Changing of the Times

By Justin Cheng

Via Getty Images

First of all, I would like to congratulate the LGBT community on this momentous victory on the road to legitimizing same sex couples within the United States. I am not going to pretend that I have followed this movement as closely as I should, but I have had in-depth discussions regarding the semantics of this issue. This post will not go on to compare the sides of whether marriage should remain exclusive to a man and a woman or to promote the decision that was laid by the Supreme Court -- an argument that will make no headway when sizing up biblical principles to civil rights. 

In the realm of sports, there have been many who have spoken out about this issue most notably former Ravens linebacker Bendon Ayanbadejo and Oakland Raiders punter Chris Kluwe, neither of whom have been received well by their peers or organizations. Most recently Jason Collins, an NBA journeyman, became the first active player to come out as gay. 

But what of it? Why is this such a big deal? 

Despite the amount of progress that has been made in the past years, there is still a sizable opposition against LGBT individuals and their supporters. While some have respond with hate, others will come out with Chris Culliver-like comments, which some simply label as "ignorant," but I choose to conceptualize as an underlying fear of the unforeseen.

Sports has a long history of changing landscapes -- the most classic example is Jackie Robinson -- but let's not forget those individuals who have served as pioneers in their respective fields. Last summer, many of us were introduced to Oscar Pistorious, a double-amputee Olympic track sensation, while others may closely identify with Linsanity and the ruckus he caused as a member of the New York Knicks. While these athletes were revered for their boldness and courage, they were also met with an equal mixture of hatred and disdain.

Let's used this crazed example. What if Derrick Rose was gay? Would we simply see him as a gay man and stop watching Youtube highlights of his 2011 MVP season?

While this example is farfetched, it goes to prove that one's own sexual preferences is just a small portion of an individual, as is ethnicity or handicapability. Pigeonholing an individual based on these factors will cloud us from encapsulating the larger perspective -- or should I say person -- at hand. If I were a professional athlete, I wouldn't give a damn what the sexuality of my teammates were, as long as they could help me win. 

It's time that professional athletes gave this some more thought and use their platform to voice their views. Even if their opinions are not aligned with today's decision -- whose views should be equally respected and not condemned with hate -- at least it would get the ball rolling towards fruitful discussion.

The Bayless Babbles is a sports blog is co-authored by UC Merced/ USC alumnus Justin Cheng and UC San Diego alumnus Brent Lee.

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