NBA player Jason Collins comes out as gay

I was going to post this but I felt like I'd be infringing on froznlite

I'm not the only announcer of all things LGBT. You should post the news next time!

Why? Are athletes super homophobic or something? I honestly am asking, I have no clue, I don't watch any sports whatsoever or know any of the players.

In the United States, the culture of major league sports, being an enormous bastion of heteronormativity and the perpetuation of hyper masculinity, has often found itself at tense odds with LGBT people, especially homosexual men, given generalized, stereotypical perceptions of gay men as the antithesis of these phenomena. Additionally, the LGBT civil rights movement seeks to dismantle such rigid boundaries of identity, so it's likely many may view "the gays" as a threat to the fabric of machoism, for lack of a better term, that dominates major league sports.

As such, Collins' coming out not only demonstrates that, no, gay men in major league sports will not ruin any element of the sport itself, but also sets a precedent for others to do the same, allowing further understanding between sports players, fans, and their community, and the LGBT community.

Plus a bit of positive publicity is good.
Someone that people have admired has admitted he's gay, which means it could change some peoples opinions.

I mean yes, especially since he's the first in the U.S. realm of major league sports, but don't say that like he's the first in general. Many LGBT people have come out in quickening succession over recent years as general societal consensus becomes more favorable and accepting of diverse sexualities. For example, plenty have already had their opinions changed with the announcements of people like Ellen Degeneres, Neil Patrick Harris, and Anderson Cooper.

Yeah, I was kinda thinking the same thing.
It's not like a major player would do this. While this is still a good thing, it ultimately won't change much. It's only the people who's careers are already over or nearly over who will actually come out, which says a lot about what this kind of thing would do to their career. From WHO is not clear, the sports itself? the fans? the public?

At least this will be interesting to see how much longer this guy stays in American Sports before he retires, because honestly, I know this sounds bad but I don't think he will be in it much longer. I'd like to be pleasantly surprised, but i'm not counting on it.

You guys need to shelve your cynicism on this one, because this announcement was bound to happen soon anyways, if not is grossly overdue. I mean even Law & Order: SVU covered the topic in an episode 5-6 years ago. Point is, regardless of who it is, the first person to set the precedent makes waves and, ultimately, does change a lot. Sure, Collins is towards the end of his career and isn't a star athlete, but by opening the door he allows other players, maybe some big names in professional sports, to finally summon the confidence to cross the threshold as well.

In short, this is really great news with a promising effect on the future of the LGBT civil rights movement in this country and around the world, so don't be to quick to judge with such a narrow focus.