Feelings Towards Gay and Lesbian Athletes -- 6th blog entry

David Yousefian
July 28th, 2014
Professor Charles

Be Who you Are

Thesis Statement: After writing all my blog entries, I have learned that people should not be afraid to show who they really are (gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender), everybody has their own problems and others should not worry about other people's problems. Homosexuals (lesbians and gays) are people who have sexual attractions to the same sex. The LGBT community has suffered a lot throughout their history, and even though our people and media have gotten better toward their community, they still struggle in today's world.

     Nobody can be perfect in this world, not me not you, not any one person. It shouldn't matter if someone is homosexual. People shouldn't be afraid to show who they truly are in this world. If something is on their chest that they need to get it off they should, just like how Jason Collins, Michael Sams, and Brittney Griner have done. The reason people are afraid and don't want to show who they really are is because the are scared that people, and especially the mass media and the advertising agencies will think and look at them differently, and not to treat them the same way. I have learned that the more people that come out as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, the better it is for the LGBT community, and the easier their lives become. Real friends would respect who you are, and wouldn't judge you. Homosexuals or transgender should have the same rights as everybody else in the world, we are all human beings and we all live and do the same things. The more open their community becomes, the more of them that come out of the closet, the better the media and people are towards your community.  Nobody should be scared or nervous, nothing will happen, just don't be afraid.

     In a few of my previous blogs I talked about a man name Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks. He talked about how it was not a big deal if someone comes out of the closet, he specifically said signing a gay athlete to a professional sports team is a, "non issue". This means that it shouldn't be a problem anymore, and as more and more people start to face their fear, the tolerance towards them will be better. Another person who I spoke about is a gay athlete named Michael Sams. Michael is now playing professional football in the NFL, and was just recently drafted by the Saint Louis Rams. Nobody knew if Michael would have been picked because about 2 weeks before the draft, he expressed his feelings to the world, that he is gay. In my perspective, it wouldn't have changed my opinion on drafting him, but a coach named Tony Dungy thinks differently. Dungy currently coaches college football, and he said, "it would have been a problem to me". Michael Sams shouldn't care about what coach Dungy said about him and his feelings. It is his life, his choices, and his future. I believe that Michael has great potential in the NFL and will be a great player.

     Throughout all my blogs that I did this summer, I have learned that people should not be afraid to express who they really are. It doesn't matter if you are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or even transgender, we are all human beings and do the same things in our everyday lives. Don't be afraid to show who you really are, everyone has their own problems.

Ex Coach Says Gay Player "A Distraction"

http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-tony-dungy-michael-same-20140721-story.html

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11248074/nfl-tony-dungy-comments-michael-sam-better-left-unsaid

            Tony Dungy, the former coach of the Indianapolis Colts, has come out and said that if he were coaching a team he wouldn't draft Michael Sam because he would be a distraction to his team. Michael Sam is an openly gay football player who was recently drafted by the St. Louis Rams. Dungy said that drafting Sam and integrating him into the team is "not going to be totally smooth." Dungy got a lot of backlash for saying this. He was especially attacked on twitter where hundreds of people complained and criticized him for his comments against the drafting of Sam. A few days later Dungy tried to retract his comments and explained what he was trying to say in more detail. Still, Dungy lost many fans and followers due to his comments.

         
           It's sad that a former coach who was so highly respected by most NFL followers all over the country came out and commented against Michael Sam. Dungy lost many supporters and this is the way it should be because of his ignorant comments against Sam. I don't agree with what Dungy said because Sam deserves an opportunity to play football based solely on his football skills, and his sexual orientation should not affect the decision of whether or not to draft him for you football team. I do not believe that Sam is or will be a distraction. Maybe the media puts too much time into covering him now but eventually as time passes people will forget that he is gay and this will be a non issue. It makes me sad that Dungy came out against Sam and I'm happy that Sam did get an opportunity to play NFL football.

Glenn Burke Expresses His Feelings of Being Gay.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/15/sports/baseball/mlb-to-recognize-glenn-burke-as-a-gay-pioneer-in-baseball.html

http://thestacks.deadspin.com/the-double-life-of-a-gay-dodger-493697377

          Glenn Burke was a professional baseball player whose career was played in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Burke was a phenomenal player when he abruptly retired from the MLB at the early age of 27, usually the age when a player is about to hit his prime. Burke was gay but he was afraid to come out at the time because, as he said, "it's harder to be gay in sports than in anywhere else." Burke said that it was more important to himself to be true and embrace his sexual orientation than it was to be a professional baseball player. About thirty years later, there still has not been an active MLB player who was publicly gay. Now the MLB is recognizing Burke as baseball's pioneer for the gay society by inviting his family to the recent all star game that took place in Minnesota. Burke however passed away in 1995.

      I am very happy that the MLB finally decided to recognize Glenn Burke. Burke was the first known MLB player who was gay. Burke was not acknowledged for this for the past thirty years since he retired. Burke deserved the recognition because he is the first MLB player who was known to be playing professional baseball while being gay. Even though Burke was not alive to see him be recognized by the MLB, they did the right thing by recognizing him and his family. Also, by recognizing Burke this opens the door for any current MLB players to come out and publicly say that they are gay. The MLB made the right decision in recognizing Burke and his family.

Mark Cuban Discusses Gay Athletes

Mark Cuban Discusses Gay Athletes 

A few months ago, the Brooklyn Nets, an NBA franchise, signed Jason Collins, a professional basketball player who recently came out as being a gay athlete. Mark Cuban, the outspoken owner of the Dallas Mavericks, went on a CNN show, Piers Morgan Live, and talked about the recent signing of Jason Collins. When asked about Jason Collins, Cuban said that the signing of a gay athlete was now a "non issue." Cuban said that society has become much more accepting of gays and so when someone comes out it is not an issue anymore. Cuban said that the only thing he cares about now is just beating the Nets in a basketball game, and not about the fact that they have a gay athlete on their team.

I agree with Cuban when he says that this is a non issue because several gay athletes have come out already. Gay athletes should not be afraid anymore about coming out and being honest because of the several pioneers who have already come out. I'm happy that all Cuban is thinking about now is the basketball game that his team has to play against the Brooklyn Nets, and not about the fact that there is a gay athlete on the team he is playing. This past year in sports has been monumental because of all the gay athletes who have found the courage to come out.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1973816-mark-cuban-discusses-gay-athletes-in-sports-on-cnns-piers-morgan-live

Brittney Griner Comes Out, Says "Just Be Who You Are"

Brittney Griner Comes Out

Brittney Griner is a female professional basketball player. She currently plays in the WNBA for the Phoenix Mercury. In an interview with SI.com, Griner admitted to being lesbian and said that, "Being one that's out, it's just being who you are. Again, like I said, just be who you are." Griner also said that it shouldn't matter what other people think about you and that everybody should be comfortable being who they are. When asked about the difficulty of coming out, she said, "It really wasn't too difficult."

Brittney Griner is a great role model for all people, regardless of her sexual orientation. Griner's actions give an example to people, that they should not worry and to be who they are. The fact that Griner came out probably gives other children the courage and bravery to come out themselves. If you are looking for a role model who exhibits courage and bravery then Griner would be a great one. By coming out Griner is receiving more respect for the lesbian community.

http://espn.go.com/wnba/story/_/id/9185633/brittney-griner-comes-says-just-are

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2609781/They-wanted-ways-Basketball-star-Brittney-Griner-opens-lesbian-Baylor-University-told-business-herself.html

                
 TREATMENT OF GAY AND LESBIAN ATHLETES                         David Yousefian:   Mrs.Charles      

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2064461-michael-sams-reality-show-should-not-be-a-distraction-for-him-rams-or-the-nfl   

  http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/nets/collins-expected-sign-nets-article-1.1699148


Jason Collins, a man who plays pro basketball in the NBA, who plays for the Brooklyn nets, "came out of the closet" just a few months ago. Even though people might think of him differently, he faced his fear and that's all that matters. Jason should not care about what people think of him. It is his life and no one should make fun of him for being gay. People should not treat him differently just because he is gay. He is still a human being and lives the same way as other people do.

Michael Sams, a NFL player, who also "came out of the closet" expressed his feelings to the world as well. People around the world don't respect that gay people should not play professional sports, and this also leads to how if someone was gay and wanted to go to professional sports, they would fear playing their sport because of getting criticized by people and being to afraid to play. This should not stop them from playing what they love to do.