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If you can play, it doesn't matter if you're gay
By Eric Lansing
lansing@mscd.edu

Is there room for homosexuals in the world of sports?

Hearing about former NBA basketball player John Amaechi coming out of the closet a few weeks ago and then about Tim Hardaway’s remarks towards gay men in professional basketball got me thinking on the issue of sexual preferences in sports.

When we think of male sports, we think of the physicality and strength it takes to play football, baseball, hockey or basketball. The stereotype of male athletes is that they are egocentric, meatheaded gym rats and are very promiscuous, without a second’s thought before spreading the word about their sexual adventures to their buddies.

It’s no wonder Amaechi held his tongue during his basketball career, fearing rejection by not only his teammates but also by the organizations that signed his paychecks. This is by no means the way the NBA or any other organization should treat any employee, whether they are gay, straight, black, white, woman or man.

Amaechi played for numerous teams in his eight-year NBA career, and according to his ESPN interview on Outside the Lines, many teammates had an inkling that he was “playing for the other team.” But the 6-foot-10-inch, 270-pound center kept his sexual orientation to himself until February 2007, four years after his career ended.

So the question still hangs in the balance: Can sports and homosexuality coexist in the same locker room?

According to former NBA guard Tim Hardaway, the answer is no. In fact, players like Hardaway seem to be the reason why gay athletes never dare speak of their sexual orientation.

Hardaway was asked how he would deal with a gay teammate and responded by saying, “I hate gay people,” and, “It shouldn’t be in the world or in the United States.”

It is one thing to either disagree or to dislike someone else’s choices, but to hate someone over those choices is ignorant, immature and heinous.

Maybe Tim Hardaway doesn’t remember that it wasn’t too long ago that African-Americans were seen as the inferior race and had to use different bathrooms from the superior Caucasians.

It isn’t fair that heterosexuality is the sexual preference accepted in today’s society and homosexuals have to be hush-hush in order to keep their jobs and be looked upon as normal. But huge strides have been made by gays, and they should continue to fight for their rights just as women and African Americans have.

Although I do not agree with persecuting others for sexual preferences, religious affiliations, political agendas or even loyalty to a sports team, I do believe that in a work environment, some things should be kept to yourself. I am not saying you should not be proud of being homosexual, a Democrat, or a Broncos fan. What I am saying is anytime you become a part of a team, whether that be in sports, retail or construction, everyone is different, and we are not required to agree with one another’s beliefs. But we are required to do our part to complete an overall task and to reach common goals.

It shouldn’t matter on the court that Hardaway doesn’t like homosexuals. His job was to win basketball games and collect paychecks. It shouldn’t matter on the court that Amaechi was gay, because his job was the same as Hardaway’s. The controversy is only coming out now after both athletes are retired and can no longer contribute on the court. Maybe they both knew if they would have thrown their two cents on the table during their careers, both would have been without a job.

There is no clear-cut solution to this problem unless corporations decide to keep their employees from speaking to one another on personal matters and keeping it to work-only topics. But then we become drones, and work becomes an even more intolerable place to be.

It is sad that we live in a world so close-minded and fearful of what is different. But we do live in that world, and we need to be respectful of others, which includes tolerating their intolerable ignorance.