NFL prospect says he's gay. When will an AB?

[Pseudonym]

In case you haven't seen the story, US football player Michael Sam has come out as gay:

NYTimes.com wrote:

Coaches at the University of Missouri divided players into small groups at a preseason football practice last year for a team-building exercise. One by one, players were asked to talk about themselves — where they grew up, why they chose Missouri and what others might not know about them.

As Michael Sam, a defensive lineman, began to speak, he balled up a piece of paper in his hands. “I’m gay,” he said. With that, Mr. Sam set himself on a path to become the first publicly gay player in the National Football League.

Full story...

...

 

Good on him. No doubt he's made things easier for other gay players in American football and many other sports. But the reason this topic is in the Inspiration forum is this speech by broadcaster Dale Hansen from Texas (a state not known for it's love of gays)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Olc5C4SXAYM

"You beat a woman and drag her down a flight of stairs, pulling her hair out by the roots, you’re the fourth guy taken in the NFL draft. You kill people while driving drunk - that guy's welcome. You love another man, now you’ve gone too far," Hansen said.

"I’m not always comfortable when a man tells me he is gay, I don’t understand his world, but I do understand that he is part of mine."

*clapping*

 

So the question is, if an American football player can come out, despite the USA's widespread discomfort with homosexuality, when will an All Black feel okay about doing the same? After all, we're proud of our stance on human rights, and not discriminating against gays, so surely we'd happily accept a gay All Black, wouldn't we? Or wouldn't we?

[jimmybro1]

Are you insinuating one of the All Blacks are homosexual? 

[Realtalk]

Would never happen.

 

[Pseudonym]

I don't know whether any current All Blacks are or not. What I'm saying is that surely, on the law of averages, there would have been some All Blacks that were gay. But none have ever felt comfortable coming out.

[jimmybro1]

I don't know whether any current All Blacks are or not. What I'm saying is that surely, on the law of averages, there would have been some All Blacks that were gay. But none have ever felt comfortable coming out.

I thought it would have been harder coming out in Armerica people would give you death threats over there...

I don't understand why it has to be common knowledge what they do or don't do in the bedroom. These days of social media people need to know everything about everyone.. 

[Realtalk]

 

I don't know whether any current All Blacks are or not. What I'm saying is that surely, on the law of averages, there would have been some All Blacks that were gay. But none have ever felt comfortable coming out.

I thought it would have been harder coming out in Armerica people would give you death threats over there...

I don't understand why it has to be common knowledge what they do or don't do in the bedroom. These days of social media people need to know everything about everyone.. 

Well there's actually abit more to it than that.

[Pseudonym]

 

I thought it would have been harder coming out in Armerica people would give you death threats over there...

Exactly my point.

Don't get me wrong. There certainly shouldn't be an expectation on athletes to go public with their private lives. (That's the sad part about Michael Sam's story - that he felt he had to break the story before the media did.) But I do think athletes should be comfortable in coming out if they choose to.

[Leeroid]

Hopefully one day, someone one with a high profile can say he's gay and nobody cares so much that the media reports on it

[Realtalk]

They wouldn't get selected if they came out that's what I think. Of course it wouldn't be cause of that probably bad form or change if strategy or something along those lines... Having a gay player in an elite team like the all blacks could cause a lot of harm to the team dynamics... What happens when the boys all strip off and hit the showers etc there are lots of situations where it could cause problems. The all blacks pride themselves on everyone being so tight knit. No one is bigger than the team and nz rugby is as strong as it's ever been, everyone in that team can be replaced.

its not about being homophobic or discriminative. But the players are best to just leave it till they have finished playing like the welsh rugby player did.

[Gym rat]

I would have to agree withe Realtalk on saying that it would not happen in the All Blacks but that might happen in other codes hear in NZ like soccer,cricket etc

[FellowshipOfTheRon]

dont ask dont tell lol. there is as little need for us to pry into the players sexual orientation as there is their religious or political beleifs. lets worry about them doing what they do best - tossing the ball not tossing the salad