A Major US Team Sport Male Athlete Finally Comes Out Of The Closet

[MobBoss]

This blurb, or variations of it were floating around facebook today:

Tim Tebow: I'm a Christian!

Media: Keep it to yourself.

Jason Collins: I'm Gay!

Media: You're a hero!

Rah, rah, rah, political correctness.

 

[Leonel]

This blurb, or variations of it were floating around facebook today:

Tim Tebow: I'm a Christian!

Media: Keep it to yourself.

Jason Collins: I'm Gay!

Media: You're a hero!

Rah, rah, rah, political correctness.

Well to play devils advocate, Christian's don't get tortured, beaten and tied to a fence pole to die slowly in America.

 

[Archbob]

Be a better story if a pro wrestler came out.

 

[warpus]

This blurb, or variations of it were floating around facebook today:

Tim Tebow: I'm a Christian!

Media: Keep it to yourself.

Jason Collins: I'm Gay!

Media: You're a hero!

Rah, rah, rah, political correctness.

Is coming out as a Christian a big deal? Nah man, quit screwing around, coming out as a homosexual can literally destroy your life in some circles. It isn't an easy thing to do, and must not be an easy thing for a professional athlete to do either, evidenced by the number of people who have actually done it.

That people give Tebow crap for being Christian is a totally separate issue and does not belong in this discussion at all. People might actually agree with you on that point if you didn't drag it into this discussion, because you should be allowed to be whatever religion you want and nobody should make a big deal out of it if you're not making a deal out of it yourself.

Now, coming out as a homosexual IS a big deal, for whatever reason, in this guy's line of employment. If you were homosexual, would you come out to your friends? Probably not - imagine how much crap you'd get from everyone. I'm just guessing, but it's probably a good guess. Maybe things have changed a bit and maybe it's easier to do now, but it definitely is a LOT more crappy than coming out as a Christian.. because really.. Who is secretly Christian in America? It's got to be a small number. Compare that to the number of people who are afraid of telling others that they are homosexual.

Surely you are not making this comparison sober. MobBoss, put down that shotglass!

 

[Arwon]

Maybe the problem isn't the athletes then, maybe it's the fans.. The stigma has to originate somewhere, after all.. I guess I always viewed professional sport lockerrooms as very alpha male macho places where you wouldn't dare tell anyone that you're gay.. but maybe I'm totally wrong about that

It's the supporters but it's also about The Kids and junior support. Setting clear examples at the top level that hey, queers can also sport, should help foster better attitudes at junior levels.

The AFL here is talking about a gay pride game (it does a lot of "issue" theme rounds and games) for similar reasons. Homosexuality and sport isn't something that gets discussed a lot without a specific trigger. This leaves a lot of latent homophobia unexamined, and a lot of queers feeling unwelcome. Normalising the obvious point that queers can sport just fine is, I think, helped by discussion and examples at the elite level.

 

[MobBoss]

Well to play devils advocate, Christian's don't get tortured, beaten and tied to a fence pole to die slowly in America.

Uhm.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/n...ching-religion-shot-to-death-in-boynto/nL3Ng/

Two men preaching religion shot to death in Boynton Beach

Evangelists get assaulted and sometimes killed for expressing their faith. Even in the USA.

 

[Cutlass]

Is coming out as a Christian a big deal? Nah man, quit screwing around, coming out as a homosexual can literally destroy your life in some circles. It isn't an easy thing to do, and must not be an easy thing for a professional athlete to do either, evidenced by the number of people who have actually done it.

That people give Tebow crap for being Christian is a totally separate issue and does not belong in this discussion at all. People might actually agree with you on that point if you didn't drag it into this discussion, because you should be allowed to be whatever religion you want and nobody should make a big deal out of it if you're not making a deal out of it yourself.

Now, coming out as a homosexual IS a big deal, for whatever reason, in this guy's line of employment. If you were homosexual, would you come out to your friends? Probably not - imagine how much crap you'd get from everyone. I'm just guessing, but it's probably a good guess. Maybe things have changed a bit and maybe it's easier to do now, but it definitely is a LOT more crappy than coming out as a Christian.. because really.. Who is secretly Christian in America? It's got to be a small number. Compare that to the number of people who are afraid of telling others that they are homosexual.

Surely you are not making this comparison sober. MobBoss, put down that shotglass!

People don't give Tebow crap for being a Christian. People give Tebow crap because Tebow won't restrain himself from constantly throwing his religion in everyone else's faces.

 

[MobBoss]

People don't give Tebow crap for being a Christian. People give Tebow crap because Tebow won't restrain himself from constantly throwing his religion in everyone else's faces.

Why should he have to show restraint?

Are you that intolerant? That you have to describe what he does as 'throwing it in your face' when it simply isn't that at all?

 

[Cutlass]

Why should he have to show restraint?

Are you that intolerant? That you have to describe what he does as 'throwing it in your face' when it simply isn't that at all?

I'm not intollerant in any sense. He wants to be religious, more power to him. But there is a point at which people are constantly throwing it at others where it becomes a form of bullying against others. And he is past that point.

 

[downtown]

This blurb, or variations of it were floating around facebook today:

Tim Tebow: I'm a Christian!

Media: Keep it to yourself.

Jason Collins: I'm Gay!

Media: You're a hero!

Rah, rah, rah, political correctness.

Sorry you have stupid facebook friends.

 

[shortguy]

That's kind of what happened to Robbie Rogers, isn't it?

Not really. As long as it may seem he's been around, Rogers is just 25. He was probably gonna wash out in England anyway, but given his demonstrated level of MLS performance and relative youth I'm sure he'll have a taker if he wants back in. He apparently just trained with LA this week, in fact. Chicago owns his rights, but we'll see.

 

[Leonel]

Uhm.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/n...ching-religion-shot-to-death-in-boynto/nL3Ng/

Evangelists get assaulted and sometimes killed for expressing their faith. Even in the USA.

I reckon gay bashing occurs more frequently than Christian bashing. And by bashing, I mean violence.

 

[JollyRoger]

Given that Tebow hasn't been caught propositioning for gay sex or had a Josh Hamilton incident yet, I have serious doubts about his Christianity.

 

[Archbob]

I'm not intollerant in any sense. He wants to be religious, more power to him. But there is a point at which people are constantly throwing it at others where it becomes a form of bullying against others. And he is past that point.

Thanking God for Touchdowns and talking about it when the Media asks him about it is "past that point"?
If you find Tebowing to be offensive, then, yes, you are intollerant.

 

[MobBoss]

I'm not intollerant in any sense.

Funny.

He wants to be religious, more power to him. But there is a point at which people are constantly throwing it at others where it becomes a form of bullying against others. And he is past that point.

He's not throwing it at you.

But I think you are kidding yourself if you claim you are intolerant, and yet think someone simply professing their faith is 'bullying' others.

Quite intolerant.

Sorry you have stupid facebook friends.

Be nice now. Just 'cause a single one shared a link to that doesn't make them stupid. Considering the amount of negative crap that people have said about Tebow (i.e. people like Cutlass) I think it fairly pertinent.

Thanking God for Touchdowns and talking about it when the Media asks him about it is "past that point"?
If you find Tebowing to be offensive, then, yes, you are intollerant.

Precisely.

 

[Arwon]

You can't Tebow and not be made fun of for Tebowing.

Tebowing!

 

[Azale]

Jason Collins is probably a better center than Tebow is a quarterback. He can go worry about his message in the CFL, competing to be the backup for the Toronto Argonauts.

Also, no one tells Tebow to keep his christian faith to himself, least of all the media. I watch enough sportscenter to know that.

 

[Arachnofiend]

I'm pretty sure sports media talks about Tebow's Christianity more than Tebow does.

As a Broncos fan who got to watch him be the most hilariously inept person on the team not named Kyle Orton I still can't help but feel sorry for the guy; he never asked for the media circus that follows him around.

 

[Dachs]

Jason Collins is probably a better center than Tebow is a quarterback.

I agree with the rest of your post, but this is pretty lols

 

[Arachnofiend]

I don't watch any basketball and therefore cannot speak to Collins's skill but I can say that Tebow is the worst quarterback in the NFL not named Mark Sanchez. Maybe Regular-Season-Joe-Flacco, too.