A profile of gay athletes you've probably never have heard of. That is, until now.
How many current professional athletes are gay? An intriguing question, which for many reasons we'll probably never find answers.…
"A sinister cabal of superior writers."
Article comments
126 - Jet in Columbus
Thank you Chantal...
127 - Jet in Columbus
I was going to do an article on the 2006 Chicago Gay Olympic Games, but three things acted in concert to sabotage the event, though it was the most successful so far, and despite Chicago welcoming them with opened arms...
1. the heat
2, The event was so large it was spread far and wide all over the city.
3. A lot of international athletes sensed the hatred towards gays coming out of the far right with all the campaignes against gay marriage (it's legal in Canada) and instead decided to compete in Canada's Out Games because the environment for them was more welcoming.
Personal #3 disgusts me.
128 - Jet in Columbus
Stay tuned for the sequel: How many professional athletes are republican!
129 - Jet in Columbus
Attention: I'd like everyone to investigate the right side menu. That button marked BC Forums....
130 - Stewart M
I was really disappointed by the politcal crap that split the Gay Games into the OutGames and Gay Games. It's pretty ridiculous. As a university level athlete, I got asked several times why people would bother with a Gay Games type event - for me it's just as simple as the ability to meet other gay men interested in sports, because quite frankly they are damn hard to find.
131 - Jet in Columbus
Stewart, thanks for taking the time to comment and I agree completely. The Gay-Games political problems were national, not internal. Canada was more welcoming in the face of the national environment and political elections when everyone seems to become temporarily a born-again christian here until after the elections.
I've been planning a sequel to this article for some time now but the sports dept. here isn't exactly friendly, so I've shelved it... again
Recently I was invited to be interviewed by the BBC about this article, but unfortunately they asked me the day of the interview and I was due at a doctor's appointment that I couldn't get out of.
Stay tuned. For bigger pictures than what are presented here, try my home page, just click on my URL above.
Thanks again...
Jet
132 - Christopher Rose
Jet, don't let a bunch of Yankee jocks put you off writing anything you want to.
The BC Magazine editor's role is to edit and publish only, nobody cares what they think of what anybody chooses to write about.
133 - Jet in Columbus
Thank you Mr. Rose.
I'll take that into consideration
Jet
134 - Christopher Rose
You might also want to take into consideration that to many non-US folk, all the major sports there are a bit gay anyway.
I've said this before of course but your "American" football is a weak variety of Rugby League (itself a poor cousin of Rugby Union), played by a bunch of sissies wearing shoulder pads rescued from "Dynasty"; basketball is a version of a girls game called Netball and baseball is derived from another girl's game called Rounders!
LOL!!
135 - Jet in Columbus
Why do I suddenly have a feeling of impending doom?
136 - Jet in Columbus
Is anyone else having trouble with the way the baseball card of Glenn Burke is displaying above?
137 - Christopher Rose
Not me.
138 - S.T.M
"A weak version of rugby league .... played by a bunch of sissies wearing shoulder pads."
Lol! But they do look fetching don't they Chris ... almost as nice as the nancy boys in sleeveless tops who play that other abomination that carries the tag of football, Australian Rules Football (only played I might add by the philistines in the heathen southern and western states of Oz).
My answer to the rabid but often-defensive supporters of both American Football and Australian Football is this: If they're so fucking good, how come no one else has caught on yet these past 100 years or so?
Even rugby league has struggled to get a world following, and it IS a good game. Just nowhere near as good as real Rugby ... which is the only oval-ball game worth watching.
139 - Jet in Columbus
Obviously neither of you have been to an Ohio State Game?
140 - S.T.M
None of this frivolity should detract however from the fact that Ian Roberts (who Jet loves), the Australian gay rugby league star, was universally regarded by his peers in what is anyway a really, really tough game as the toughest bastard to lace on a pair of footy boots in the modern era of Rugby League.
No one without a death wish was ever game to make comments about his sexuality on the field, and one guy who did ended up in hospital and didn't play again for six months while the bones healed (all of 'em) ...
One really fearsome mutha.
141 - S.T.M
"Obviously neither of you have been to an Ohio State Game?"
Nah, I watch a bit of NFL on TV and I've tried to work out all the subtle nuances. Then I realised: there aren't any!
As a former Rugby League player, however, I do appreciate the fitness these guys require to play the sport. I just wish they'd switch to proper rugby ... actually, no, on second thoughts - I'd like Australia to be the first nation to win three Rugby World Cups (sorry Chris!), and we don't need big Americans running around ruining it. The Poms, Irish, Welsh, Kiwis, French and South Africans are doing a good enough job of that.
142 - Jet in Columbus
STM take one look at the photo, and you'll understand why I like him. Thank God he didn't use his beaded purse on the bitch or some real damage could have been done!
Thanks for contributing.
Even today, I'm finding websites that are ripping off paragraphs or this whole article!
makes me kinda proud so many are interested.
143 - CJ
You're an idiot to think that all athletic adolesent boys think of other kids who don't play sports as "fags or sissies". Some kids are fags and sissies - don't project you're youth on the youth of america.
144 - Jet
I'd say you're laughable if I didn't think you were serious, which you apparently are. Have you experienced this personally?
somehow I doubt it.
145 - Jet
Out of curiousity CJ did you read the whole article of just the first couple of paragraphs before you rushed to post you ridiculous comment?
146 - chad
If I had to guess at a gay professinal athlete then all my money would be on Cristiano Ronaldo, the pro soccer guy
147 - Jet
While I'd agree that Cristiano Ronaldo is a hunk and a BABE, exactly what are you basing your assessment?
148 - Jet
He was brought to my attention while I was doing a follow up to this article.
There seems to be a lot of speculation (especially on U-Tube), but until he actually comes out, I respect his decision not to. I've actually found as many photos of him and girlfriends as he is in "gay" poses.
He's an athlete, so he's built like a brick shit house, which causes more fantasy speculation than actual fact.
149 - Douglas Mays
Oh geez, but an interesting statistic to follow. Overall, I would imagine the number is the same as the general population. But, I'm sure there is some variance from sport to sport.
Say, in the NFL or NBA or ML, those sports have well over the 12% average of the USA population of blacks. Which poses the question: What is the gay average of various sports? Is gymnastics or equestrian more gay than greco-roman wrestling?
Back in the early '70s one of my football coaches, Jim Norton (University of Washington-All American, Washington Redskins--under Vince Lombardi) talked about that very subject (he was my English or other literary subjects teacher). I remember him talking about the hidden life the gay player had to maintain, although all the team players knew they were gay. But overall, they did exist. Pretty much as many as in the general population.
As far as the question of racial and cultural discourse, 'what could be worse than being black AND gay?' 'Canaaadian' said Scott Thompson of the Kids In the Hall comedy troop.
Overall about this gay thing in general, since homosexuality is about SEX, shouldn't we catagorize sexual orientations to a much more scrutinizing degree? For men, if you are not attracted to blonds with big boobs, wouldn't you be considered not much of a man? If you don't like oral sex from women, doesn't that make you less of a man?
Get the picture? Then, how about if you had a girlfriend who was so sleazy that you could only have anal sex with her because it didn't smell as bad? What sexual orientation catagory does that put one in?
Sexual orientation? Geez... the only sexual orientation that deserves scrutiny is if (no matter who you are having sex with) is a preference to rape, violence, oppression, etc. Gee, I'm attracted to brunettes with champaign glass sized breasts. Should I go thru massive social predjudical attack? Don't real men screw big boobed blondes only?
It is amazing how many heterosexuals are on the Olympic Interior Decorating team....
DM
150 - Douglas Mays
Chris Rose #134, I'll use this thread to put to rest that age old question of Rugby vs. US Football, since you brought it up.
Rugby is tougher because they don't wear pads... What an idiotic analysis. US Football is by far the toughest team sport there is (except for international war in theaters of rough terrian).
If you played US Football with NO PADS, there would be death and severe injuries pretty much every play of the game. Take the worlds top Rugby player and put him in an NFL combine? It would sure be an experience. Especially if you put him on the front line (offense or defense). In USA Football, every play is way more intense than the most violent barroom brawl...
They are two different sports. Oh god, I'll just keep quiet about all that because the validity of the question comes down to male hormonal posturing and cro-mag mentality...
DM
151 - Jet
Doug, thanks for your thoughts and contribution to the discussion. I would take issue with one of your statements though,
Homosexuality is not all about sex.
If you had five blue-eyed blonds in a room and one brown-eyed blond in the room, would you catagorize the reason for any difference on his eye color.
Sexual preference is the only difference between hetro and homosexuals. Just because it's the only difference doesn't make it the dominant personality trait, just as would be that brown eyes preferring beef steak over chicken breasts because of his eye color?
152 - Jet
Then again; what do I know Doug?
153 - Douglas Mays
Jet (#151), well yes, true... It is not all about sex in an in depth analysis of the psychology of the subject.
I was just mouthing off a bit for sake of debate and surface example....
Anyway, good article....
best,
DM
154 - Jet
That was nice of you to say Doug, I'm still getting requests to reproduce it on this or that website.
155 - Douglas Mays
Of course, in US football, the center might have some worries if the quarteback was gay...LOL
156 - Jet
Doug... I uh... you really... oh never mind. :)
157 - Douglas Mays
Sorry Jet. I just could not resist a punch line like that...
Well, at least you got the joke. The center wondering "why such a long count?"...
158 - Jet
I dated a quarterback from a pro team once Doug, that might explain my reaction.