Which Sporting League Will Score First With a Gay Player?

"There's not an American in this country free until every one of us is free."
-- Jackie Robinson

August, 2010 – After an episode of HBO’s True Blood featured a male-on-male vampire sex scene (you know which one), Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Todd Herremans posted the following to his Twitter page. Please note that the character defects, both literally and figuratively, are Herremans.

A few hours later, the tweet was replaced with the following: “After speaking with Eagles management, I realize that my tweet earlier was insensitive and tasteless, and for this, I deeply apologize.”

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October, 2010 – After pressure from New York Yankees management, fans and the media (led in part by by a site you’ve probably never heard of) the Yankee rafter fans known as Bleacher Creatures announced they were ending their homophobic chant "Y. R. U. Gay?" aimed at visiting teams and fans.

This tradition was put to a quick end after the Creatures and Yankees management were alerted to a YouTube video linking the Bleachers chant with superimposed photos of gay teens who had committed suicide. As quoted in the New York Daily News, a core Bleacher offered, “We didn't like the way the Bleacher Creatures were being looked at. That's not us."

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April, 2011. After being charged a technical foul during a game with the San Antonio Spurs, frustrated LA Laker Kobe Bryant punched a chair, threw a towel, and called the foul-issuing ref a “f**king faggot.” Bryant later issued a kinda-sorta apology-esque statement, then, when that wasn’t as well received as he’d hoped, issued a more substantial apology that had many gay and straight fans stifling yawns. Meanwhile, the NBA quickly took action and fined the veteran superstar $100,000. NBA Commissioner David Stern characterized Bryant’s remark as “offensive and inexcusable.”

Yep, anti-gay bigotry is alive and well in the world of professional sports. But we already knew that.

The four major North American sports leagues – the National Football League, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League and Major League Baseball – have always maintained the appearance of being an all boys club. An all straight boys club, that is.

For decades, persistent and unchecked homophobia went hand in hand with homeruns, goals and touchdowns. Because of this, gay and bisexual athletes were expected to stay deep inside locker room sized closets. And, for a long time, the beat went on.

But when it comes to GLBT issues, the world is steadily changing, and it’s finally dragging professional sports along with it.

Ten years ago, it would’ve been difficult to imagine a pro athlete ever offering even a half apology to the gay community for their homophobic buffoonery. Now it’s standard operating procedure.