Coming of Age

‘notch on the belt we never had’ was the quote. Some said we've now accomplished everything we can in sport. America’s Cup, Tour de France, World Cup qualification are all ticked off the checklist. Australia has won cricket, union, netball and hockey World Cups plus many more. But there is something that hasn’t happened in our major sporting codes, in particular the AFL that is yet to happen.

A face to remember (Kwaku Alston/For Sports Illustrated)

Most of you won’t know his name, let alone his face. You probably won’t even know which sport he plays or what records he holds. He is a journeyman, a team player and a pioneer. He has evoked fear in other players with the way he plays and now fear in some for their beliefs. He is a multimillionaire and a twin. He will be remembered not for his 12 years as a professional, but for what was written on the 29^th April 2013. Maybe in 50 years time it won’t seem like that big a deal, but for millions of people around the world who don’t normally care about sport, this is huge. So who is he? In the words of Jason Collins ‘I’m a 34 year old NBA centre. I’m black. And I’m gay’.

As the Sports Illustrated piece pointed out, this is a man who led the NBA in fouls one year. A tough guy centre who’s been to the NBA Finals mixing it with Shaq and Kobe. In the late 2000’s he was seen as the anti-venom to the NBA’s best centre Dwight Howard. Not your typical gay guy many may say. Then again what is? He talks openly about the Christian values his parents instilled in him and how he takes the teachings of Jesus seriously, particularly those of tolerance and understanding. It wasn’t until last year that he told his twin brother the news. He wanted people to know because he had told them and not because they found out on a gossip website. For a country where religion and sport run deep, it will be interesting to see which runs deeper in this case.

Many my age, including me, are too young to remember former NRL player Jason Roberts announcement in 1995. For our generation this is a first. For American sport fans it’s a first full stop. Never before has an active NFL, NHL, MLB or NBA player come out. In a country where the four major codes have thousands of active players, it is hard to imagine he is the only one. In Australia there are over 500 active AFL players, yet not one is openly gay. AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou said that the code is ready to embrace its first openly gay player. But even that comment itself makes you wonder why it needs to be said. If as a society we have to wait for the head of a sporting body to declare the time is right for acceptance, then maybe we aren’t ready. Maybe players, fans and the general public don’t know what to expect if it happens. However it isn't something new to all of us, as illustrated perfectly by Collins himself.

Three Degrees of Jason Collins. As he describes it is the simple game that shows by three simple steps, from person to person, we all know or know of someone who is gay. So is there a difference between your co-worker, your uncle or your postman being gay and a sportsperson we know?

My immediate thought and best comparison was Magic Johnson’s sudden retirement 1991 after tests confirmed he had contracted HIV. The similarity may seem strange but let me explain. By 1991 most people knew what HIV was, how it was treated and what it meant for Magic. Most of the players believed that they could continue to play with Magic had he not retired. In 1992 that was put to the test when he came out of retirement. There was anger, there was trepidation, but in the end if was just basketball.

Because after all is said and done, we are still watching an athlete, a footy player, a basketballer. We appreciate the athlete for their skills and talent on the court, not their sexuality. Just like Majak Daw will go from being the first Sudanese person to play AFL to just another forward from the Kangaroos, Jason Collins will go from the first gay guy in the NBA to the NBA veteran in his 13^th season looking for a team.

I applaud the courage of Jason Collins for his honesty, just as President Obama did, as his idol, tennis legend Martina Navratalova did, as teammate Bradley Beal did and as NBA legend Kobe Bryant did. It is not about rights or equality in this case though, it is about Collins and his decisions.

Earl Lloyd 63 years ago

63 years ago Earl Lloyd become the first African American to play in the NBA. Today no one knows his name or remembers the day. Today we live in an age where there is no need to separate by ethnicity. In 63 years time we won't recall who the first gay NBA player was, but for today at least we can appreciate Jason Collins and his honesty.