chris-kyle/page__p__2456954__hl__%2Bchris+%2Bkyle__fromsearch__1#entry2456954

 

 

Jason Collins's decision to come out has nothing to do with attention and everything to do with awareness and acceptance of homosexuals. Jason's decision is notable for the fact that he was the first gay professional athlete to admit to the public that he was gay. Jason's decision is analogous to Jackie Robinson in that he was proud of who he was and not afraid to be the first of his kind to be recognized in a professional league dominated by people unlike him.

 

Being homosexual is not always as easy to spot as the color of one's skin, so it took courage for Jason to be the first to come out and admit it and will go a long way toward national acceptance of homosexuality as more and more famous (well, eventually...) professional athletes come out. If the MLB had been played in body morphsuits, Jackie simply would have been the first to take his off and admit to the rest that he was black, knowing that, generally, blacks were looked down upon. Jason Collins is to homosexuality what Jackie Robinson was to African Americans.

Edited May 1, 2013 by Zack_of_Steel

[NY Diehard 26]

You do know his name was Jackie Robinson, not Jesse, right?

[Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014]

You do know his name was Jackie Robinson, not Jesse, right?

 

Yeah, I fucked that up. Could make excuses, but won't. Point still stands.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

It's kind of picking apart your wording, but I think it's notable here. He's the first "active" player to come out. Which, I am not even sure if he should count under that category, especially if he can't find a team this offseason and thus has to retire.

 

With that in mind, the Jackie Robinson comparison is off-base, especially if he does retire. Jackie dealt with it his entire career... in the locker-room, on the road playing games, etc etc. If Jason Collins never plays basketball again, it's hard to make that comparison.

 

I also think our society is a lot more accepting of people now. No doubt there are A LOT of people who hate or disagree with the lifestyle of being gay. But when that first player comes out who is actually kind of good or has a chance to play in the league as a gay player... I don't think they will see near the amount of hate as say a Jackie Robinson did. I don't think you will see opposing head coaches yell "fag" as he runs up and down the court. I don't think entire crowds of people at the arena will be rooting for him to fail.

 

As I said before, I still give him props for coming out. No doubt, it was not an easy thing to do. I hope others are comforted by the fact that he did it first. But I think there will be other players come out in the future who will shoulder a bigger load of the effort to make being gay more er... acceptable for lack of a better word, in sports.

Edited May 1, 2013 by Favre4Ever

[Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014]

It's kind of picking apart your wording, but I think it's notable here. He's the first "active" player to come out. Which, I am not even sure if he should count under that category, especially if he can't find a team this offseason and thus has to retire.

 

With that in mind, the Jackie Robinson comparison is off-base, especially if he does retire. Jackie dealt with it his entire career... in the locker-room, on the road playing games, etc etc. If Jason Collins never plays basketball again, it's hard to make that comparison.

 

I also think our society is a lot more accepting of people now. No doubt there are A LOT of people who hate or disagree with the lifestyle of being gay. But when that first player comes out who is actually kind of good or has a chance to play in the league as a gay player... I don't think they will see near the amount of hate as say a Jackie Robinson did. I don't think you will see opposing head coaches yell "fag" as he runs up and down the court. I don't think entire crowds of people at the arena will be rooting for him to fail.

 

As I said before, I still give him props for coming out. No doubt, it was not an easy thing to do. I hope others are comforted by the fact that he did it first. But I think there will be other players come out in the future who will shoulder a bigger load of the effort to make being gay more er... acceptable for lack of a better word, in sports.

 

The analogy is not for the degree of vitriol they had/have to endure or the length, but simply for the fact that they're both the first to get the ball rolling on affecting a change in the way people view homosexuals/blacks in sports. Obviously their careers and time periods are much different, but their lasting effect on people's perception, even as merely the catalyst for greater things to come, remains analogous.

 

Today, nobody really thinks twice about an athlete being black except for radical pieces of shit, which will always be there in some fashion. What Jason Collins and the rest of the LGBT community and their supporters are hoping for is to eventually get to that point. We're not there yet, and that's why it's significant and why I compared it to Jackie Robinson.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

In the end, after this is all over... I am not sure it will be Jason's name that we connect to this in the same regard we connect Jackie to racial equality in sports. I feel like there will be somebody else to champion for the LBGT community in the sporting world with a bigger impact than Jason has or will.

[Bucman 891]

I think its much easier to come out in this society then if someone would have back then. I still think its going to take a more high profile guy to come out, to make the flood gates open. Not sure why these guys are so afraid to come out, most people won't care. You never gonna live in a judgement free society anyways, idiots like Mike Wallace will always exist.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

I think its much easier to come out in this society then if someone would have back then. I still think its going to take a more high profile guy to come out, to make the flood gates open. Not sure why these guys are so afraid to come out, most people won't care. You never gonna live in a judgement free society anyways, idiots like Mike Wallace will always exist.

 

I agree that most people won't care. But I am sure most locker rooms have their own Mike Wallace or Chris Culliver to turn them away from coming out. You have to think about how or if it will change team chemistry (even if the anti-gay players aren't as vocal about it). It's definitely a tough spot, and one I don't envy. But I do agree it will generally be "easier" (relatively, speaking) with the day and age we live in.

[Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014]

If you guys really think that most people are okay with homosexuality, you must not live in a conservative area or know many conservatives. There are literally five pages of posts in a thread defending Wallace's comments on Steeler Nation, because most of that idiotic fanbase is populated by out of touch conservative nutjobs. And they live in the north, mostly, rather than the south where it's much worse.

 

It's a lot more accepted today than in the past, but to say that the majority of people are okay with it is ludicrous. If that were true we'd have legal gay marriage in our country. A lot of the media today leans to the left and the rest at least attempt to be politically correct. Most people in the south and the midwest are against homosexuality. I see people look at it with disdain here in Nebraska almost daily.

Edited May 1, 2013 by Zack_of_Steel

[Guest Phailadelphia]

If you guys really think that most people are okay with homosexuality, you must not live in a conservative area or know many conservatives. There are literally five pages of posts in a thread defending Wallace's comments on Steeler Nation, because most of that idiotic fanbase is populated by out of touch conservative nutjobs. And they live in the north, mostly, rather than the south where it's much worse.

 

Having lived all but about 2 years of my life in the South, this is absolutely true.