By Todd Craig and David Smith2013 saw hard-fought progress for LGBT equality on several fronts: in federal law books, in the church pews, and amongst the population as a whole for starters. Yet on the hardwood courts and the grass fields of the sports world where Americans prefer their athletic heroes with equal parts testosterone and John Wayne bravado, the discussion about gay rights and gay acceptance erupted like it never has before.
One of the biggest sports stories of the year, and the one that ushered gay rights to the forefront of the sports world, was the coming out of NBA basketball player Jason Collins. The story, which broke on the May 6 cover of Sports Illustrated, began with the line, “I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay.”
Of course, athletes have been coming out of the closet for years, and coming out on the cover of a magazine hasn’t been unheard of either. Yet, none of those celebrities stood seven feet tall. Nor had they out-muscled the NBA’s best over the course of a twelve-year career on the hardwoods. None of those magazines happened to be Sports Illustrated either.
The story served as flash point for the sports media, athletes, and the country as a whole. Reactions twittered in from athletes all over the sports world. The vast, overwhelming majority proved positive and supporting. Even the story of writing the story became a part of the news cycle. Gone, it seemed, were the Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova days of tearful admissions, lost sponsors, and tabloid stalkers. The sports world, it seemed, had evolved.
Even before Collins had come out, Nike offered a sponsorship to the first openly gay athlete who is currently active, even going a step further by producing and selling products and merchandise to celebrate Pride and the LGBT community. From shirts to rainbow shoes, making a significant statement at LGBT and Non-LGBT events all year.
As the discussion reverberated throughout the sports world, more athletes and more sports became involved. Professional soccer player Robbie Rogers came out of the closet and then came out onto the field to play as an out and proud gay athlete. Orlando Cruz, a professional boxer, announced his orientation to the world before a big fight, even going so far as to pose in a rainbow pride undies at his weigh-in.
Rumors also swirled that the National Football League would also soon have its own openly gay player. Sports Illustrated's lead football writer Peter King used the Jackie Robinson movie 42 as an analogy to the trailblazing place where the sports world was with gay rights. His football website for Sports Illustrated even went as far as to detail two gay former NFL players’ lives, their coming out processes, and feelings about the out players playing in the NFL here.
The gay-player-in-the-NFL story soon faded as regular season storylines and old school fear overwhelmed the momentum. Eventually, as the website Bleacher Report so expertly covered, the story died.
But halfway through the regular season the NFL soon found itself swirling in gay-related controversy again as the Jonathan Martin and Richie Incognito story broke. Martin and Incognito, both offensive linemen for the Miami Dolphins, captured the football world’s attention when Martin abruptly quit the team and gave up on his NFL dream citing Incongnito’s harassment and bullying. Under the glare of the media spotlight, racist and homophobic texts and messages sent from Incognito to Martin surfaced, and the harsh realities of how far the NFL locker room has yet to travel in order to become a place of acceptance became readily apparent. The resulting debate on everything from race to language to the locker room fraternity proved that life for an out football player would be anything but easy.
And as 2013 winds down, the sports world again finds itself having to reconcile itself with gay rights on the biggest of world stages: the Olympics.
While the gay community forged onward winning rights in these United States, Russia took two steps backwards when Russian president Vladimir Putin signed into law legislation essentially prohibiting gay propaganda, a law so broad and so vague that any violations of this law could lead to incarceration and prison as well as force other LGBT people back into the closet. As 2013 continued, Twitter and Facebook news feeds lit up with videos, pictures, blog posts and stories of LGBT people, most notably LGBT youth being bullied, beaten, harassed, raped and sodomized.
The 2013 IAAF Track and Field World Championships were the first major worldwide sporting event held in Russia since these laws were established, and athletes did not hold their silence or criticisms against these laws in place. Often violating the laws themselves they spoke openly and loudly, even going so far as carrying rainbow flags.
As the eyes of the world focused in on Russia, noted gay author and activist Dan Savage was one of many who called for several boycotts of Russia, most notably of Russian vodka and the 2014 Winter Olympic Games due to be held in Sochi, Russia in February 2014. As the Olympic Games are a world-wide sporting event, talk of boycotting such an event and pressuring both the host country and International Olympic Committee to consider gay rights spread quickly.
The IOC refused to get involved as the Olympics have never been a political event, and went so far as to remind athletes that any political statement regardless of the reason at any Olympic event is not acceptable. Many athletes themselves spoke up on both sides of the issue as the controversy continued to build. American skater Johnny Weir labeled activists for the boycott 'idiots', while fellow Olympic skater and former Colorado Springs resident, Jeremy Abbott said if he spoke out on Russia’s policies that it might make him look like an ass.
Finally, at 2013’s end and only months away from the opening ceremonies, the big guns weighed in. President Obama joined many other world leaders and heads of state in publicly announcing that he will not be attending the games. This will be the first Olympic Games in many years that a U.S. President, Vice President, or First Lady will not attend. In his place President Obama has elected several prominent, former Olympic athletes who happen to be gay to serve as the U.S. delegation to Sochi and with the athletes will represent the US on the world stage in Russia. These athletes include Billie Jean King and Brian Boitano who publicly came out shortly after being named by Obama to the delegation.
As the games grow closer, the initial call of people who supported the Olympics boycott has died down as other countries prepare their delegations and find ways to show their support for the LGBT community. Many countries and athletes plan on using the event to remind Putin and the Russians that LGBT athletes can be anyone, from anywhere, and do anything - not unlike Jesse Owens and his medal haul in 1936 Berlin Games as an African America athlete competing in Nazi Germany.
If it is anything like its predecessor, 2014 is going to be a significant year for the LGBT community in sport, with the Sochi Olympics setting the stage, and the 2014 Gay Games following during August in Cleveland, Ohio. The Gay Games represent the largest international multi-sport event outside of the Olympic Games, and is an event where inclusion and participation is celebrated regardless of sexual/gender orientation, race, religion, nationality or even fitness level. Every level of athlete from novice to elite is welcome to participate as 13,000 people from all over the world come together to celebrate LGBT sport.
For LGBT athletes the Gay Games are often one of the few, if not only, outlets where LGBT people can compete and celebrate openly without fear of prosecution. The news from Sochi and Russia all together has heightened the prominence and significance of the Gay Games as athletes who are afraid of prosecution in Russia can come to Cleveland and participate without the fear or stigma of prosecution.
So as 2013 draws to a close, the sports world and gay rights have never been more intertwined. Progress has included its share of false starts as well as amazing leaps forward, but never in history have the momentum for equality and the chance for everyone to compete been so prominent in the sports pages.
And maybe that’s the biggest victory of all.
To be a part of this the Gay Games in 2014, visit www.gg9cle.com for more information and to register. Register before prices go up in January, you can save $30 as well! Use the code dsmit80203 at registration. See you in Cleveland!
