NBA Free Agent Jason Collins Comes Out But He Is No Gay Jackie Robinson.

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Although the mainstream media, are trying to say NBA free agent Jason Collins coming out as a gay man is a big deal the truth is it isn’t. Jason Collins is not the gay Jackie Robinson although he is on the cover of the Sports Illustrated. When is Orlando Cruz the Puerto Rican boxer should be on the cover? Orlando Cruz came out as a gay man in late year in in the fall and he is still active in boxing. Since boxing is considered a fringe sport, Cruz isn’t getting the media attention he so rightfully deserves.

Orlando Cruz has won two professional fights since he came out of the closet last fall, so why isn’t he on the cover of the NY Times or ESPN Magazine? Why is Orlando Cruz so disrespected just because he’s a boxer?

Jason Collins coming out, might make a difference in the black community though, he shines a spotlight into the struggles gay black men experience in society. I think that’s the only thing I can really take out of Jason Collins coming out he might allow our community to have more of a dialogue about homosexuality. It does take courage for a black gay man to come out especially if the man is a professional athlete.

I am cynical because, I think the social impact is only going to really occur when a gay man comes out in a team sport while he is still active and in his prime.

When is a male sports superstar going to come out as gay like Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Amelie Mauresmo have done in women’s tennis? Navratilova, King, and Mauresmo are elite tennis champions they reached number one in the world and won multiple grand slam singles titles. Navratilova and King came out in the 1980s they lost millions of dollars in endorsements.

Amelie Mauresmo came out at the beginning of her career after she reached the Australian Open women’s final in 1999. Due to Navratilova and King’s success on the tennis court it was easier for Mauresmo to come out as a lesbian. Mauresmo retained all of her endorsements and she’s a national hero in France.

There still isn’t a professional male athlete in a team sport who is active out of the closet. Jason Collins is a journeyman, he wasn’t a great player and he’s not active he’s a free agent.

In order to smash the misconceptions about gay men in professional sports, it is going to take someone braver than Jason Collins.

It is going to take a man who is in his prime, a professional athlete, and someone who is a solid athlete.

Since, Jason Collins is thirty four years old, he waited until the end of his career to come out which is easier. Collins has nothing to lose coming out now he competed in the NBA for twelve years.

It is sad that the majority of the gay male athletes who do come out only come out always come out at the end of their professional careers. At the end of a pro athlete’s career there is less stigma to coming out and less of a risk.

There is a serious issue of homophobia in men’s professional sports given the fact nobody wants to come out while active.
Since at least 5 to 10% of the population is gay there has to be more gay men in the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL who are gay but closeted. Why are these gay men still in the closet?

In the grand scheme of things, Collins is thirty four years old, he’s not on a team. Collins also waited until the end of his career to come out as a gay man. I commend Collins for having the courage to come out, but he is not the gay Jackie Robinson. The social impact that Jason Collins coming out is going to have is small. If Collins had come out maybe five years ago, while he was active in the NBA then he could have made a difference.

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Rafael Nadal Destroys Milos Raonic 6-4 6-0 In Semifinals Of Barcelona Open.

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Wow, Rafael Nadal exposed some areas of Canadian tennis star Milos Raonic game. First, Milos started well holding serve and breaking Nadal’s serve. However, the problem in this match is Milos began to panic as Nadal read his serve. Milos is used to serving many aces in a match. Since Nadal is one of the elite players he has an excellent return of serve and Milos wasn’t able to hold serve. Milos tried different tactics such as coming to net the problem was his volleys weren’t crisp or sharp enough. By volleying the ball into the open space Nadal simply chased the ball down and passed Raonic.

Another area where Milos Raonic needs to improve is his backhand. Nadal was relentless he pounded Raonic backhand and he exposed his weaker side. Since Raonic is six foot five, he’s never going to be the fastest player on the ATP Tour. Raonic has improved his movement but he needs to improve it even more to compete with the very best. Raonic also needs to improve the backhand he kept on running around the forehand but he left himself vulnerable for Nadal to attack the open space.

Finally, I think Raonic had a positive week despite losing so easily to Nadal this is a learning experience for him. He defended his semifinal points from last year in Barcelona and he’s ranked number thirteen in the world. Raonic is getting better on clay he had a big win over Tommy Robredo in the quarterfinals a former French Open quarterfinalist.

Raonic and his coach Galo Blanco should be watching the tape of this match over and over. If Raonic wants to get into the top 10 and be a fixture among the best in men’s tennis he needs to improve his backhand and movement.

Although Gay Marriage Bill Is Approved In France Homophobia Still A Serious Problem.

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I am not surprised that some French people are against gay marriage. Although France is a secular country, there are some conservative elements to French society. I am glad the same sex marriage bill was approved and that marriage equality now exists in France for gay couples. Some of the arguments of conservatives are that the French family is going to decay and breakdown.

However, in Canada almost a decade ago prior to gay marriage becoming law there were similar arguments. Now almost eight years since same sex marriage became legal in Canada it isn’t a big deal anymore. Even the conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, recognizes that same sex marriage is just a part of what makes Canada a great nation. Canada was the first country in the western hemisphere to legalize gay marriage.

I think in a generation from now in France people won’t make a big deal about same sex marriage they won’t be upset about it. Consenting adults should be allowed to marry whomever a person of the same sex. Why should gay people in France be denied gay marriage when they pay taxes just like the heterosexuals? It is nice to see France moving forward and progressing towards modernity.

Football Stud Brendon Ayanbadejo Writes Article Telling NFL To Provide Support So First Openly Gay Athlete Can Come Out!!

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Brendon Ayanbadjeo sexy

Brendon ayanbadjeo hot

Ex-Raven Brendon Ayanbadejo continues to fight for same-sex marriage rights in the US.
FOX Sports
BRENDON AYANBADEJO

APR 22, 2013 2:31 PM ET

Brendon Ayanbadejo is a 10-year NFL veteran who last played with the Super Bowl XLVII champion Baltimore Ravens and is a staunch supporter of same-sex marriage rights. In August 2012, Maryland state delegate Emmett Burns Jr. wrote an open letter to Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti requesting Ayanbadejo cease and desist all public support of marriage equality after Ayanbadejo donated Ravens tickets to help fundraise for marriage equality in Maryland. A law allowing same-sex marriages in the state eventually passed in late 2012 and took effect Jan. 1.

While the equality treadmill under most of our feet is moving at a high rate of speed, I would imagine this journey is not traveling fast enough for many Americans whose lives are directly impacted by the possibility of change.

Consider tennis hall of famer Billie Jean King, who was outed in 1981 when her relationship with another woman became public, and Greg Louganis, the four-time Olympic gold medal-winning American diver, who came out some seven years after King.

With more than 55 years combined of public scrutiny of their sexuality, the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which restricts some federal marriage benefits to only opposite-sex couples, and Prop 8, California’s state law restricting same-sex marriage can’t come soon enough for these two American heroes and California residents who have forever shaped the face of their respective sports.

Yet, we still have such a long journey ahead of us. Draconian policies such as “don’t ask, don’t tell” are a thing of the past, and with the quickly approaching U.S. Supreme Court rulings on the repeal of DOMA and Prop 8 in June, it appears as if we are on the precipice of a more progressive and accepting America.

It is quite hard to fathom that, in two years, we have nearly doubled the amount of states that have legalized marriage equality. In this time, New York, Maryland, Maine and Washington have approved same-sex marriage, bringing the total number of states that allow it to nine, as well as the District of Columbia.

Equal marriage rights are on the radar for Illinois, Delaware, Rhode Island and nine other states by the end of 2014. A March 2013 FOX News poll on same-sex marriage shows that 49 percent of Americans believe in same-sex marriage while 46 percent are in opposition. Support is up 32 percent from 2003.

From the opening kickoff to the Super Bowl, the best NFL action is on FOX. See the full NFL on FOX schedule.
While LGBTQ Americans can bravely and proudly serve our country in battle and even die protecting our freedom overseas, it is still perfectly legal in 29 states, to fire someone because he or she is a part of the LGBTQ community.

LGBTQ Americans do not, under DOMA, currently have any federal rights. There are so many things wrong with this picture. And, as many of us openly support and fight for equal rights in this community, we are also left asking ourselves questions about why many who identify as LGBT or Q are still so hesitant to join the fight.

Brittney Griner came out on Thursday, saying people should “just be who you are.” But being who you are in the four major professional sports isn’t accepted.

When will a male athlete come out in the NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL?

Even as it appears American pop culture is ready to accept a gay male athlete, the stratified sporting culture might not be quite as keen on the idea of our favorite NFL player scoring touchdowns on Sundays and celebrating in Chelsea (NYC) or Hillcrest (San Diego) on Sunday nights with his boys after a hard-fought victory.

I certainly wouldn’t have a problem with it.

Corporate America doesn’t, either.

It’s time to plan work and family weddings as the NFL releases the dates and times for this year’s games.
Corporate America is frothing at the mouth, waiting for a gay superstar to take the sporting culture by the reins. Companies such as Levi’s, American Airlines, Google, and Starbucks are huge money makers, but also morality moguls in corporate America, having been rated in the top LGBTQ friendly corporations.

And just like the infamous “Bo knows” marketing campaign by Nike, I could also see a sneaker and apparel giant backing a superstar athlete with a “gay is great” campaign.

Make no mistake, the LGBTQ community’s buying power is something corporate America is keeping its eye on. The overall spending power of this growing demographic is projected to be well over $2 trillion in 2013, by some estimations.

I personally have stopped patronizing all retailers that are not LGBTQ friendly. Not only are these corporations losing out on LGBTQ dollars, but also straight dollars from family and friends of the LGBTQ community.

The most important company yet to weigh in on the issue of gays in sports is the NFL itself.
The NFL is the most popular and most-watched sport in the U.S., capturing some 59 percent of the entire U.S. population as viewers. With 1,696 players on its opening day rosters, the NFL is also the largest professional sports league in North America.

The NHL has 690 players; the NBA has 450 players; and MLB has 750 players total on its 25-man rosters, for a total of 1,890 professional athletes.

The lowest estimations say that about three percent of the population at large is gay. If you extrapolate that number across these 3,586 pro athletes, that would equate to 107 or 108 professional gay athletes, with 50 or 51 of them in the NFL.

Yet to this day we still have not heard of an athlete coming out during his playing career in any of our four professional sports. The NHL has a leg up on the other three leagues because of its alliance with the “You Can Play Foundation” that supports LGBTQ athletes.

The other three leagues have a faint footprint, or none at all, in supporting or aligning with a LGBTQ organization.

What are they waiting for?

If we hope to close one of the last closets in America, I would call upon the NFL to be proactive and align with an LGBTQ organization, something that it has not done publicly yet.

When the NFL does take such action, maybe players will be more at liberty to feel not only that they can be themselves at the workplace, but also that their employer has their best interest at heart and not just the bottom line. I would even argue that profits would increase if there were a gay player on the roster. At the end of the day, I have played with several gay athletes in my tenure with the NFL. I just didn’t know it!

Novak Djokovic Snaps Rafael Nadal Eight Year Winning Streak Wins Monte Carlo Masters Title!!!

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It is still over a month away from the French Open starting but Novak Djokovic’s stunning upset of Rafael Nadal 6-2 7-6 in the Monte Carlo final is a breakthrough. This is the first time in over eight years Nadal has not won the Monte Carlo Masters title.

Nadal is the only man on the ATP Tour to win a title eight times in a row he’s dominated Monte Carlo since 2005.

Djokovic played fearless tennis, he attacked Nadal’s backhand approached the net when necessary and he kept Nadal off balance.

Novak also took the ball early on the rise forcing Nadal to react by taking the ball early. Nadal’s strategy against Novak wasn’t smart he kept on hitting the ball to his two handed backhand but that’s Djokovic’s strength.

Against Roger Federer, Nadal’s high looping top spin forehand bounces too high for Federer to generate pace off the backhand side. However, since Djokvovic is six foot two and he has a two handed backhand, Nadal’s topspin forehand doesn’t bother him.

Nadal is still the king of clay though, he’s won the French Open seven out of the last eight years.

Novak Djokovic is off to a good start in the clay court season but the real test is at the French Open at the end of May.

Nadal’s dominance on the clay courts is incredible so although the Monte Carlo masters is not a grand slam anytime a player beats Nadal on clay that’s a cause for celebration.

However, this is Nadal’s second clay court defeat in 2013, he also lost the final of a minor event in February in Chile to a journeyman.