pro sports.
When I was in grade school, I was teased mercilessly about being gay. I remember going home crying and asking my mother why kids teased me. At the time, I didn’t think I was gay. To this day I’m not convinced I was. Still, for whatever reason other kids in my class turned grades 4-6 into hell.
Never once did a teacher or coach or athletic director step in to stop it. Not once. I even remember my cross-country coach making stupid gay jokes. He didn’t mean anything by it, it was just guys being guys. Still, I distinctly remember a casual run in eighth grade when he and the rest of the team let loose a barrage of those jokes. It affected me deeply.
In our efforts to combat homophobia, we tend to focus mostly on the student’s and athlete’s behavior. But it’s the power structures supervising those individuals who are so important and so overlooked. In sports, the coaches, administrators and front-office executives set the tone for their teams. For all the stardom in the locker room of the New England Patriots, it is Bob Kraft and Bill Belichick who select personnel and set the direction for that franchise. It’s these powerful people whose voices we so rarely hear speak out on behalf of gay athletes. And we need them to.
It’s one of the elements that has drawn me to The Last Closet. To be sure, more fans know the name of Calvin Johnson, and more follow the Twitter account of Rob Gronkowski, than follow the comings and goings of Roger Goodell. Yet it’s Goodell who sets the direction of the NFL. When he decides that risky helmet-to-helmet hits should end in the league, the players either stop doing it or they’ll be on the sidelines.
Unfortunately, none of the commissioners of the five big American sports leagues have decided to end homophobia in their sport. Some of them have offered support for battling homophobia, and that is a welcome step in the right direction…none of them have decided to end it. Sure, they take action when a player utters a gay slur, but the casual words that slip out of athletes’ mouths in the heat of a game are just the tip of the iceberg.
The other runners on my cross-country team would have followed the lead of my coach if he’d stopped the gay jokes. Other students would have taken notice if the athletic director at my high school had taken a stand against homophobia and bullying. It takes a committed leader to change the culture of an entire league. I’m proud to be part of this campaign…we won’t stop pursuing them until these five men take such a stand.
One Response to “CYD’S PERSPECTIVE – why the commissioners”
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Sue Zemel
I couldn’t agree with you more. Coaches and Commissioners, athletic directors, and sports managers need to foster a safe and supportive environment for all their players. No one should have to put up with homophobia and bullying on the field and in the locker room.
Get with it and take a stand for fairness, equality and respect for all your players.