Is it better to just wait?

The first barrier to be broken in sports was letting African Americans and Whites to play together. It was a major issue, until Jackie Robinson stepped up to the plate and delivered a knock-out punch that gave the opportunity for more and more players to enter the league and eventually we all have come to accept this. With Jackie stepping to the plate and opening the door for many other black athletes, discrimination do to color no longer really exists. That was the past and leads me to present day. We have a similar problem that is apart of sports teams today. That is the acceptance of gay athletes on sports teams and around the locker room. Now, we have had male athletes that have come out after they retired, but never one during his playing career. The main reason is because these athletes are afraid if they do come out they will be discriminated like Blacks were when they first started pouring into the league. So, what needs to be done to eventually bring acceptance to having gays in sport is that someone is just going to have to take a stand and come out during their career. Like Jackie did and how Magic Johnson announced about having HIV. There has to be a first. And yes Jackie and Magic were judged when they first started. But, bow Blacks are the top players in our professional sports teams and Magic educated and got rid of many myths about HIV. Once a person comes out and tells the media who they are, people are going to be furious and others will accept them. I do understand players concerns about being in the locker room and being afraid they may be hit on, but you have to look at the person as who he is and how being gay doesn't turn them into a different person. I also must say I wouldn't want a gay teammate, but I'm sure after time you would just have to get use to it and realize that they are the same teammate you played with before their announcement. No matter what though someone needs to be the first and the rest will naturally happen for the best. I want to end this discussion by saying I know I didn't mention lesbians in sport, but for some reason it hasn't been a issue. With several female athletes coming out, I have heard no uproar about them playing sports still. I don't know if people just assume that because they play a less feminine sport as say volleyball that they are automatically more likely to be a lesbian. Furthermore, it seems that women have had players come out the closet and end up being just fine. And I realize when a male athlete comes out that it will be a much bigger story, but over time it will eventually pass. These athletes that wait til they retire to me are not cowards they just didn't want to deal with the constant distraction during there playing career and bring tension to the locker room. Maybe it is a better decision when it comes to waiting to tell those their secret.