Craig Mitchell -- Gays in the Outfield

The sports world seems to be quite divided on Michael Sam coming out of the closet.  My take; a total brave and ballsy move on his part.  Sam showed the NFL and the world in general that he is a young man of high courage and integrity.  I’m not saying that because he’s gay. I’m saying that because he came out before he got paid, before he got drafted.  Unfortunately, the consensus is that this is going to hurt his draft position and future earnings greatly.  That is not only quite possible, but quite probable. That’s why I admire him for doing it. Sam in essence said. This is who I am, this is what you get. I have to admire that.  He’s an athlete being true to himself and to his future team and fans upfront.  There had to be a first. That’s him.  But he’s not the first gay NFL player. He’s the first to be honest about it before or during his career.  Jerry Smith and Esera Tuaolo predate Sam as does I suspect  dozens, if not more, closeted players in pro sports right now and countless more over the NFL’s history.  It had to happen sometime. But Sam will be the first openly gay NFL player. The thing is gays have already played in every sport and probably hold records and stand in their respective Halls of Fame.   But fear of rejection, ridicule and their livelihood and legacy has prevented them from being “out.” Even in retirement.

Major League Baseball has had its share of gay ballplayers.  Nary have any come out, and the one that comes to mind came out after his career ended. I’m talking about Glenn Burke specifically.

That’s about it. The pickings are pretty thin. What should that tell you? There’s only been one gay player in baseball history? Hardly, there are and have been and will be gay baseball players. Gay baseball players are terrified that being true to themselves about who they are would be a disaster and most certainly cause rejection from their owners, teammates and fans. On top of that it would seriously open themselves for ridicule, bullying and a serious reduction in their earnings.

Gay rumors have abounded over the years. Johnny Bench, Sandy Koufax, Mike Piazza, Art Shamsky, Gerald Williams and Clint Hurdle have all heard the whispers and the rumors (none of which were substantiated). Piazza being the latest was forced to call a press conference to dispel the rumors. Sad but true, but it’s a serious matter.  A gay player in the locker room would just be pandemonium.  A pair of homosexual eyes scanning his naked or undressing team mates body? That would be scandalous, a violation of the man code. Unheard of!  The gay player wouldn’t be able to control himself. That’s just a cauldron for trouble.  Well guess what? It has happened. It is probably happening right now, this year and in the future.  According to studies, approximately ten percent of the adult population is homosexual. On opening day there will be 750 players on the rosters of the MLB’s 30 teams.  Using that same equation that would mean there are possibly up to 75 gay players statistically currently in baseball. It’s not that exact, let’s drop it to say 1/5 of the world wide average and say 2 percent. That would be 15 players on major league rosters across MLB. That’s not counting managers, coaching staffs, clubhouse staff or even reporters and press.  There are gay men and women in the locker room every day. The world hasn’t ended and it won’t end anytime soon, at least for that reason.  

How do I know?  I’ve lived it. I’m gay and I have been in locker rooms dozens of times. Now, despite what players, the media and fans say, the least sexy place on the planet is a professional sports locker room before or after a game. Sure there are naked bodies and showers and all that, but there are smells, twenty five players, five to ten coaches and depending on the night, up to thirty to thirty five reporters crammed into a small space in an effort to get sound and stories about the game.  Not only is it not sexy, if you are gay, like me, it’s terrifying.  I just wanted to do my job. I didn’t want to catch a peek at Howard Johnson, or Gregg Jefferies or Rick Cerone, I wanted to get some interesting sound and get my butt home. Did my bosses know I was gay? No. I wasn’t “out” then. Like in baseball and football there is just as much prejudice about gay sportscasters from other sportscasters, or at least there was back then.  Now, actually I worked for some really good people at The Talking Yellow Book and Sports phone, but I believe there might have been some trepidation on their part about sending me to games…..just ….you know….in case something happened.  Well, nothing ever happened, nor will it EVER happen.

The locker room is not a shy place. It’s a place where the players are at home. It’s their domain.  I’ve seen Gregg Jefferies whine in the center of the clubhouse naked, I had Bobby Bonilla get Jay Horowitz to toss me out for asking an innocent question, I had Tim Bogar recognize me from an episode of Ricki Lake and perhaps the strangest thing I ever saw was Darryl Strawberry vying for attention by standing off to the side of a group of reporters talking to Frank Viola buck naked and leaning on a bat about three feet to the right of  where Viola and the swarm stood.  No apparent reason comes to mind aside for a grab for attention. No idea. I didn’t care. I got my sound and I bolted, keeping my eyes navel high or above the whole time.  About this same time that I was all “Business” women reporters were just being accepted into the locker room. I’m sure there were some complaints from players and coaches and most certainly from other reporters, but I wasn’t aware of any.  Women reporters were subject to the same sights, smells and spectacles that we all were.  Every woman I worked with was business-like and professional.  I actually sympathized. Being a woman held and probably still holds pitfalls in a locker room that a closeted gay man like me (at the time) wouldn’t be subjected too.  But, every woman I stood near and next too was oblivious, I call it “Professionally oblivious.” Susan Waldman was one of those women, totally professional and efficient.  She was just there to do a job.  Yet, I heard the rumors and the stories the men reporters said about her behind her back. It’s never easy to blaze new trails.

That’s what Michael Sam wants. That’s what any gay player wants, the opportunity to play the game and do their job, without fear.  They are doing it right now, but in secret, terrified of discovery and living a life of lies in order to play ball, in order to be accepted.  That’s all going to change. Thanks to Michael Sam. Sam had the guts and the bravery to open that door and walk through.  Little by little he will be followed. He already is. As of this writing Jason Collins just took the court last night as the first openly gay player in the NBA. (Collins actually beat Sam to the punch, but Sam came out before his pro career even got started.)  Baseball will have its first too. It’s just a matter of time.  Over the weekend I watched “42” again. I love that movie. It’s absolutely incredible what Jackie Robinson went through breaking into MLB. The teasing, the bean balls, the threats, some of his team mates organizing a petition to get Jackie off the team, some of them refusing to shower with Robinson.   I thought about Michael Sam, and then thought about when the time comes that baseball has an “out” player. What will he go through? I’d like to believe that it won’t be as bad because we have grown as a society in 67 years. Still, it will be a long road to hoe.  The longest journey starts with the first steps, out and proud steps. Whoever this man will be, he will not be a gay ballplayer. He will be a ballplayer who happens to be gay. Just I am a Met fan, actor, comedian and retired sports reporter, who happens to be gay.