Today is a very, very big step forward in professional sports.
On Sunday the NBA made history as the first of the four major professional sports leagues to sign an openly gay athlete.
Jason Collins announced he was gay nine months ago and has since been looking for a home in the NBA. But that will finally change thanks to a Brooklyn Nets organization that isn’t afraid to do what’s right. It’s expected a 10-day contract will be finalized later Sunday and Collins will be available for the Nets road game in Los Angeles against the Lakers tonight.
Collins doesn’t deserve a job because he’s gay, he deserves a job because he can help a struggling Nets team who just traded away one of its big men.
His brother, Jarron, obviously excited about the news, was first to reveal a potential deal.
Hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday. Today should be a pretty cool day!
— jarron collins (@jarronctwin) February 23, 2014
Collins isn’t a star, he never was, he never needed to be. Since joining the league in 2001, he has played the role of the physical guy on all of his teams.
He will provide a nice spark for the Nets off the bench, a much needed spark for one of the NBA’s worst rebounding teams.
In 10 years we’ll all look back at this day and ask ourselves why we made such a big deal about this. Truth is, it’s not a big deal but at the same time, it’s huge. Collins isn’t the news, the story is.
Metta World Peace shouldn’t be remembered for the ‘Malice at the Palace’ and Kobe Bryant won’t be remembered for wanting to leave LA, so why should Collins be remembered as gay?
Players who assault their girlfriends or use drugs are sometimes more accepted than a gay player. Those days are numbered.
Take a step back and appreciate what happened today. This shouldn’t even be news, but since it is we should celebrate and not discriminate anyone trying to find their identity.
Now, let’s enjoy the basketball.
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Brett Poirier is a contributor to Sheridan Hoops. Follow @BrettNBA