Top Womens Basketball player comes out about being "Gay"

[Littleman]

http://sports.yahoo.com/wnba/news;_ylt=AteQzBeT5F2nVtEBI8EyxdZ2vrYF?slug=ap-comets-swoopescomesout&prov=ap&type=lgns

[Lemming51]

"She said it ``irritates'' her that no one talks about gays playing in men's sports, but that it's become an issue in the WNBA." Tell it to Mike Piazza. And it wouldn't even be an issue with Swopes if she hadn't felt the need to make it one in a national sports magazine. Nobody cares about the WNBA, and nobody cares about gays in sports - so long as they're winning.

[Bombardier R142]

It's interesting in that she's the first one to come out with something to lose. Others were either retired or had no real sponsorship deals to lose (male figure skaters, who are treated as presumably gay by genpop anyway, which is why they have no endorsement deals. also see: Natrilova, Martina). In an interesting twist, Rosie Jones (LPGA) came out publically when she aquired an endorsement deal from a gay travel agency. This made her the first athlete to come out for the money, but didn't have that much sponsorship besides that. But, Swoopes gets money from Nike and has a shoe named for her. She's used in ad campaigns. Nobody's going to summarily drop her, as that would be bad P.R., but it's interesting to see what happens in the near future. It's pretty much assumed that coming out would be marketing death for an athlete, so this could be a test case of that. However, it should be easier for a female athlete, then a male one. The first male, major league level athlete to come out will be, in my estimation, the bravest man in the world.

[rev-ed]

male figure skaters, who are treated as presumably gay by genpop anyway,

Aren't WNBA players treated as presumably gay by genpop? (Whoever he is.)

[badart]

not that it matters.......

[Bombardier R142]

Aren't WNBA players treated as presumably gay by genpop? (Whoever he is.)

Pretty much, but this one has endorsement deals. Also, not to the extent of figure skaters.

Genpop = General Population. I heard it on OZ, were it's used to refer to the mainstream prison population (those not in protective custody or OZ, which is supposed to be an experimental program). It may be an actual prison term. I wouldn't know.

[Martyj]

Whaaaaa? YOUR'E KIDDING????!!!
No way, man...this has to be a joke.
DANG.

Who would have guessed in a million years? I am stunned. STUNNED, I tells ya.

[comfortably numb]

h




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[Truth Detector]

It's interesting in that she's the first one to come out with something to lose. Others were either retired or had no real sponsorship deals to lose...

Good point.

Sincerely,

Greg Louganis

[Truth Detector]

BTW, I thought the interesting part of this was that she said she wasn't born that way but it was a choice to be gay.

[Truth Detector]

Clarification:

I believe most homosexuals (especially gay men) are born that way.

[Kurt Cobain]

Hopefully her burden's been lifted.

[Bombardier R142]

Good point.

Sincerely,

Greg Louganis

If anybody in the sport of diving deserved huge endorsement deals, it was Greg. I was a diver in High School during the '80's so I watched his career and nobody has ever dominated any sport the way he did. He would enter the final round with enough points to win even if he forfited his final dive, despite the fact that he saved his highest scoring dive for last. Even when he was competing against the worlds best divers. When he was there, it was a race for second. Nobody even considered him losing. But, all you had to do was listen to him speak for about 5 seconds and you knew he was gay. Which is why he never got any endorsement deals. His agent was once quoted as saying "he would of been better of being a drug addict". I guess that's why I pay attention to the plight of closeted gay athletes, despite being straight. I just hope Cheryl Swoopes get's a better reception than Greg did.

But, as Martina Natrilova has said "when you're in the closet, your soul dies". I guess living with that sort of secret has to get to you. Even if she does lose endorsements because of this, some things are more important than money.

[Truth Detector]

But, all you had to do was listen to him speak for about 5 seconds and you knew he was gay.

So, do you think Jeff Garcia is gay too?

[Bombardier R142]

So, do you think Jeff Garcia is gay too?

No clue. Don't really care. But I've heard drag queens with more masculine voices than Greg Louganis.