A look at the gay sports year that was 2013:
January
ESPN shows pro bowler Scott Norton kissing his husband after winning a tournament. The world does not spin off its axis.
ESPN’s Brent Musberger gets all dirty old man lusting after Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron’s girlfriend during the BCS title game. We yawn and are more interested in Bama kicker Cade Foster shirtless.
Sports Illustrated has a feature of San Francisco 49ers fans watching the NFC Championship Game at a San Francisco gay sports bar and publishes a photo by Deanne Fitzmaurice that shows two friends kissing after a touchdown. The photo goes viral and wins an award. The two guys are from San Diego, which tells you all you need to know about the Chargers.
Openly gay German snowboarder Daniel Rajcsanyi shows us tricks while boarding nude. He calls it the “German sausage” for obvious reasons
February
San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver makes homophobic comments during Super Bowl week. During the game, he is repeatedly toasted by the Baltimore Ravens. Karma’s a bitch.
Pro soccer player Robbie Rogers comes out after saying his career is done. When he is embraced and not shunned, Rogers has a change of heart and winds up with the L.A. Galaxy. People in the closet often wrongly assume the worst.
Former NFL player Kwame Harris is outed as gay by an ex-boyfriend following a domestic violence allegation. In December, he was sentenced to three years’ probation and five days in county jail on misdemeanor domestic violence, battery and assault charges. This is not the way you want to come out.
Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue? Yawn. Outsports swimsuit issue? Yum:
The Harlem Shake craze gets its 15 minutes. On the plus side, we got to see swimmers, divers and wrestlers show their stuff.
March
Fallon Fox comes out as transgender MMA fighter. Shows tremendous class and courage in the wake of ignorant comments by fellow competitors and fans.
The Internet is abuzz with rumors of gay NFL players ready to come out. Same old stuff we’ve heard for years and yet to happen.
UFC fighter Rashad Evans issues eloquent plea for gay marriage. “What people overlook is that is isn’t a sex issue, its a love issue. There’s no justifiable reason for trying to get in the way of two people who love each other. “
Gay fan asks Jacksonville Jaguars to stop kiss cam. Jaguars respond by starting season 0-8.
April
NBA player Jason Collins come out as gay. Story dominates the news, and gets President Obama to talk about it at a press conference.
Inspired by Collins, a young sportswriter comes out. These things always have a ripple effect.
UCLA football coach Jim Mora becomes the first FBS coach to be in a You Can Play video. “It doesn’t matter to me,” he said. I don’t judge people on their color of their skin, their sexual orientation, their religious beliefs. It doesn’t matter to me,” he tells Outsports. The Bruins have a great season and beat USC. Good karma is a good bitch.
Former college kicker Alan Gendreau tells his coming out story and his desire to kick in the NFL. Story is most-read on Outsports in 2013.
Brittney Griner, the top pick in the WNBA draft, comes out publicly as lesbian in the most natural way possible. If only all coming outs were so matter of fact.
May
Robbie Rogers signs with the L.A. Galaxy. Six months after basically calling it quits, he’s out and playing the sport he loves.
NFL rookies talk about having gay teammates and come across as enlightened. “Nowadays, people have a certain stigma of their sexuality, but I think they shouldn’t be considered different at all,” says Bengals running back Giovanni Bernard, who goes on to have a fantastic rookie year.
Jallen Messersmith is the first openly gay college basketball player. And he goes on more dates than his teammates.
Naked college rowers raise money for anti-bullying. Hard to beat this fund-raising pitch:
Former college football star Kevin Grayson comes out as gay. “Why can’t I be the guy making plays that helps my team win, and still on the flip side, be a gay male?” the former University of Richmond wide receiver says. Grayson would later play in the 2013 Gay Bowl in Phoenix.
Chris Kluwe and Brendon Ayanbadejo are cut by their NFL teams. It sucks to lose two high-profile active allies, but there is zero evidence their pro-gay stances had anything to do with their release.
June
Nike releases its #Be True line of clothing and apparel. The line is so successful that the company donates $200,000 to the LGBT Sports Coalition.
Inspired by attending the LGBT Sports Coalition summit in Portland, high school basketball coach Anthony Nicodemo comes out to his team as gay.
French Olympic swimmers pose as imaginary couple for anti-homophobia campaign. They certainly do look happy together:
Six athletes lead gay pride parades around the country. Jocks are the hot thing in 2013.
July
In a first, two open lesbians – Liz Carmouche and Jessica Deandre – fight in a UFC bout.
Russia passes draconian anti-gay legislation and the outcry with the Olympics looming takes people by surprise. Openly gay speedskater Blake Skjellerup becomes a forceful spokesman.
Rugby player George Burgess posts naked selfies and no one complains:
August
Russia’s anti-gay laws dominate the international sports news. The world track and field championships are held in Moscow and U.S. runner Nick Symmonds wins silver in the 800 meters. He then dedicates his medal to his gay and lesbian fans. Two Swedish track athletes ppaint their fingernails in rainbow colors and one is told it’s a violation of the rules. She is happy she did it anyway.
Australian snowboarder Belle Brockhoff becomes the first LGBT athlete to come out as a protest of the Russian anti-gay laws.
WWE wrestler Darren Young comes out as gay. The sport may be choreographed, but Young’s emotions are genuine. “I’ll tell you right now, I’m gay. And I’m happy. Very happy,” he said.
September
Winter Olympics news continued when Johnny Weir announced his retirement from figure skating, meaning he wouldn’t be competing for a slot in Sochi. But fear not, he’ll be doing commentary for NBC, so prepared to be entertained.
A gay high school track coach talks about coming out after hiding and being married. “I felt like a fraud,” he said, sentiments people in the closet will understand.
Texas Rangers pitcher Robbie Ross and his wife, Brittany, pose for the NoH8 campaign as proud Christians. “We’re all human, and we can all take things from the Bible and twist them however we want,” she said. “You can basically take a verse from the Bible and say it’s OK to beat your wife, but the world says that’s not OK, so that’s what we go with. And I think the world is saying that gay people in the community are OK. Jesus came to love people. He never persecuted anybody.” Hear, hear!
Talk about see-through – new college and pro football uniforms reveal a lot:
October
Two college athletes tell their coming out stories in unique ways. College basketball players DDerek Schell tells about being accepted at a very conservative college, while soccer player Jesse Klug writes an open letter to those who quote religion to condemn homosexuality.
Former Redskin Dexter Manley calls former Cowboy Troy Aikman a “queer” and refused to apologize. He either got hit in the head too many times or is just a dick. The radio station where Manley made his remarks said he will never be invited back.
UConn women take a sstand for gay acceptance. The Huskies immediatelt become my favorite women’s basketball team.
Notre Dame’s Cam McDaniel is called college football’s most telegenic player by the Internet. Always believe what you read on the Internet:
November
Texas swimmer Matt Korman comes out as gay to his team via an e-mail. What’s cool about this is that one of his straight teammates alerted us. Things really have changed.
Stephen Alexander comes out as a transgender coach in a small town and finds acceptance. Things really have changed.
The Jonathan Martin bullying case with the Miami Dolphins has some equating it with an openly gay NFL player. We thought that is nonsense.
December
Tom Daley comes out and says he has a boyfriend. Teen girls in Britain weep.
The University of North Carolina releases a great You Can Play video. It’s a diverse group and includes football and men’s basketball players.
Swedish wrestlers wrestle naked covered in frosting to urge HIV testing. Yeah, we thought WTF, too.
In a rebuke to Russia, President Obama names two lesbians and one gay male athlete to the official U.S. delegation to the Sochi Winter Olympics. Take that, Putin.
Outsports ffinds 77 LGBT people in sports who camee to our attention in 2013.
Here’s hoping your 2014 is an impressive as Cristiano Ronaldo in underwear:
Happy New Year!