Big Poof

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Gob
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Big Poof

Post by Gob »

US basketball player Jason Collins has come out as gay, the first active male athlete in a major American professional team sport to do so.


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He declared his sexuality in an article for Sports Illustrated, announcing: "I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay."

President Barack Obama, NBA star Kobe Bryant and sportswear company Nike were among those expressing public support.

Former NBA player John Amaechi came out in 2007, but had already retired.

On Monday, Mr Obama, who last year announced his support for gay marriage, called Collins to tell him he was impressed with his courage and offer his support, the White House said.
'Leadership mantle'

Former President Bill Clinton called the move "an important moment for professional sports and in the history of the LGBT community".

His daughter, Chelsea, who knew Collins when they were both students at California's Stanford University, tweeted: "Very proud of my friend Jason Collins for having the strength and courage to be the first openly gay player in the NBA."

NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a statement: "Jason has been a widely respected player and teammate throughout his career and we are proud he has assumed the leadership mantle on this very important issue."

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was among several of Collins's fellow NBA players to offer his support publicly.

"Don't suffocate who u r because of the ignorance of others," Bryant tweeted, followed by the words "courage" and "support".

Sportswear company Nike, which has endorsed Collins, also supported his decision.

"Jason is a Nike athlete," its statement said. "We are a company committed to diversity and inclusion."

The reaction was not entirely welcoming: An analyst for sports broadcaster ESPN, Chris Broussard, said on Monday he did not believe that "you can live an openly homosexual lifestyle" and be a Christian. Collins had written in the article that he took "the teachings of Jesus seriously".

In the Sports Illustrated article, Collins, who has most recently played for the Washington Wizards and the Boston Celtics, said: "I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport.

"But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation. 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."

He added that this month's bombings at the Boston Marathon had reinforced his conclusion that he should talk publicly about his sexuality.

"Things can change in an instant, so why not live truthfully?" Collins wrote.

Collins, who has played 11 seasons in the NBA with six teams and is not currently attached to a team, said he had tried to suppress his feelings through relationships with women.

"When I was younger I dated women. I even got engaged," he said. "I thought I had to live a certain way.

"I thought I needed to marry a woman and raise kids with her. I kept telling myself the sky was red, but I always knew it was blue."

Collins said he decided he should go public after his former roommate at Stanford University, Congressman Joe Kennedy, scion of the Kennedy political dynasty, marched in a Boston gay pride parade.

As basketball player at Stanford, Collins competed in the national collegiate championship tournament, reaching the fourth round. He has also played in two NBA finals. His twin brother, Jarron, is a former NBA player.

Collins explained that in 2012 he changed his uniform number to 98 - a number with significance for the gay community in the US - as a gesture of solidarity.

In 1998, Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, was brutally killed in what has been cited as one of the most notorious anti-gay hate crimes in the US.

Several male athletes have previously come out after retirement, including Amaechi, the NFL's Esera Tuaolo and Major League Baseball's Billy Bean. Collins is the first to do so while active in sport.
Amazing, he's the first?!?!?
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”

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Joe Guy
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Re: Big Poof

Post by Joe Guy »

There goes the 'hood!

Next thing you know they will be wanting to decorate the hoops with glitter and be demanding cuter shoes & tighter shorts!

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Rick
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Location: Arkansas

Re: Big Poof

Post by Rick »

He don't look very happy about it...
Sometimes it seems as though one has to cross the line just to figger out where it is

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Gob
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Re: Big Poof

Post by Gob »

NBA player Jason Collins has said it is "mind-boggling" to be the first active male athlete in a major sport in the US to come out as gay.

In an interview with ABC News, Collins said he hoped other professional athletes would now follow his lead.

On Monday, he declared in Sports Illustrated: "I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay."

The 7ft basketball player has been inundated with messages of support from across the world of sport and politics.

'Years of misery'

On Tuesday, US President Barack Obama said he had spoken with Collins, whom he called "a terrific young man".

"I told him I couldn't be prouder of him," he told reporters at the White House.

Obama said Collins was a role model who "can bang with Shaq and deliver a hard foul"

"Americans should be proud that this is just one more step in the ongoing recognition that we treat everybody fairly and that everybody's part of a family, and we judge people on the basis of their character and their performance and not their sexual orientation," he said.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant and several of Collins's fellow NBA players also offered their backing.

"Don't suffocate who u r because of the ignorance of others," Bryant wrote on Twitter.

Speaking to ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in an exclusive interview on Monday night, Collins revealed: "That's kind of mind-boggling... I never set out to be the first."

"I'm ready to raise my hand but, you know, you still look around like, 'OK, come on guys.'

"It's time for someone else in the room to raise their hand and say: 'You know what? Yeah, so big deal. I can still play basketball. I can still help the team win, and that's what's most important,'" he added.

In the Sports Illustrated article, Collins, who has most recently played for the Washington Wizards and the Boston Celtics, said: "I've endured years of misery and gone to enormous lengths to live a lie. I was certain that my world would fall apart if anyone knew."

Collins has played 11 seasons in the NBA with six teams and is currently a free agent.

He explained that in 2012 he had changed his uniform number to 98 - a number with significance for the gay community in the US - as a gesture of solidarity.

Several male athletes have previously come out after retirement from sport in the US, including the former NBA star John Amaechi, the NFL's Esera Tuaolo and Major League Baseball's Billy Bean.
"I told him I couldn't be prouder of him," he told reporters at the White House.[/quote]

"More proud" surely?
Obama said Collins was a role model who "can bang with Shaq and deliver a hard foul"
Snnnurrrttttt..... fnarrrr....
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”

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Lord Jim
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Re: Big Poof

Post by Lord Jim »

When you said "Big Poof" I was expecting something like this:

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I just assumed you'd misspelled it.... :P
ImageImageImage

rubato
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Joined: Sun May 09, 2010 10:14 pm

Re: Big Poof

Post by rubato »

It's past due and then some, but good for him. Being first takes real courage.

by the way "Billy Bean" is not "Billy Beane" (manager of the As).

yrs,
rubato

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