by Nwaji Jibunoh

Jason Collins’ Sports Illustrated Cover

Earlier this week, the world, and I literally mean the world, was hit with the news that the first professional athlete in a major sport in the US has come out to say that he is gay.

My initial response was, “Who is he”?  When I found out it was Jason Collins, the first thing that came to my mind was, “Oh right, he’s one of those twins that played for Stanford”.  Then the ensuing tsunami came afterwards with various tweets, blogs, Facebook status updates, and responses in the media about the coming out of this man.  The one thing that was quite resounding for me was how nobody was talking about the fact that Jason Collins only averages 2 points per game, barely gets any playing time, and is one injury away from retirement.  Everyone kept referring to how this “high profile athlete” has now made it easier for other gay athletes to come out.  Then in addition to that, the religious arguments came in, given that he called himself a Christian, and how he cannot be a Christian given that homosexuality according to that particular doctrine is a sin, etc.

It has been a whirlwind of a week, and the ensuing discourses that have followed have been incredible.  As I think about the playing career of Jason Collins, there is nothing too memorable about him from a statistics perspective that shouts out.  So, by me now knowing he is gay, does what exactly?

Any sport is a deeply intimate situation where formidable relationships are created.  You will often hear analysts talk about disharmony in the locker room leading to disharmony on the field/court/diamond etc.  The real question I want to ask is, gay or not, does Jason Collins have that spirit of camaraderie in the locker room?  Does he understand what it means to “take one for the team”?  Is he a good person?  What are his moral values? (After all, his own twin brother was unaware of him being gay and so was the woman he was once engaged to marry)  How does he inspire and work with younger athletes and what are his contributions to society at large?  The reason I ask these questions is because I am more interested in the total athlete of Jason Collins than his sexual preference.

I can already hear the responses now; “Oh, he has had to hide this for so long”…”He has had to live in fear”…”He is so brave for coming out”.  But my retort to that is, what has changed exactly except for the fact that we now know which gender he prefers to sleep with?  Will this, or not, land him a new contract given that he is now a free agent?  Are other athletes now going to be more accepting of homosexuality and refrain from derogatory language in the locker room?  Or will everything simply go back to normal?  Has the world become so convoluted that people actually believe that one way or another, the majority of folks actually care whether someone is gay or not?

In life, true wisdom and intellect comes from knowing that no matter what you do or what you say, certain groups of people will always disagree with you.  It is not a MUST that we all accept you for whatever you claim it is that you are.  The only collective responsibility we have as a society is ensuring that your fundamental rights as a human being are not infringed upon; such as those human rights being specifically discriminated against for who you are and/or being targeted in a hate crime.  If people are going to disagree with you for your lifestyle choices that you have made public, or even your personal belief that you were born this way, then grant those same people the same tolerance that you eagerly seek from others.

The NBA playoffs are currently on, and Jason Collins is not one of the athletes playing for one of the top 16 teams in the league.  It would be nice to get back to the business of sports, the analysis of LeBron James as he and the Miami Heat pursue their second consecutive championship, and not necessarily have to worry about getting attacked by the status quo for opinions that go against the grain of what’s considered popular.

True acceptance comes in the form of being comfortable in one’s own skin.  Making it everyone’s business and demanding approval and acceptance does not achieve such a goal.

Jason Collins, live your life according to what makes you happy.  To society at large, we must all learn to agree to disagree.

Nwaji Jibunoh, International Correspondent for War Room Sports

Located in Lagos, Nigeria, Nwaji Jibunoh is War Room Sports’ International Soccer Contributor.  Nwaji also contributes commentary on U.S. sports from an international perspective.  He’s an Atlanta Falcons fan, Howard University alum, and former tight end for the North Atlanta High School Warriors.