Former NBA center comes out in book

[brianwspencer]

Originally Posted by turdbucket67

the guy should of came out during the season, took the criticism and then he should of wrote a book talking about it a few years after his playing days... somebody is going to have to be the first one to take the criticism and receive all the negativity.. it happens with everything that is different

how bout the athletes that he played with? dont they have the right to know also? they shower together, the joke around with each other, they grab each others asses, and this whole time he decided to keep it a secret.. TB thinks its wrong to keep a secret like that to yourself when you might be hurting others as well

In response to the first bold section I've made in your post: No.

In response to the second bold section I've made in your post: That's ridiculous. Nobody gets "hurt" by having a closet homosexual in the locker room. The only time someone starts getting "hurt" is when everyone knows that the guy in the locker room is a homosexual....and I'll give you one guess who the person is that gets hurt by that.

[brianwspencer]

Originally Posted by turdbucket67

why come out now then? what good does it do now? well i guess he came out now bc he wrote a book and he's planning on making money off of it

Because they're baby steps. None of these guys feel comfortable enough to come out while they're playing a professional sport (understandable), which serves to perpetuate the myth that only heterosexuals play professional sports. By doing this (coupled with the Seahawks (?) player who did so a few years back), little steps get taken in breaking down societal stereotypes. Sounds like a fine reason to me.

[somerfrost]

Originally Posted by brianwspencer

Because they're baby steps. None of these guys feel comfortable enough to come out while they're playing a professional sport (understandable), which serves to perpetuate the myth that only heterosexuals play professional sports. By doing this (coupled with the Seahawks (?) player who did so a few years back), little steps get taken in breaking down societal stereotypes. Sounds like a fine reason to me.

Well, I can see by both the original post as well as some of the follow-up posts that there is still a long road ahead....sad, not the least bit unexpected but still sad. I would really like to know how the guy keeping his personal life to himself in any way harmed other players??? What, don't tell me you think being gay is contagious?

[ELA]

Originally Posted by brianwspencer

Because they're baby steps. None of these guys feel comfortable enough to come out while they're playing a professional sport (understandable), which serves to perpetuate the myth that only heterosexuals play professional sports. By doing this (coupled with the Seahawks (?) player who did so a few years back), little steps get taken in breaking down societal stereotypes. Sounds like a fine reason to me.

Excellent point(s). There is without question a societal and cultural aspect to this discussion.

Eric

[Cannon Shell]

Who cares if he is gay. Who cares about him at all? A book is always the reason that these stories appear.
When T.O. 's book comes out we will have a story.

[GPK]

is it possible to come OUT of the closet...and then go back in?

A friend of mine who is gay (not that there is anything wrong with that) recently told me that he has found himself checking out women's asses more and more of late.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by T3B

is it possible to come OUT of the closet...and then go back in?

A friend of mine who is gay (not that there is anything wrong with that) recently told me that he has found himself checking out women's asses more and more of late.

This may be the funniest unintentionally funny post I have ever read.

[GPK]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

This may be the funniest unintentionally funny post I have ever read.

Chuck...I almost started laughing hysterically when he told me this. He is a great dude...and you would never know he is gay. I told him that before I really met him, I would have never had guessed he was gay. His response?

"Yeah...I'm very butch"


...and all this time I thought only some lesbians were considered butch.

[SentToStud]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Who cares if he is gay. Who cares about him at all? A book is always the reason that these stories appear.
When T.O. 's book comes out we will have a story.

That's what I think. It's news because his publicity people did a good job. That's all. If retired U.S. Army Generals can go on CNN to share their concerns with the War in Iraq and, of course, sell their new book, I guess it's not surprising Amaechi can get some press too.

[horseofcourse]

Because of the way life is, a gay player on a team sport will never come out while still active. You will always see players who have retired come forward. Even mediocre to poor players make tons of money. They will not jeopardize that. I'm sure there are tons of tennis players and golfers who don't even come out...so team sports...no you won't see it until after retirement and if Amaechi wants to make money selling a book, more power to him. AS others have said, it's not a big deal...this issue.

[ELA]

Professionally, I work with professional athletes. Many I get to know well and am proud to call them friends. Others, I don't get to know well, and in some cases, I really don't want to. Those client relationships usually don't last long, and that is most often my doing.

Anyway, there are many athletes who are gay who don't "come out" for a massive number of reasons -- personal, professional, family, occupational, and others. I don't sit in judgement of any of them and I've found that often, when thinking about the where, when, why, how, etc. they should or should not "come out" is a very circular discussion, and ultimately a circular debate. It's easy for someone on the outside of the situation to have an opinion, perhaps a definitive one. However, I am not so sure that as an outsider to that specific situation, one can truly empathize and stand in that person's shoes so to speak.

Eric