The Jason Collins Story

This week history was made.  A current professional NBA player admitted that he was gay.  Some may not see it as a big deal; others may even be against it.  Regardless of the difference in opinions, Jason Collins became the first active player in a major American sport to declare that he was gay.

In a sports world where men are required to play the dominant masculine role, people are definitely going to judge Collins, just as they would a female basketball or softball player.  That is why many female athletes wear nail polish, dress up whenever they are off the court or field, have long hair, or wear make-up.  Do I agree that they should judge him?  Absolutely not.  In a world that is ever-evolving, we must accept people for who they are and not judge.  Yes, of course we are all going to have different opinions and not agree on any specific topic, but what Jason Collins did was courageous.  No one current male athlete has had the guts to do what he has just done.

For 34 years Collins had to basically live a lie.  He has had to live with the guilt eating away at him every day because he was afraid to tell anyone, even his closest friends and family, the truth about his sexuality.  The interesting fact is that all of Collins relationships were with females.  He was even engaged to be married to a female basketball player.  The relationship ended suddenly after approximately ten years.  Collins hid the truth from her, too.  She never knew the real reason behind the break-up until just the other day when Collins came out. 

Collins, who has a twin brother Jarrod, graduated from Stanford University.  It is a rare thing that twin brothers would be drafted in the same year, let alone in the top three rounds of the NBA draft.  Interesting fact is that Collins' uncle is the owner of the Harlem Magic Masters.  My father is actually very close friends with his uncle.  He had the opportunity to speak with the uncle, Jack, about it after the story broke, and he was more than accepting about the situation. 

Many of you reading this may ask, what does this have to do with the Yankees?  It turns out to be the biggest sports story of the week, the month, or maybe even the year.  Yankees manager Joe Girardi said it perfectly: "I believe as men and women, we're called to love others [regardless of] their race, their religion, their thought process, whatever they do."

In a world where there can be so much hate, it is finally nice for people to accept others for who they are.  Of course there is always going to be public backlash, as there has been with the Jason Collins story already.  We all have the right to have our own opinions, but when it is all said and done, it is easy to say that our nation is ever-evolving.  Years ago this would have never have happened.