ST. LOUIS
-- Adam Goslin is a trailblazer, leading an uncharted path
with a football in one hand, his baseball glove and aluminum
bat in the other.
He
was a two-sport athlete here at Washington University who
graduated this past December. He played three years of
football for Washington, an NCAA Division III school
following a year on the Hillsdale (Mich.) College club.
Goslin also played one year of baseball for Washington and
two at Hillsdale.
“There were
ups and downs (playing football for Washington). I remember
the journey more than individual games. The spring
practices. The lifting with the guys. Those bonding
moments,” said Goslin, 23, born and raised in Troy, Mich.
And all
along his sporting journey, Goslin was gay. And out.
Goslin,
openly gay while active, did what no professional athlete
from any of the big four sports (baseball, football,
basketball and hockey) has ever done. And the number of
openly gay college athletes from the big-four can be counted
on one hand – with spare fingers.
“One of the
really cool things is, the overall support I’ve received,”
since coming out, said Goslin, whose story was first told on
ESPN.com. “In fact, some people who I didn’t think would
take it very well have actually come out with me to the gay
bars and have had fun (at the bars).
“I was
worried at first (about coming out). I didn’t come out at
Hillsdale because it was a really conservative place, yet
I’ve had no problems here. Even now, I thought it would be
hard going from player to a volunteer coach. I didn’t know
if the players would listen to me. Would I get disrespected
(because I’m gay)? But I have not had a problem with
anybody. I don’t know if the response to me would have been
any different (from the players) had I played elsewhere, but
I hope not.”
Goslin, a
6-1, 205-pound defensive lineman, started opening up about
his sexuality in January 2005 after his first football
season, and it spread across campus, including to his
football and baseball teammates.
“A lot were
fascinated with the fact I was gay; they didn’t understand
(that I was gay) though they didn’t object,” he said. “I
think it was good that they saw how (well) I played my first
(football) season (at Washington).
“It’s a
little nerve-racking (coming out) because you never know how
it’s going to go. You hear rumors about how athletes aren’t
very supportive and are very homophobic. But, since I came
out, I’ve never had one problem.
“I don’t
really have worries since coming out; I’m happy with what
I’m doing. I’m more worried about finding a job in
athletics.”
Goslin is
now a volunteer coach for the Bears, dreaming of landing his
ultimate job: as commissioner for the Big Ten or Pacific-10
Conference. Or even the NFL.
And what
about an openly gay athlete from one of the big four pro
sports?
“It
definitely could happen; it just has to be a superstar first
because no one is going to sacrifice him (just because he
comes out),” Goslin said. “If it’s [someone like a] Shaq
(Shaquille O’Neal) or Tracy McGrady, it wouldn’t matter that
the player was gay because of what he brings to the game.”
Goslin said
it likely would be easier for a basketball player to come
out while active, despite the hateful comments from former
NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway following John Amaechi’s
revelation that he was gay, because he’d only have 11
teammates to deal with as opposed to, say, pro football
teams where there are 53 players on the roster.
“Teammates,
if you give them a chance, will be accepting. I say that
based on my case; coming out has been such a positive
experience,” Goslin said. “And, if you’re a professional
athlete, I think coming out would be lucrative for you.”
GETTING TO KNOW … Adam Goslin
Favorite sports teams:
“Everyone in Detroit.”
Also a fan of:
Penn State University athletics.
Favorite coaches:
Joe Paterno, Pat Summit and Vivian Stringer.
Favorite sport:
Football
Other gays on your college teams:
“Not that I know.”
On his college coaches:
“I didn’t know how my coaches would take it, but
they definitely have been very supportive. I was
worried because I wanted to coach, and I know they
knew that. But they’ve treated me exactly the same.”
The football head coach, Larry Kindbom, still writes
him recommendation letters for jobs. Goslin even has
been given free reign to lead select spring practice
drills involving the defensive line, a decision made
by the team’s defensive coordinator.
On LeBron James:
“I understand his comments; I really do. But, I
think it’s hard to force someone to come out. And,
at the same time, I’m sure there are things in
LeBron’s life that he doesn’t share with his
teammates; his secrets.”
James, speaking to the Associated Press about
Amaechi coming out, said: “With teammates you have
to be trustworthy, and if you’re gay and you’re not
admitting that you are, then you are not trustworthy
So that’s like the No. 1 thing as teammates - we all
trust each other. You’ve heard of the in-room,
locker room code. What happens in the locker room
stays in there. It’s a trust factor, honestly. A big
trust factor.”
On the locker room:
“I felt more awkward than everyone else because I
didn’t want people to get the impression that,
because I’m gay, I was going to be looking at them.
So I would just shower and leave as fast as I
could.”
On locker room language:
“They didn’t change (after they learned I was gay),
and I would rather it be like that.” Said he still
hears some of the traditional, off-color locker room
comments, but not as much as before he came out. “I
used to get mad when people would say ‘fag,’ or
things like that. But not anymore.”
