Topic of Gay Athletes Receiving Unnecessary Attention

Michael Sam and Jason Collins are two African-American athletes who are both trying to make it at the professional level. But there is just one thing that sets these two gentlemen apart from the rest of the field and that, as I'm sure you know by now, is that they are both gay. There. That's all you need to know...right? Well sadly news stations, specifically ESPN, believe it necessary to litter the headlines with a breakdown of every second of Sam and Collins' lives. Why? I understand that these two men are displaying immense amounts of courage by bringing their difference in lifestyle to the public eye, but why do we insist on alienating them even further by continually placing their names in the news and drawing attention to them?

Sam revealed he was gay after the college football season

Now I have a view on homosexuality but I refuse to express that in this post. This is not the place to discuss something like that and if you feel led to comment on this post I encourage you to be mindful of those who may have differing opinions. With that in mind, I fail to see how the announcements Sam and Collins have made warrant this kind of attention. Is it big news? Absolutely. Could it cause discomfort to the athletic world? Most definitely, but if we know that these two men will be viewed differently as it is, why do we continue to force their name into the news? Everyone on this earth, whether they're black, white, short, tall, rich, or poor is a human being and should be treated as such. Just because Michael Sam and Jason Collins are gay does not mean that we need to be acting like they're both charity cases that deserve special attention. They lace up their shoes and put their jersey on the same way heterosexual players do. There is no need for this kind of attention, let them worry about themselves and let them go and play the sport they love without all the extra attention. I'm sure that Sam and Collins don't want to have to deal with the constant interviews anyways.

Collins has played for multiple NBA teams

Another thing that bothers me is people seem to have changed their opinions on these two athletes just because of their sexual preference. I think that says a lot about society today and the same thing happened when basketball stand out Britney Griner revealed that she is lesbian last year. All of the sudden it was no longer about praising her success on the court, it became about her sexuality and whether or not WNBA teams would welcome her. Seriously? These athletes enjoyed stretches of success before people knew that they were gay. Now all of the sudden their entire careers are viewed differently because of their sexuality. Whether a player is homosexual or not should not change a fan's view of how they play the game. It's bothersome to see people turning on these athletes because of a difference that has no bearing on their ability in their sport.

The last thing I want is to come across as saying we should not talk about gay athletes. That is not my intent of this post nor is it a feeling that I have. My view is that we should treat gay athletes just like we do straight athletes. They are no different when it comes to how they play the game, so why add all the unnecessary drama to their lives that are already stressful enough? It's exciting that we have athletes like this that are willing to come out and are leading the way for future gay athletes. But the constant news coverage needs to be laid to rest.