Ian Benson
News Editor
In a historic moment for American sports, NBA center and free agent Jason Collins announced that his homosexuality on Monday. Collins is the first active openly gay male athlete in any of the four major American leagues. He made the announcement in a column for an upcoming issue of Sports Illustrated that was published online.
“I didn’t set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport,” Collins wrote. “But since I am, I’m happy to start the conversation.”
Collins embraced being the first out athlete in the Big Four, but he lamented that it’s taken this long. “I wish I wasn’t the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, ‘I’m different.’ If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I’m raising my hand,” Collins said.
Collins credited his roommate at Stanford, Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-MA), for inspiring him to come out. Kennedy told Collins about marching in the Boston’s 2012 Gay Pride parade, and Collins expressed jealously for not being able to openly join him. They plan on marching together this June.
“The most you can do is stand up for what you believe in. I’m much happier since coming out to my friends and family. Being genuine and honest makes me happy,” Collins wrote.
The announcement came as support for homosexuality within the sports community has grown. A few weeks ago, the NHL announced plans to create a new program to teach tolerance and provide support for gay athletes. The New York Times has also reported that NFL player Brendon Ayanbadejo has been in contact with closeted athletes in multiple sports.
Reaction to Collins’ coming out has been met with overwhelming support. In addition to the President and First Lady calling him on the phone, current NBA players Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Love, Steve Nash and numerous others all took to Twitter to show their support for Collins.
Though most reactions were positive, not everyone agreed with Collins’ announcement. Current ESPN basketball analyst Chris Broussard called homosexuality a sin and current NFL wide receiver Mike Wallace tweeted “All these beautiful women in the world and guys wanna mess with other guys SMH.” Free agent cornerback Alphonso Smith also tweeted an opposing viewpoint.
A classmate of Collins tried to persuade him to come out after Collins was traded from Boston to Washington earlier this year, but he decided to wait until the season ended.
Collins explained that his jersey number with the Celtics and Wizards, 98, was a small gesture of solidarity. In 1998, Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, was brutally murdered. Also in 1998, the Trevor Project, which provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention to kids struggling with their sexuality, was founded.
Collins has played with six NBA teams — the Wizards, Celtics, Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies and New Jersey Nets — in 12 seasons. He has averaged 3.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 713 career games.
Collins is currently a free agent, and due to his declining skill and age, he might not be on a team at the start of the season. He is likely to end up a third center for either a playoff team or a team in search of a veteran presence.