Collins will be a stepping stone for future gay athletes for many years. Brian Izzo | The Informer

This past week marked an historic moment in sports history. There wasn’t a record broken, a champion crowned, or a streak made. NBA player, Jason Collins decided that the time was right, and became the first male professional sports player to come out and say he was gay. Collins broke the news in a Sports Illustrated article that he wrote himself and was posted on the magazines website earlier this week.

What Collins did is just as good for professional sports as when Jackie Robinson became the first African-American to play in an all white baseball league. You may think that’s an absolutely ridiculous statement, but if you compare the two things at the time they were going on they are very similar.

Back when Robinson came into the league, people of color were not accepted at all, and no one wanted to be seen with them. They were also treated very poorly, and they were thought of to be a different race in some sense. Now take the phrase ‘people of color’, and replace it with ‘gay people’ and instead of the 60’s, look at today’s times. There really is not a big difference.

Collins has done so much for the gay community and sports as well. He has opened doors for current gay athletes not to be afraid to come out and tell the world that they are gay, and continue to be good at what they do. He also has showed kids who are struggling with their sexuality, not to be afraid of who they are, and they can continue to pursue their dreams.

This brings me to my next point. Collins is average, at best and was not really well known throughout the NBA before he came out. But what happens next when a big-time superstar comes out of the closet? What kind of exposure and impact will he have? How will the fans and sports community react to this? These and many more questions will have to be answered, but for now we will have to wait until that moment happens.

I’m not going to sit here and start rumors with who I think is in the closet and when they will, because that would just make me sound not smart and I’m not here to call out anybody. But, Collins is for sure not the only gay athlete currently playing in one of the four major North American sports. And with the positive outcome and major effects Collins is having on the sports world, you can bet that when a superstar comes out, it’s going to be crazy, in a good way of course.

Unfortunately, with all of the positive that will come, there will be negative feedback as well. And it hurts me when I see people try to be who they are, get shot down because they are seen as different, or because a 2400 year old book says it’s not ok.

Everyone is different, and if someone is gay, they should be accepted of that. This is probably one of the main reasons why many athletes have not come out. They are afraid what people will think of them and how they will be treated after they tell everyone who they have always been.

I’m sure a few of the questions going through those athletes’ heads are, what will people think of me, how will this affect my playing career, will I get released, will a team pick me up, will I not play, how will other players treat me in the locker room, will I have friends? There has to be a million questions going on in their heads, and they should have the right to think that. It’s ok to be afraid but, they should never be afraid to hide from who they are.

Jason Collins will hopefully be a starting point for all sports athletes to come and be happy with who they are and be able to anyone and everyone. No matter the sport, everyone should be treated equally, regardless of your sexual orientation. All that should matter is how you play the game.

For all athletes out there, whether it be professional, college, high school, or any other level, it’s ok to be who you are, and you should not let anyone tell you differently. You are an athlete and will always be an athlete. You’re one job is to play the game that you have played all of your life.

I hope that more athletes will have the courage to come out and show that it’s ok with who they are. But for now we wait.