In a 2007 op-ed for ESPN, LZ Granderson, the prolific sports writer and CNN commentator, opined, “”When will somebody simply man up? That is, come out while he is still playing and finally demystify this whole gay athlete thing once and for all.”
At the time Granderson was offering a critical take on John Amaechi, the former NBA player who revealed he was gay—but only after retiring from pro-sports. “Get over it,” Granderson concluded: exhausted of the tired rhetoric about how difficult it was to be both gay and successful in professional athletics. The question is valid and, five years later, remains unanswered; but the world…”it is a changing”.
From that lofty perch of intellectual exercise, Granderson may not have imagined that an African-American president would be seated in the Oval Office and vocalizing support for gay marriage rights; yet that is the world in which we live. Old attitudes are evolving in a positive, inclusive direction. President Barack Obama has done more to promote equality for gay and lesbian Americans than all of his predecessors combined.
Following Obama’s historic announcement a few weeks ago, even the NAACP and icons like music mogul Jay-Z announced their support for the president’s decision and expressed the belief that gay rights are human rights, deserving of equal respect.
It seems serendipitous that such a proclamation would come from the first African-American president, especially given the unique history that blacks have in leading the path to civil rights and equality in the United States. But the more things change, the more they seem to stay the same; curiously, of all the major figures in African-American life that vocally supported Obama’s stance, members of the NBA and NFL largely have remained silent.
This week, Wade Davis, a former NFL cornerback back for the Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins and Seattle Seahawks, offered an exclusive interview to Outsports.com, in which he discussed the fact that he is gay and currently working as a mentor to LBGT youth. Davis, who struggled during his four-year career, was eventually sidelined by injuries; but the journey ultimately led him to a fulfilling destiny. Although Davis’ story still fits Granderson’s narrative on coming out after the fact, there is something worthy and progressive here that is unique.
“You just want to be one of the guys, and you don’t want to lose that sense of family,” Davis said in the interview, speaking of close friendships he developed with fellow players Jevon Kearse and Samari Rolle. “Your biggest fear is that you’ll lose that camaraderie and family.”
Speaking to CNN’s Soledad O’Brien yesterday, Davis said, “It takes up every bit of space trying to understand the game of football…at the NFL level and then trying to hide who I was for such a long, long time. I became a great actor. I should get an Oscar for it, honestly.”
Unlike the tired down low meta-narrative often told of African-American males and athletes, Davis shared something more; that as his career took him to the NFL in Europe he made bold strides forward — forming a loving, honest relationship which opened his eyes to the possibility of love.
“I started to think it was possible for me to have a partner and play football at the same time,” Davis says. “I felt normal for the first time.”
When injuries finally halted Davis’ hopes for a successful, long-term career, he was more relieved than disappointed. “When I knew football was over, my life would begin,” Davis said. “I had this football life, but I didn’t have another life away from that. Most of the guys had a family and a wife, but I had football and nothing else.”
Interestingly enough, that life has become one devoted to the needs of LGBT youth and the Obama2012 campaign. As a full-time mentor at Hetrick-Martin Institute in New York, Davis provides the kind of example he never had: a strong, masculine and openly gay mentor. And as Davis explains, President Obama’s support of same-sex marriage has become an inspiration.
“It is one of the most important things I’ve ever been involved in,” Davis says of Obama’s re-election bid. “The ability to influence people for some of the things I believe in, and making sure a person gets in office who I think is going to take the country in the best direction, is extremely important.”
I spoke with LZ Granderson to revisit the conversation he started in 2007 about being openly gay in the NBA and NFL. Although so much progress remains to be made, LZ acknowledged the importance of President Obama’s leadership on the issue.
“We have to begin to look through a wider lens. We are no longer in the days of Tim Hardaway’s infamous pronouncement, “I hate gay people.” In fact, we are a long way from that scenario. And it’s important to recognize the work the leagues are doing and give them credit.”
Granderson expounded, “Both the NFL and NBA have recently had two very public collective bargain agreement disputes and within both of the new contracts, same-sex, domestic partner benefits were included. It is hard to say who pushed for what, but what is clear is that the players union accepted it. If that’s not progress, then what is?”
Speaking about the silence of athletes on Obama’s support of gay marriage, the ESPN writer pushed back. “It’s not often that athletes say anything political or socially conscious, so their silence is consistent with the silence that has always existed. But what you continue to see is overwhelming support for the president. NBA players scheduled “The Obama Classic Fundraiser” to raise money for his 2012 campaign, with the likes of Dwight Howard and Patrick Ewing involved. Separate fundraisers at Vince Carter’s house and Alan Houston’s home also brought major donors on-board. This, of course, is all after the president repealed Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” Granderson concluded.
“In Obama, they have a physical role model that they resonate with. That has never changed. And a big part of his platform from the very beginning has been LGBT rights….this is the evolution.”
Edward Wyckoff Williams is an author, columnist, political and economic analyst, and a former investment banker. Follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.