Gays in
sports took some important baby steps out of the closet in 2001.
Long an ignored subject in the mainstream media, the notion that gays compete at all levels of athletics was widely discussed in newspapers, on television, the Internet and talk radio. There were two main catalysts for this: a column in a gay magazine and the untimely and heroic death of a gay rugby player.
Let's not kid ourselves--there is still a long way to go before gays become totally accepted in the sports world. The arena still remains the final closet in society and homophobia runs deep. But the subject has come out of the shadows and is being debated by the media, fans and athletes.
Brendan Lemon's April column in Out Magazine, where he discussed an affair he's having with a major league baseball player, received little notice at first, though it was a hot topic on Outsports discussion board. But a mention of the column on MediaNews, the Internet's de facto newsletter for journalists, kicked off a media frenzy that lasted for two months.
The subject was aired on CNN, ESPN and Fox, sports talk radio host Jim Rome was terrific in his advocacy of the subject. Newspapers from Boston to Sacramento and in-between ran columns or articles debating the merits of Lemon's piece.
Outsports was quoted or mentioned in the New York Times, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Sacramento Bee, Providence Journal, Hartford Courant, Sydney Morning Herald, New York Magazine, Village Voice and the BBC.
Not all of the coverage was enlightened, but the debate was fair and thorough. What was interesting was the reaction of athletes. Some held the view that ``I'm OK with it, but other are not,'' which represents some progress (it's not cool to be publicly homophobic these days). Some, such as pitcher Mike Timlin, were matter-of-fact about his reaction to having a gay teammate: "I already have, knowingly, and it wasn't a problem.''
If Brendan Lemon's ballplayer was the private face of the gay
athlete--still too afraid to come out to the world--Mark Bingham became the public face, propelled into the limelight by a tragedy.
The Sept. 11 hijackings of four jets and the subsequent destruction they caused united us all in its searing horror.
Among the dead were several gays and lesbians, from security guards to a pilot to a bond trader, a couple with their child and a nurse. And one larger-than-life head of his own public relations
firm--Mark Bingham.
Bingham's story, as one of the passenger who helped take down hijacked Flight 93 over the Western Pennsylvania countryside, has become well-known. Their action is credited with preventing a larger loss of life had the plane crashed into government buildings in Washington.
Sen. John McCain delivered a eulogy at a service for Bingham, saying: ``"I very well may owe my life to Mark.
He supported me [in his presidential bid], and his support now ranks among one of the greatest honors of my life. ... I love my country, but I cannot say I love it more or as well as Mark Bingham or the other heroes on United Flight 93. I thank him with the only means I possess by being as good of an American as he was."
In the first days after Flight 93 crashed, there was relatively little coverage that discussed Bingham in connection with his homosexuality and love of sports (Outsports had the story the day after the hijacking). But since then, it has become widely reported, both in print and on television. A database search using the words ``Mark Bingham,'' ``gay'' and ``rugby,'' for example, turns up stories in 102 publications, in the United States and abroad.
Bingham's life and his heroism have been held up as an example that can unite all Americans, regardless of their sexual orientation. As a Newark Star-Ledger headline put it: ``He was gay, and too tough for hijackers--Liberals and conservatives alike sing the praises of a rugged rugby player who fought terror in sky.''
What remains to be seen if
whether the coverage of gays in sports was a blip caused by
two unusual events, or a sign that the topic is now on the
table. Change is often incremental and comes in fits and
starts.
Despite the intensity of coverage, don't expect pro or other
elite athletes to come out and hold a news conference declaring their sexuality. Jocks have seldom been
on the front lines of social change and would see no upside to
a public coming out. Expect the media to generally lose interest until there's a fresh news peg. Still, the facts that the subject came out of the shadows, was treated with respect and the Republic didn't crumble are all positives. It will be hard to think of ``gay athlete'' as an oxymoron any more. Dec.
27, 2001
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Cub fans at June's ``Out
at the Ballgame''
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The
Good, the Bad
and the Ugly
Brendan Lemon's mystery date and
Mark Bingham's heroism were not the only times gays and sports got
play in 2001. Here are the good, bad and ugly from an interesting year:
Good
--The Atlanta
Braves, Chicago Cubs and Minnesota Twins held ``gay days,'' specifically targeting their gay and lesbian fans. ``It was an easy no-brainer,'' Annie Kleiser, manager of special events and entertainment for the Cubs, said about the team's buying ads in the Chicago Free Press and sponsoring
``Out at the
Ballgame.''
--The Women's National Basketball Association broke
new ground by encouraging its team to market to
lesbians, who make up a large percentage of their fan
base.
"We've opened up a new audience," WNBA
Commissioner Val Ackerman told the Sacramento Bee.
"At the large level, we're trying to target
everybody. Our basic message is basketball is beautiful,
no matter who you are."
--Colleges took some steps in addressing homophobia in athletics. An NCAA committee
proposed diversity training for homophobia for student/athletes, coaches and administrators. Panels at
Harvard and the
University of Virginia dealt with gays and lesbians and their place in athletics.
Bad
Alissa Wykes, a player for the Philadelphia Liberty Belles in the National Women's Football League, came out as a lesbian in the
December/January edition of Sports Illustrated for Women. "Of course I am a lesbian," Wykes said in the article. "I've had a partner for the last six years, and it's been awesome. I guess you can call this my coming out party."
Wykes' honesty did not sit well with Catherine Masters, owner of the league. "It really hurt us," Masters told the
Washington
Blade. "Everyone knows that gay people are in every professional sports league. But you don't see them coming out."
Marie Olsen, owner of the Liberty Belles, flatly contradicted Masters, telling the Blade she has received nothing but positive feedback, and adding: "I found the article very informative, amusing, funny, and fantastic. And the pictures were great. I didn't perceive it the same way that [Masters] did. ... What shocked me is that they printed [Wykes's] weight. Every women in America is going to laugh at that -- that's more sacred than anything else."
Ugly
Anti-gay slurs were still too much a part of the sports landscape. Calling someone a faggot remains the ultimate insult in male sports. Jeers go out to Allen Iverson, Goran
Ivanisevic, Jason Williams and Julian Tavarez.
Homophobic taunts still resonate at many stadiums. A soccer fan complained to the NCAA over anti-gay slurs hurled at a goalie during a men's soccer playoff game (the fan told the New York Times he has yet to receive a response).
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