Documentary Explores Closeted Pro Athletes "Alone In The Game"

A new documentary from AT&T Audience Network, Alone in the Game, reveals the constant challenges that LGBT athletes face in the competitive arena of pro sports.

Interviews with former Olympic freeskier Gus Kenworthy, NBA center Jason Collins, MLS Cup champion Robbie Rogers, NFL draftee Michael Sam, NBA commissioner Adam Silver, former ESPN president John Skipper, and triathlete Chris Mosier are among those included in the film.

In a sobering moment that illustrates how deep the fear of coming out in pro sports can be, former NFL lineman Ryan O’Callaghan admits, “I’d always planned on killing myself when I was done with football.”

“I thought I’d rather be dead than an out gay man,” he adds.

Ryan O'Callaghan in "Alone in the Game"

In one scene of the film, a gay Division I football player asked to have his face and voice disguised to explain why he won’t come out of the closet: “I’m not ashamed, just scared."

“If there wasn’t homophobia in sports, and if everyone felt comfortable to be who they were, then everyone who was gay would be out,” says Olympic soccer player Megan Rapinoe.

“We’re giving viewers a rare look into the lives of these elite athletes’ unique journeys and open their eyes to the daily challenges these athletes face on and off the field of play,” says executive producer and creator of Alone in the Game, David McFarland.

“With added attention to this issue, I’m hopeful we can affect real change at the highest levels of American sport and that the next generation of LGBTQ athletes will be judged by their athletic performance, rather than their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

With the retirement of Robbie Rogers from pro soccer and Jason Collins from the NBA, there are currently no out athletes in any of the major professional team sports in the U.S.

Watch the trailer below. Alone in the Game premieres June 28 on AT&T Audience Network.

Skater Adam Rippon Could Be One Of The Few Openly Gay Skaters At 2018 Olympics After Strong Short Program

Adam Rippon

Twenty-eight-year-old figure skater Adam Rippon had an excellent night at the 2018 U.S. National championships last night coming in just a tad behind reigning national champ Nathan Chen.

Rippon, a two-time world junior champ, scored a personal-best of 96.52 points which leaves him within striking distance of Chen who notched a 104.45 in the short program.

Rippon, who came out in 2015, missed out on the 2014 Olympic team due to a flu that kept him from posting his best at the nationals that year.

More bad luck followed as he missed nationals last year due to a broken foot.

But Rippon isn't dwelling on past disappointments.

From The L.A. Times:

“Every disappointment I’ve ever had has made me so much stronger and so much better. I wouldn’t be the person I am now, I wouldn’t appreciate what I’m doing right now as much as I do if I didn’t have those ups and downs of not making the team, of breaking my foot, of feeling like I’ve come up short.”

He was shaky during the six-minute warmup but coaxed himself to relax. “I said, ‘Girl, you tight,’” he recalled. It worked, putting him in position to become one of the few openly gay figure skaters to compete at the Olympics.

He joked that being a gay athlete is “exactly like being a straight athlete, only with better eyebrows,” but he’s serious about being a role model to kids because he never had one.

“I think sharing my story has made me a better competitor because I don’t really care what other people think of me. I’m able to go out there and I’m really able to be unabashedly myself. And I love myself,” he said. “When I’m able to go out there and just really be me, I’m able to put my hard work forward and I want somebody who’s young, who’s struggling, who’s not sure if it’s OK if they are themselves, to know that it’s OK that there are so many people out there who have the same worries. ...If you set your mind to something, you can truly do anything.”

The men's free skate competition is on Saturday.

Watch Rippin's short program below.

Tonight On HBO: "Back On Board - Greg Louganis"

Do not miss “Back on Board: Greg Louganis,” a documentary following the life of openly gay and HIV-positive Olympian Greg Louganis, on HBO tonight at 10PM.

Only 28-years-old when he was first diagnosed with HIV, Louganis was one of the first openly gay men in sports. The documentary chronicles the four-time Olympic gold medalist's life since becoming a household name in the 1980s.

“I didn’t feel welcomed in diving,” Louganis, now 55 years old, says in the trailer. “There was homophobia. Some of my teammates were calling my fag.”

Louganis’s decision to live openly and authentically paved the way for several other gay and lesbian athletes, such as Michael Sam, Jason Collins, Robbie Rogers, Brittney Griner, Orlando Cruz, Megan Rapinoe, Lori Lindsey and Tom Daley.

2014 Bingham Cup begins in Australia

Did someone say "Rugby?"

The Bingham Cup is held every two years, inviting rugby players from all over the world - regardless of their sexual orientation - to come enjoy the sport they love without fear of judgement or discrimination.

Called the "World Cup of Gay Rugby," the event is named after Mark Bingham who died standing up to terrorists on Flight 93 on September 11, 2001. Bingham was a sports enthusiast who played rugby for the San Francisco Fog.

Thirty rugby teams from 15 countries will take part in this year's event, which runs through August 31.

Brad Thorson - San Francisco Fog Centre

Chris Buckmaster - Kings Cross Steelers Captain

Michael Sam signs four-year contract with St. Louis Rams

This past Thursday, Michael Sam made history again as he signed a four-year contract with the St. Louis Rams reportedly worth $2.65 million.

Built into the contract is a $46,000 guarantee.

All 11 members selected by the Rams during the 2014 Draft made the final cut.

In celebration, Sam tweeted this photo of his rookie teammates with the caption, "Grateful, humbled, and motivated after officially signing with all my Rams rookie brothers."

Grateful, humbled, and motivated after officially signing with all my Rams rookie brothers. Let's do this!! #RamUp pic.twitter.com/quFCf01tJw
— Michael Sam (@MichaelSamNFL) June 12, 2014

Brooklyn Nets tie franchise record with 13 straight home wins

Openly gay Brooklyn Nets' Jason Collins

For a team that started 10-21, things have really turned around for the Brooklyn Nets, who could find themselves in the playoffs this season.

Hmmm, now what's changed lately with the Brooklyn Nets.  Let me think now...

Former NFL star Deion Sanders: There were gays on every NFL team I played on

Deion Sanders sat down with Arsenio Hall to talk about out football player Michael Sam.  Sanders mentions that every NFL team he played on had gay players.

Unfortunately, he drops alcoholism and drug use in the same sentence as gays which doesn't sit well with me. But I think he's trying to send a positive message somewhere in all this:

"I don't nor do I condemn, but I've had a friend, family members... Everyone out there, you've had someone of homosexuality in your family — and someone whose on drugs and alcohol. How can I judge them? It's up to me to give him love, to give him support, to just be there for him. So I don't condone nor I condemn. But I'm gonna love him.

"Everybody in the NFL is always talking about football as a family but when you have the opportunity to really extend and show them that you're a family member, this is the opportunity. He's not the first gay guy in the NFL! He's the first one to come out, let's get that straight. Every team I've played on, there was someone...we always knew. But he was cool. That was our boy. We had to look out for him.

"Every team I've played on - five different teams - there was someone gay in the locker room."

Out NBA-er Jason Collins signed by Brooklyn Nets

From Yahoo Sports:

Jason Collins has reached agreement on a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets, clearing the way for the first openly gay athlete in major professional sports history, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Collins will be signed and available to play on Sunday when the Nets meet the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center, sources told Yahoo.

Collins, 35, has been out of the NBA since completing the 2012-'13 season with the Washington Wizards.

Collins played parts of seven years with the Nets between 2001-08, and his ex-teammate, Jason Kidd, now the Nets coach, has been advocate of signing him.

Hudson Taylor, Executive Director of Athlete Ally issued a statement via press release: "I have seen first hand how committed the NBA is to ensuring that every team is welcoming and inclusive. It's invested in this effort and it's invested in Jason. I could not be happier for the NBA family today. Congratulations!"



(h/t JMG)

This Week with George Stephanopoulos addresses gay athletes in the NFL

On This Week, George Stephanopoulos spoke with Outsports.com co-founder Cyd Zeigler, NFL punter Chris Kluwe, and Sports Illustrated's Pete Thamel about the question of the NFL's readiness for an openly gay player and what Michael Sam will face in the coming weeks.

New York Giants Terrell Thomas: America is ready for gay player; NFL is not

In an interview with ESPN, New York Giants corner back Terrell Thomas said that he was "unsure" about the prospects of an openly gay player in the NFL:

"I think society is ready for it and America's ready for it, but I don't think the NFL is," Thomas said. "As a player, all you want to know is if he can play. That's on the field. But in the locker room, it's different. There's a lot of talk and joking around, and some guys walk around completely naked all the time, and they might not want to do that anymore. When you add that situation to the mix, I think it's going to make some people uncomfortable."

Thomas told ESPN that because of his "personal views as a Christian," he was uncertain about how he felt on the issue personally.

When asked why an NFL locker room environment might find it difficult to cope with an openly gay player when the University of Missouri team accepted Michael Sam, Thomas said it was "different":

"I just think it's different when you put him in an NFL locker room with a bunch of grown men, the way we are around each other, and with people who don't already know him.

"Their locker room accepted him, but at the same time, their locker room knew him before he came out. If he would have said it after his second year in the league, things might be different. But to come in as a rookie who nobody knows and have this be the big story, that could make it tough for some people to handle.

Jonathan Vilma of the New Orleans Saints talks to Anderson 360 about coming out of college footbal star Michael Sam

Ok, I'll give Jonathan Vilma this - he stepped up to this interview, answered the questions, and apologized for his inartful wording of a few weeks ago when he said he wouldn't know what to do should he find himself showering with an openly gay player.

Last month, the New Orleans linebacker said of a hypothetical openly gay NFL player:

"I think he would not be accepted as much as we think he would be accepted. I don't want people to just naturally assume, oh, we're all homophobic. That's really not the case. Imagine if he's the guy next to me, and you know, I get dressed, naked, taking a shower, the whole nine, and it just so happens he looks at me, how am I supposed to respond?"

All this from the man who once tweeted: "Grown men should NOT have female tendencies. Period."

Today, Vilma sees things in a different light.  Today Vilma says, "As long as he can play football, I'm A-OK with it," he said "It doesn't bother me at all."

All that aside, perhaps tonight Vilma sees the writing on the wall.  Maybe he sees that Michael Sam, named Defensive Player of the Year in the SEC, voted "most valuable player" by his teammates, who helped lead his team to 12-2 and the Cotton Bowl title, can be a productive player in the NFL.

As the saying goes - "If you can play, you can play."

As always, great to see NFL kicker Chris Kluwe add the voice of reason and reality to the discussion. He's been there, he's seen what happens in the locker room on this subject and he's still "in it" as an ally for the LGBT community.

I'm hoping to see him back on the field next season doing what he does well in the NFL.

Quote of the day: Frank Bruni on gays in the locker room

Frank Bruni, writing an op-ed for the New York Times today, calls out the truth about gays in the locker room:

A news flash for every straight man out there: You’ve been naked in front of a gay man.

In fact you’ve been naked, over the course of your life, in front of many gay men, at least if you have more than a few years on you. And here you are — uninjured, uncorrupted, intact. The earth still spins. The sun rises and sets.

Maybe it was in gym class, long ago. Maybe at the health club more recently. Or maybe when you played sports at the high school level, the college level, later on. Whether we gay guys are one in 10 or one in 25, it’s a matter of chance: At some point, one of us was within eyeshot when you stripped down.

And you know what? He probably wasn’t checking you out. He certainly wasn’t beaming special gay-conversion gamma rays at you. That’s why you weren’t aware of his presence and didn’t immediately go out and buy a more expensive moisturizer and a disc of Judy Garland’s greatest hits. His purpose mirrored yours. He was changing clothes and showering. It’s a locker room, for heaven’s sake. Not last call at the Rawhide.

Addressing the coming out of University of Missouri All-American football player Michael Sam, Bruni goes on to dissect possible anxiety over having the "distraction" of an openly gay player in the NFL.

Responding to one anonymous NFL assistant coach who claimed "There’s nothing more sensitive than the heartbeat of the locker room," Bruni wonders aloud - "When did the locker room become such a delicate ecosystem? Is it inhabited by athletes or orchids?"

Go read the full essay by Bruni at NYTimes.com

Billie Jean King will not be attending Sochi Olympics due to family health emergency

Billie Jean King, one of three openly gay athletes invited as the US delegation to the Sochi Olympics, will not be attending the Opening Ceremonies due to her mother's health, the AP reports.

Said King in a statement: "It is important for me to be with my mother and my brother at this difficult time. I want to thank President Obama for including me in this historic mission and I look forward to supporting our athletes as they compete in Sochi."

It's unclear if King will be able to attend the Olympics at all.

Conner Mertens becomes the first active college football player to come out

Conner Mertens

College football player Conner Mertens, of the Willamette University football team, last night came out to the world in a letter he posted to his Twitter account.

The letter was directed to his small hometown of Kennewick, Washington.

"You are not alone. You do not need to come out but you do need to know that you do not have to go at this by yourself. The aloneness you're feeling is temporary and it will get better. This place is changing...changing for the better. I made the decision that if I could prevent one person from feeling that self-hatred, loneliness, desperation and a thousand other emotions that I felt, I would. I will be damned if I let anyone tell you that you are wrong or weird or not normal.

"Love yourself and allow others to love you. Be who you are and know you're not alone."

Before the tweet, Conner shared the letter with his team in a meeting last night.

The letter was printed and placed on desks facing down.  At the same time, the players all turned the page and read in silence.

The response?  From OutSports:

One by one the players shared what was on their minds. At one point, one of the bigger guys on the team had something to say. This was one of the players of whose reaction Mertens was most afraid. He has a reputation of seeking out fights, eager for fisticuffs, Mertens said. He laid it all on the line in front of the team.

"If anyone has a problem with Conner," he said, "I'll kick your ass."

Every one of the team members who spoke shared the same sentiment. Mertens is a member of the team, he has a bright future on the gridiron, and it just doesn't matter if he has a boyfriend or a girlfriend.

"It's been insanely incredible," Mertens said a couple hours after the meeting last night. Text messages and phone calls poured in from the team, all offering their love and support. "I'm speechless. That is the only word I can use to describe this. Even a lot of the guys on the football team I was most scared of are the ones who have been the most amazing."

One team mate asked Mertens to meet him on campus. When he arrived, the player gave Mertens a big hug.

You can see Conner's tweet, letter and the responses below.

And you can read Cyd Zeigler's excellent article chronicling Conner's journey to today at OutSports. I really urge you to head over and read the entire piece. It will give you a lift in terms of how great the next generation will be.

Congratulations Conner on a heartfelt and honest coming out, and for having great taste in friends and team mates.

I don't ask for a lot of favors-but I'm cashing one in right now. Please take a minute to read this for me. pic.twitter.com/571c5v9NeO
— Merts (@ConnerMertens) January 28, 2014

(source)

Openly gay pro-boxer Orlando Cruz in WBO featherweight title tonight

Orlando "Fenomeno" Cruz, the first openly gay pro boxer, has a shot at the WBO featherweight title Saturday in Las Vegas.

Orlando Cruz, who clearly pulls no punchs, made a statement as he weighed in for the bout wearing rainbow briefs and will wear rainbow trunks during the fight. Speaking to the Guardian about tonight's featherweight world title match, Cruz had this to say:

Cruz understands how this fight will smudge the boundaries between the personal and professional. He even implies that Salido, as a Mexican, might be troubled by facing a gay fighter.

"My coming out made it harder for him. He will have it in his mind that he's fighting a homosexual for the world title." Is he suggesting Salido might be homophobic? "He's professional with me but Mexicans often have something homophobic in them. It's the machismo culture. He won't want to lose to a gay man.

"Salido will be much more aggressive. He will want to make a statement because I'm gay. But he'll fall into the trap by being macho. I'll let him come at me, and I'll show him then. The only language I will use is spoken by my fists. They will do my talking."

Derek Schell becomes first openly gay NCAA Division II basketball player

Derek Schell

Talk about a world-class essay on coming out and owning your life.

On the eve of National Coming Out Day, (this Friday) 22-year-old Derek Schell has become the first openly gay NCAA Division II basketball player.

He published a moving essay today on OutSports.com about his coming out experience and the internal struggles he faced as a gay athlete at a conservative college:

“The beginning of my sophomore year of college, the only way I felt comfortably being myself was online,” Schell says. “I met the person that I care for most in this world, my boyfriend Kevin. We have been together for two years. I began to realize that my life was my own. There was no more time for living in the hopes of pleasing others and living up to any one person’s or any societal expectation.”

[snip]

Sometimes the darkest times in life are only doorways to the best moments of your life, the ones you were meant to experience and live to see. I wanted to do this so that the generations to follow have an example; so that the younger LGBT youth who live afraid of who they are becoming can know they have nothing to fear and they are perfect the way they are. My challenge to you, whoever is reading this, is to be honest with yourself and how you’re feeling. God doesn’t make mistakes. Don’t keep saying you’re fine. You can be who you are and still be an athlete. You can do all the things you want to do and live a beautiful life that you’ve imagined for yourself. Find your peace of mind knowing you are giving your best self to the world. Be brave. Be love. But most of all, be you.     

All I've got is: Congratulations Derek for being you, loving yourself and finding your inner passions for sport, life and who you are.

Your essay will do a LOT for untold young people out there who feel exactly as you did.

Hero.

Forward.

Openly gay pro bowler Scott Norton nominated for ESPY Award

Professional Bowler Scott Norton has become the first openly gay male to be nominated for ESPN's Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly (ESPY) Award. Norton, who came out publicly in 2011, has been nominated for the Best Bowler ESPY.

From Outsports:

"After such a monumental week for LGBT rights, what an incredible feeling to be a part of something to take us a step even further towards equality," Norton told Outsports. "I am so excited to be the first of what I hope will be a long line of world-class openly gay male athletes nominated for this prestigious award."

Norton kissed his partner, Craig Woodward, after a tournament earlier this year, believed to be the first celebratory "gay kiss" ESPN has ever aired.

While no gay man has ever been nominated for an ESPY either before or after coming out publicly, several out lesbians have been nominated for ESPY Awards in the past. This year, Brittney Griner has been nominated for Best Female Athlete and for Best Female College Athlete.

If you would like to help Norton and Griner win their respective ESPYs, you can vote HERE. 

(via Towleroad)

Brendon Ayanbadejo on Anderson Cooper 360

NFL and Super Bowl champion Brendon Ayanbadejo appeared on Anderson Cooper 360 to discuss overcoming barriers and accepting gay athletes.

Pennsylvania's Brian Sims talks "out athletes" based on his own experience

Openly gay Pennsylvania state legislator Brian Sims recently spoke to ESPN about 49ers Chris Culliver's pre-Super Bowl homophobic comments.

Brian Sims, the only college football captain to ever come out, said he was happy there was so much backlash against Culliver's remarks during Super Bowl media day.

"Everyone should be allowed to speak their mind, but in this case, it was wholly ignorant and wholly stupid," said Sims, who recently was elected as the State Representative for the 182nd District of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. "This is not acceptable in the workplace and shouldn't be acceptable in sports."

Excerpt from Brian's interview with ESPN:

What was your first reaction to the Culliver quotes?

"I had two reactions. The first was to laugh. I remember that Charles Barkley had this great line where he said any time someone talks about not wanting a gay teammate hasn't been looking. There are gay guys in every locker room. That's the idiocy of what Culliver said. I also thought it wasn't fair to his teammates to imply that what he was thinking was the norm. That has not been my experience."

The story goes that you came out to your college football team. Is that true?

The truth is I was gay my whole life. I had dated girls in high school. I think I knew I wasn't straight long before I knew I was gay. I knew by the time I got to college that I was gay. My team actually came to me to ask me whether I was gay. They wanted to talk about it. They asked me about the struggle and when I was going to tell people. I didn't go through the same struggles as people today. Today, you have 14-15-16 year olds so confident and secure in their sexuality. I was not. I wasn't a gay 17-year-old ready to come out to the world. When I got to college, I realized I was gay. I just didn't know how to go about it. My college didn't have a LGBT group to give me the language to come out. It was my quarterback who asked me first."

Do you hope for the day when the topic of sexuality isn't discussed?

"I do hope there is a time when you don't have to discuss it but still wants to discuss it. I live in a neighborhood in Philadelphia called 'Gayborhood.' It's next to Chinatown and the Italian area of town. I don't want to speak on behalf of all Italians but they've been discriminated before but they still love their culture, heritage and solidarity. I want us to reach a time when race and sexuality isn't a negative factor. Sports teams need some bad ass gay men and women's teams need lesbians to come out. It's going to be a good thing."

Read the full interview at ESPN.

ESPN airs openly gay Pro Bowler Scott Horon's celebration kiss with husband after winning PBA Championship

On Sunday ESPN aired the Pro Bowling Association finals in the World Series Of Bowling where the sports network may have made some history. Jim Buzinski writes at OutSports:

In what might be a first, ESPN this weekend showed an openly gay male pro athlete kissing his husband and they did not shy away from describing the relationship. The event was the 2012 PBA Chameleon Championship in Las Vegas, held in November, but shown on TV this Sunday.

Scott Norton won the event over Jason Belmonte and afterward broke down and cried in memory of a friend who had died. He was then shown kissing his husband, Craig Woodward, as they exchanged affectionate words (video below). During the telecast, ESPN’s announcers referred to Woodward as Norton’s husband or spouse.