LaVar Arrington, former Redskin: First out gay NFL player will be a ‘national hero’

Outsports: On his Washington DC-based radio show with Chad Dukes, LaVar Arrington discussed an NFL player coming out of the closet, in response to our article highlighting 12 NFL players who wouldn’t care. Arrington retweeted dozens of responseshe got, and he said that player would be held up as a “national hero”:

I know this, the first person that does it is going to be a hero. I know that. They may go through a lot of ridicule, they may go through a lot of different things, but this is one sport where you have not had a guy just outright while they were playing say look, this is what I am. I bet you he would turn out to be a national hero, if you ask me.

Caster Semenya qualifies for London Olympics in 800m

Outsports: South African middle-distance runner Caster Semenya has qualified for the London Olympics in the 800m. In doing so, she clocked the first sub-2-minute time in South Africa in 21 years. After the historic race, Semenya thanked God:

I feel very special to run it after 21-years. I know in 2009 I was nearly there, but I was just a little kid. But now I have more experience and with God anything is possible. I just have to pray to keep me going like this.

The former World Champion was the center of controversy when allegations about her gender surfaced in 2009. Widespread speculation claims Semenya is intersex, and she’s since been cleared to compete in women’s track & field. But the episode seemed to take a toll on Semenya. Here’s hoping she can recover and perform well in London.

While she has qualified for the Olympics, she has not been officially named to the South African team. It’s unimaginable that she won’t be placed on the team, as she is their best hope for gold in the event.

Rugby star Gareth Thomas starts foundation

Outsports: Welsh rugby star Gareth Thomas, whose powerful coming out story has inspired gays and lesbians worldwide, has started a foundation to help young people via grants, mentoring and networking. The goal of the Gareth Thomas Foundation:

To allow young people and those from marginalized groups to fulfill their potential, addressing the challenges of diversity and using role models from the wider sports world.

The charity is new, so there is not a lot on the website besides a mission statement and a short bio of Thomas. When Cyd and I interviewed him last month (where he showed us his Ellen underwear), Thomas talked excitedly about wanting to do more to help young people, especially those struggling with their sexual orientation. He talked about the loneliness he often felt while closeted, thinking he was the only gay man in the world. He hopes that through the foundation he will be able to help others to not feel so alone.

(Another) Out athlete tells others to stay in the closet

Outsports: Out lesbian German goalkeeper Ursula Holl continues a sad trend of out athletes trying to convince other athletes to not come out. Out Olympian Blake Skjellerup picked up on it last week and set the record straight (so to speak). First he got Holl’s comments translated….

“I think it is problematic that gay players should come out,” referring to her male football colleagues. “The more you disclose about your personal life, the more vulnerable you are. And the fans in the stadium can be very, very cruel. These public hostilities would be difficult to bear…I would not advise any football player to come out.”

…then he put his spin (as an openly gay male athlete) on it:

Whether someone in professional sport wishes to come out or not is his or her own decision. It should not be forced upon them, and it should come in one’s own time. In saying that, the advice I offer is this: You are not alone. Many others just like you and me are out there. For me, coming out made my life better. I perform better, I live better, and life all around is generally better. If you are afraid of what you might lose, think about what you will gain. If one door closes, I can promise you that another will open.

Thankfully for every negative out athlete like Holl there is a positive out athlete like Skjellerup.

Here’s why Coatian soccer never makes it to the World Cup

Outsports: In yet another example of the rampant homophobia in European sports, Croatian Football Federation president Vlatko Markovic has said gays are not welcome in his league.

“While I’m a president of the Croatian Football Federation, there will be no homosexuals playing in the national team”, Vlatko Markovic said in an interview with Croatian national daily Vecernji List.

Asked whether in his career he has met a homosexual footballer, he has replied

“Luckily, only normal people play football“.

Croatian gay organizations are consideration an anti-discrimination lawsuit against the 73-year-old Markovic, who was a young boy when the Nazis came to town.

It’s amazing to me how people hold up Europe as this gay panacea where all people are accepted for who they are, yet the European sports world makes the NFL and Major League Baseball look like a Pride Parade.