MTV is Looking for Gay Athletes
We have yet to see a professional athlete in one of the four major North American pro sports leagues come out, but MTV is possibly trying to nudge someone in that direction:
Are you planning to come out to your teammates? Have you been afraid or hesitant to come out to your sports team as gay, bisexual, or transsexual but are now planning to reveal yourself? Perhaps you've already come out to your friends and now have to face the upcoming season with teammates who still think you're straight? Or maybe you're unsure of how your fellow athletes would react if they knew, and thus have not come out to anyone?
The common reaction over the years has been that we will not see a pro athlete come out while he's still playing, for reasons pointed out by You Been Blinded:
Other than being ostracized by teammates, getting heckled by fans, and losing money I can’t think of one reason why a professional athlete would stay in the closet.
But really? Does this still apply? With so much media coverage already, which would only be compounded by coming out, would teammates really go out of their way to be politically incorrect and suffer the P.R. consequences? And would a gay athlete really lose potential endorsements?
Maybe some, but I'd be willing to bet some new opportunities would crop up as well. I have a feeling seeing an out gay athlete is going to happen sooner than most think.
