Soccer players, handball players, basketball players come out
Gay professionals: Something moves in the sport
It was the first in American television history. Colton Underwood, once an NFL professional with the Oakland Raiders, had a choice between two women in the finals as a bachelor. But Underwood said goodbye to both of them with a broken voice because he wanted to fight for a lady who had dropped out voluntarily in third place. Colton Underwood had previously made headlines around the world when he, the professional athlete, announced that he was still a virgin.
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Two years later, Colton Underwood was again in the public eye. Again because of his love life. But it was not about one or more women. He came out as gay.
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2021: NFL professional and former NFL professional announces homosexuality
Colton Underwood was no longer playing in the National Football League at this time. But his example caught on: On June 21, 2021, Carl Nassib of the Las Vegas Raiders posted a video on Instagram. “What works? This is Carl Nassib. I would like to take a moment to say: I’m gay.” He thought about it for a while and hopes that such upcoming videos will no longer be necessary at some point, he said.The public reacted mostly positively, sales of his shirt were higher than superstars like Tom Bradey or Patrick Mahomes. Joe Biden thanked him for his courage on Twitter and described Nassib as inspiring.
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Rugby, football, basketball, handball, baseball: more and more athletes are coming out
Just like in football, there has been a change in professional sports around the world where players are attributed a certain masculinity. In recent years, professional athletes have come from many top sports – from football to rugby and baseball to basketball and handball. But even though there have always been individual outings in football before, homosexuality in rugby and football has only been a problem since 2020. In 2020, the American second division rugby club Levi Davis, last year Devin Ibañez, came out. A first for professional handball came in 2022, when the Norwegian national team player Ola Hoftun Lillelien came out as gay – on the 50th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality.
In basketball, on the other hand, there have been several outings. In 2013, Jason Collins started as the first professional in the major American A-leagues. After a long job hunt, he played one more season for the Brooklyn Nets before retiring. The Swiss Marco Lehmann came out last year – according to his own statement, because his teammates repeatedly made homophobic statements. In Germany, Derrick Gordon of the Second Division Gladiators Trier has been the first openly gay basketball professional since 2021. Sean Conroy was the first active baseball player to report his homosexuality back in 2015.
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