A Gay Man, A Football, A Dream

Gerald "Jerry" Sanford Smith (July 19, 1943 – October 15, 1986) was a professional American football tight end for the National Football League's Washington Redskins from 1965–1977. Photo re-posted from: http://www.vixenvarsity.com/2014/01/24/why-no-gay-active-player-will-ever-come-out-in-the-nfl/#.VdRCyEnovIU

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to work with a professional athlete on an LGBT campaign. Of course it would be great if they were an Ally too. (Thank you Ben Cohen) It would be interesting to think about what impact that could have on youth across the globe, and even for parents of LGBT children. When I grew up I wasn't very confident when it came to sports. Not only was I inexperienced, I was also very shy. This got worse through middle school and into high-school. By the time I got the courage to pursue any sport (American Football), it was already too late to join any school-related group.

I wonder if being LGBT also held me back somehow. Did it give me one more reason to not participate? Yes. I can say that with certainty. Would I have been a lot better at sports if I wasn't LGBT - of course not! haha. But I might have practiced with friends if I felt comfortable with them. I just didn't know how to fit in as an athlete. To be in the 'jock' crowd can mean different things depending on where and when one goes to school. Even if it would have worked out fine, I didn't know it. No one at my school was there to guide me and show me how that would work. Then again, I never asked for help. I did occasionally chat with the football coaches but never acknowledging my orientation. That was a major piece missing. I was too intimidated.



"Michael Sam final Mizzou home game" by Marcus Qwertyus - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Michael_Sam_final_Mizzou_home_game.jpg#/media/File:Michael_Sam_final_Mizzou_home_game.jpg

Although there seems to be many LGBT athletes out there, I wish that I knew of any gay men as players in sports I was interested in, like: American Football (more recently: Michael Sam, Wade Davis, Alan Gendreau, Kwame Harris, Brian Sims, Esera Tuaolo), Boxing (Orlando Cruz), or Bodybuilding growing up. That might have given me the motivation I needed to start earlier. I must say it is so encouraging to see diversity coming through now from athletes like Caitlyn Jenner. The list of out athletes seems to grow every day. Certainly there are numerous athletes in other sports that have paved the way for more recent out athletes. Especially many props to the numerous Lesbian athletes who pushed through so many barriers to challenge stereotypes in sports and to put everything on the line to be themselves. I don't imagine it is easy for any professional athlete to come out as LGBT or even an Ally. When one's career is tied to sexual orientation (or can be influenced by), it makes it that much harder, and certainly more of a game-changer to come out (no pun intended). I would love to read more from these out athletes. If anyone has a suggestion, please comment below.
I'm thinking

After crossing the finish line! - 545 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles, AIDS Lifecycle

Well, I'm a bit older now, and have played football with friends, taken boxing classes, and have been lifting weights at the gym for over 5 years now. It is interesting that this is still an interest of mine. It never went away. That is my happy place now.

Who knows if I will ever get a chance to even talk with an out athlete - To toss the pigskin around with Conner Mertens, learn to combo with Orlando Cruz, do a bench press with Bob Paris, or wrestle with Darren Young All I can say is that it would be an honor to do so. One can still hope, right?

Btw, check out this article regarding players coming out in sports. >>>> http://www.vixenvarsity.com/2014/01/24/why-no-gay-active-player-will-ever-come-out-in-the-nfl/#.VdRDWknovIV Do you Agree?



Running at the National Mall