The media reaction to Jason Collins coming out has been so overwhelming, it’s been impossible to keep up. Here are some pieces that have caught our eye.
It’s Jason Collins’ story, but it’s our day – Issues & Ideas – MiamiHerald.com
From one trailblazer to another, a salute to the NBA's Jason Collins – by Billy Bean
Jason Collins is out. But in professional sports, ignorance is still in play. – The Washington Post
What Collins is not, unfortunately, is a sign that professional sports have gotten over their confusion and concern about gay athletes. By Patrick Burke
A Letter of Love to Brittney Griner and Jason Collins | NewBlackMan (in Exile)
We live in a culture that takes pride in its support of dissension and in its antagonism towards difference. And considering such a climate, for one to disclose publicly one’s sexual identity in it does, in fact, matter.
Episode 1.15: Jason Collins | SportsonEarth.com Podcast
Outsports co-founder Cyd Zeigler talks to Will about Jason Collins, John Amaechi, changing attitudes in sports and the positive reaction to gay professional athletes coming out.
A tale of two athletes: Collins praised while Tebow panned | WGNO
In the politically correct world of sports today, it is no surprise that the media went crazy in praising Jason Collins, the first gay professional athlete to go public.
NBA’s Collins gets headlines for coming out, but young gay athletes helped clear the path – The Washington Post
CHICAGO — You’ve probably never heard of Holly Peterson or Jonathan Jean-Pierre. One came out as a lesbian at age 15, when she was playing high school basketball. The other, a college rower, told his teammates last year that he’s gay.
Jason Collins’ Place in History – Truthdig
This week on Truthdig Radio in association with KPFK: The first male athlete in one of the big American sports to come out of the closet won’t be the last. Cyd Zeigler is interviewed.
Kurtz, DailyBeast part ways after retracted blog post about coming out of gay NBA player – The Washington Post
LOS ANGELES — Columnist Howard Kurtz left The Daily Beast on Thursday, the same day the website retracted one of his blog posts in which he mistakenly accused NBA player Jason Collins of hiding a previous engagement to a woman before declaring this week that he is gay.
What Jason Collins' Article Means to Me – Blueshirt Banter
When something overwhelmingly positive like this comes along I can't help but embrace it and be moved by it because I know what it means to people I care very much about.
Reilly: Collins' fiancee's reaction – ESPN
Rick Reilly talks to some of Jason Collins' firiends and his former fiancee to get their reaction to his announcement.
Vince Lombardi would have been proud of Jason Collins – ESPN New York
Vince Lombardi, whose brother was gay, would've been proud of Jason Collins.
Jason Collins gay bashers spew Gospel of hate – NFL News | FOX Sports on MSN
Jason Collins gay bashers are spewing a Gospel of hate, FOXSports.coms Jen Floyd Engel says. Jason Collins gay bashers spew Gospel of hate.
NBA’s Jason Collins: ‘Gay’ superhero!
If we can’t be proud of sodomy, what can we be proud of? Seriously, I’d encourage the next pro athlete engaged in some other hitherto-considered-deviant-sexual-lifestyle to ride the wave.
Jason Collins: The Substance of Change | The Nation
Hearing the news made me feel like I’d accidentally walked into a wind tunnel. For as long as I had written about this issue and as many times as I had said in recent years that “this will happen in a matter of months if not weeks”, it still hit me like a triple-shot of espresso cut with a teaspoon of Adderall.
Before Jason Collins, some of Europe’s gay athletes came out | GlobalPost
Meet the sports players from the UK and other countries who braved going public with their homosexuality.
Jason Collins scores for gay rights | The Tennessean | tennessean.com
Jason Collins breaks the silence for gays in the major sports.
Allen West Joins Chorus Deriding Jason Collins' Coming Out – On Top Magazine | Gay news & entertainment
Former Florida Congressman Allen West rejects the idea that Jason Collins showed courage in becoming the U.S.'s first openly gay professional athlete
Jason Collins Took Personal Steps Before Coming Out Publicly’ – NYTimes.com
Collins had been filled with fear at the prospect of openly acknowledging he is gay, but the response to his announcement has been overwhelmingly positive.
Michael Reagan NBA player Jason Collins comes out of closet. So what? | The Baxter Bulletin | baxterbulletin.com
I’ve never sought the spotlight. Though I’m coming out to the world, I intend to guard my privacy. I’m making this blanket statement in part to keep rumors and misunderstandings at bay. I’m not just a white, Catholic Republican. I’m not just a Reagan conservative. I’m a heterosexual.
After NBA Player Comes Out, Stephen Colbert Warns of 'Final Days of Straight America' | Advocate.com
Video of Colbert's great take on Jason Collins coming out.
Jason Collins’ jilted fiancé Carolyn Moos didn’t know he was gay until last weekend: report – NY Daily News
Jason Collins said that calling off his wedding was one of the most difficult choices he’s ever had to make, and the woman he left at the alter now knows why. Carolyn Moos, who TMZ reports is the woman that Collins was engaged with, told the website that she had no clue that Collins was gay throughout their long-term relationship.
Collins' Big Test Will Be Joining an NBA Team – AP
"Just treat him normal," Heat forward Chris Bosh said. "He's a human being. It's not like he has two heads or anything. He's the same dude. You say 'What's up?' like everything is normal."
Collins Historic Gay Stand Seen Bringing Riches If He Wants – Bloomberg
If anyone can relate to Jason Collins, it’s Golden State Warriors President Rick Welts, a former National Basketball Association chief marketing officer who says the first openly gay male athlete in a major U.S. team sport can cash in by coming out.
How Franz Lidz Landed The Jason Collins Scoop For His Former Magazine — Deadspin
Superagent Arn Tellem had a proposition for his longtime friend, magazine writer Franz Lidz. If an active NBA player wanted to come out of the closet, would Lidz be interested in the story?
Matthew Shepard's parents were touched by Jason Collins' decision to wear number 98 – NBA News | FOX Sports on MSN
"It made me cry," she said. Collins said he did so as a nod to the Trevor Project, an LGBTQ suicide prevention foundation founded in August 1998, and also in memory of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old University of Wyoming student who was killed in October 1998 in one of the most infamous antigay hate crimes in history.
CBC Radio talks about Jason Collins
Gay NBA: Center Jason Collins becomes the first big leaguer to come out.
Who Changed Conversation About Being Gay In Sports? The Road To Jason Collins' Revelation | ThePostGame
When Outsports.com co-founder Cyd Zeigler called NFL teams in 2003 to ask about benefits for same-sex partners, he says he received two responses: A click on the other end or a shouting employee asking how he could possibly ask such a question. At that time, for the most part, chatter about an openly gay athlete in a major sport was nonexistent, and the mere thought seemed to rattle many fans and officials' minds.
‘1981 was the year for me’: Martina Navratilova zings media on Jason Collins’ coming out | Twitchy
Well done Jason Collins- you are a brave man. And a big man at that:) 1981 was the year for me- 2013 is the year for you:)— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) April 29, 2013
10 Most Homophobic Tweets Following Jason Collins' Coming Out
Here's what the trolls had to say about the NBA's Jason Collins' coming out as gay.
Red Sox invite Jason Collins to throw out first pitch
Collins has gotten support and praise from all across the sports landscape.
Clintons, W.H. welcome announcement from friend Jason Collins – CNN Political Ticker – CNN.com Blogs
NBA center Jason Collins' Monday essay in "Sports Illustrated" revealing he's gay was met with quick praise from the White House as well as his classmate at Stanford, Chelsea Clinton. https://twitter.
Jason Collins Breaks a Barrier. But Will He Find Another N.B.A. Job? – NYTimes.com
Based on Jason Collins' talents on the court, and not his announcement that he is gay, what are the chances that this 34-year-old free agent will remain a professional basketball player?
