Basketball and blue sky

There has been lots of discussion about how the time is probably right for a player in professional men's team sports to come out as gay. It has now happened. Jason Collins of the Washington Wizards basketball team has come out in a big article in Sports Illustrated.

A few people have pointed out a caveat. The NBA season has just ended and Collins is now a free agent. That means he isn't an active player at the moment. Teams could simply decide he's too much of a controversy to sign, thus ending his career.

From the article:

Today, though, one of the last closets in American society has been pried open. It wasn't done with a crowbar. The hinges are still intact. But it opened and Jason Collins walked out. Proudly. Head high. A smile on his face. Surely there are other active athletes, maybe lots, still inside. But the capacity is one less than it was yesterday.

And the day after he came out to SI, Collins reported that he slept well. When he woke, the sky hadn't fallen in. And damn if it wasn't blue.

Jason's twin brother Jarron also has a bit in Sports Illustrated saying how proud he is of his brother.

In the meantime, Chris Kluwe and Brendan Ayanbadejo have been the most outspoken straight allies in the NFL. Ayanbadejo has been released from his team and Kluwe will be facing strong competition from a young possible replacement. Are these two allies at the natural end of their playing careers? Or did their outspokenness on a touchy subject end their careers? Closeted gay players are paying attention.