When researching the coming out of gay and lesbian athletes
in today’s society I discovered one interesting news article printed one day
ago. Jay Hayes, the captain of NYU’s volleyball team, directed and starred in
an “It Gets Better” video in which the athletic department was featured in. The
athletic department decided to stand by Hayes and help him make a video that
informs the public that gay slurs are all too common during games, in locker
rooms and practices and that there needs to be a change.
The video depicts the support of NYU’s athletic department
and their athletes. NYU is showing that they are open to athletes of the LGBT
community and shows coaches who are out as well as athletes and their allies. The
school wanted to show that athletics can be a safe environment for potential
athletes and they will not tolerate any hatred or bigotry from society. Hayes
wanted to make the video after coming out to his teammates. Friends and family
back home knew Hayes was gay, but he kept his teammates in the dark because he
knew athletics was portrayed as “straight environment” and he feared he would
be shunned. When he came out to his team it didn’t change the dynamic of the
team, it made them closer. The video, at first, was to feature just Hayes, but
he was uncomfortable being the only one in the video. With the help of the
whole athletic department at NYU, Hayes made the video to show that it is okay
to be gay in athletics. NYU’s athletic department became the second major
university to make an It Gets Better video; the only other university is
Northwestern.
NYU and Northwestern have made great strides in showing
support of the LGBT community and many believe these are the first steps that
need to be taken for gays to be accepted in athletics. Many believe if more
colleges and universities show their support of their own LGBT athletes and
coaches, then we will have a major professional athlete come out sooner rather
than later. Mark Cuban has been quoted saying that he believes there will be an
openly gay NBA player within the next 3 to 5 years. There have also been
numerous male soccer players in Europe and Canada that have come out. One is
Sweden’s own Anton Hysen and there are talks of him joining an MLS team in the
future. This would make him one of the only gay male athletes playing in the US
for a professional team. I believe that if more colleges, universities, leagues
and players showed support of gay athletes then a professional athlete will
come forward before retirement and announce they are gay. My question is how
long will this take? Many say three to five years, while others think it will
never happen. I believe someone will come out in three to five years and we
will have the face and someone to address this issue head on, but it is just a
matter of finding someone who can handle the scrutiny.
Mike Harrington
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this blog post and it is interesting that it occurred very recently. I think it is very admirable that the captain of the team was able to admit and come out to his teammates. It is a difficult situation to be in and I can understand why people want to hide who they are. They do not want to be shunned, ridiculed, or kicked off the team. They want to feel as if they can be who they are and be accepted. I also would like to point out that NYU’s athletic department should be recognized in such a positive way for their actions. They are trying to make a difference and are willing to stand by their captain no matter what. Sexual preference doesn’t matter to NYU and it shouldn’t matter to anyone. The only thing that matters is how the person carries them and how they are in their sport. This story really intrigues me because I have never heard of or seen anything like this. I am glad that the team got closer after finding out about their captain and I am glad that he has the courage to stand up and come out. I think that eventually someone in the professional sports will come out, but I don’t think it will be for a number of years. Things need to change drastically before someone can come out, and I think the sports world is starting to change, but it will take time.
Great Blog post with great insight on a recent story involving gay athletes. In my opinion, three to five years just seems so soon for gay athletes to be treated as equals in the eyes of the media. I believe it would take an athlete that is the top of the sport to even consider having fair treatment and for media and society to accept them. As the gay population continues to make strides gaining laws to make it right to marry then we will see changes in athletics. I think it's inspiring to see NYU show the support that they did for Jay because no one can even understand the amount of courage it takes for a male athlete to open up to teammates like he did then in the process make a video about the usage of gay slurs. Even if an elite athlete comes out in the next three to five years I feel nothing would change the fact that gay athletes don't fit into the prototypical athlete.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, great post. It is great to see that Hayes was willing to come out and let everyone know who he really is, and it is even better to see the support he has received from the NYU athletic community.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I disagree with Mark Cuban saying that there will be an openly gay professional athlete here in the next three to five years. I personally just don't see it happening. But, if it were to happen, I truly believe that the athlete will be supported by the majority of the fans, media, and general public. Whether or not that athlete is embraced by the coaches and players remains to be seen though. I personally believe that the professional sports world as a whole may not be ready for an openly gay athlete just yet.
Very interesting find on the NYU athletic team. I really think it is great to hear that NYU and Northwestern have made those videos to help people feel more comfortable. It's also very good to see that Universities are giving so much encouragement to there gay athletes.
ReplyDeleteI also would have to agree with Trevor as well, Mark Cuban is wrong. I really don't think an athlete that is already in one of the major sports will come out while playing in a season. It's different to think that a male athlete that is already openly gay coming into a sport. I just don't think anyone will come out during their career. Just for the simple fact that they don't want people to judge them on their sexual preference and not their sport skill. But on the other hand I disagree with the fact that if an athlete came out during his career then the "fans, media, and general public" would be supportive. I think they would not be supportive and it would be a huge deal and make national news. Which is very uncalled for because it's not a huge deal if an athlete talks about him being straight.
Comment by Kane Godfrey