NFL

A majority of players in pro baseball, football, basketball and hockey would welcome an openly gay teammate, a Sports Illustrated survey has found, with the largest majority in the National Hockey League. 

In the magazine's current issue, the results of the survey revealed this when players were asked, "Would you welcome an openly gay teammate?" 

The magazine said the poll was conducted in the last 10 months with 450 Major League Baseball players, 248 in the NBA, 357 in the NFL and 346 in the NHL. This comprises about 21% of the total number of NFL players, 46% in the NHL, 55% in baseball and 63% in the NBA. Accompanying the article were photos from "Brokeback Mountain" and of former NFL player Esera Tuaolo, who wrote a book about being gay in the league. 

Interestingly, the magazine said, only 41% of NFL rookies and 48% of NBA rookies said they would welcome a gay teammate. People who have studied this issue have felt that the younger generation of athletes would be more accepting, though it's hard to know the context in which these rookies were asked the question. 

It's not surprising that the NHL players were more open. Many of the league's players are from Canada and Northern Europe, where gay marriage is allowed or where homosexuals have equal rights. The percentages for the three U.S.-based pro sports leagues are all close enough as to be statistically equivalent. 

One interesting note for baseball fans: The survey found that "Among baseball players, 67.8% of those who said they would rather play for the Red Sox than for the Yankees also said they would welcome a gay teammate. Of those who picked the Yankees, only 54.2% said yes."

March 2, 2006