Wow. This was so unexpected. No male in any major sport has ever came out as gay while still active in the league: until now. This is mind-blowing honestly. Out of all the professional athletes out there Jason Collins of the Washington Wizards is the first to come out as gay. The 12 year veteran from California just made history. There will be no more questions when somebody will come out, it’s happened.
“I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay. I didn’t set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I’m happy to start the conversation. I wish I wasn’t the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, “I’m different.” If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I’m raising my hand.” says Collins
This just shows where the world is now. It felt like the time was getting closer and closer until somebody finally came out and its great that somebody has. Collins has shown the strength and courage that nobody has ever had before. He’s showing that its ok to be gay, it’s ok to be who you are. Collins didn’t just do this for himself, he’s done it for every gay person out there. If a 7 foot NBA Center can come out and say that’s he’s homosexual and proud of it then why can’t anybody else. A lot of times people associate homosexuality with feminism but coming out and being who you are shows a true man. Collins manned up to plate and is showing the world who he is. He’s an NBA player who just happens to be gay, he’s not the first and now he won’t be the last. There’s no reason you shouldn’t do what you love because of your sexual orientation and Collins is proving that. I’m happy for him, as a sports fan this needed to happen sooner.
Having career averages of 3.6 ppg and 3.8 rpg Collins can still bring something to the table for an NBA team. I always felt like he was holding something back on the court and now he doesn’t have to. Collins is a free agent this summer and should most definitely be on somebody’s roster next year. The only question now is who’s next?
