Ex-NBA player John Amaechi to come out publically

[KingofCards]

What exactly is a xenophobe?

dodie53

 

[Diamondback Jay]

Here's homophobia at it's finest.

From another board I post at--

damn, I used to have a jersey card with this dude on it..so what does this mean, since I think this is the 1st openly gay NBA player to come out publically..

Its a shame he was actually a Knick sometime in his career

He probably passed around the virus, I've noticed Stephon has an interesting sense of style.

You didn't touch it, did you!? (the card)

Studies show that 7/10 guys who touch a gay man's jersey turn gay within days.

 

[elindholm]

Well, most of those are probably intended as jokes, but I agree that they are in poor taste.

 

[Diamondback Jay]

Well, most of those are probably intended as jokes, but I agree that they are in poor taste.

I'd say 4 of the 5 were jokes.

The second one wasn't. The guy is honestly a homophobe to the nth degree.

 

[Chaplin]

In other news, Don Ameche is not gay, much to the relief of Jessica Tandy

Not that it matters, but Jessica Tandy (who is deceased) was married to Hume Cronyn. Just because Don Ameche and Jessica Tandy were in Cocoon together doesn't mean they were "together".



As to the subject of this thread, "Who cares?" Like Eric said, it's the 21st century. Move on.

 

[Diamondback Jay]

It is the 21st Century.. We're in an era where it's more widely accepted by society as a whole.

 

[DevonCardsFan]

Three years after his playing career ended, Amaechi has become the sixth professional male athlete from one of the four major American sports leagues ... to publicly discuss his homosexuality.

I find it somewhat disturbing that people have been keeping track for 30 years of exactly how many former professional athletes have come out of the closet. It's the 21st century. Move on.

For this to be such a big deal for a retired player to come out, really most of my friends who watch the NBA would not know this guys name and the way they carried on about two black coaches in the Superbowl, it shows this society is just filled with a bunch of Politically correct acting fakes. It shows everyone pretty much that people are more willing to be more accepting of Gays or Minorities. But they still cant see past the fact that people are gay or of a diffrent race then them, people still see each other for there diffrences, not for the things they have in common.

 

[Gee!]

really most of my friends who watch the NBA would not know this guys name

I had no idea who he is.. Even after looking up his pic it still doesnt ring any bells.. I recall hearing his name before, but just cant place him and Ive been watching the NBA for most of my life.. Just from his name I thought he was white, but see he's black..



edit: here's his pic if anyone cares..

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Mainstreet]

Unfortunately, it is still a big deal. Homophobia is still rampant in sports, more so than society in general.

Sadly, I think you are right. Have you noticed all the commercials on TV that is addressing the "manly" issue through the back door?

 

[Chaplin]

I didn't look it up, but wasn't he a member of the New Jersey Nets at one time?

EDIT: Ach, I was wrong, that's what I get from not reading the whole article. Must have been the Jazz years I was thinking of. Either way, he was on a team I didn't like.

 

[Gee!]

I didn't look it up, but wasn't he a member of the New Jersey Nets at one time?

EDIT: Ach, I was wrong, that's what I get from not reading the whole article. Must have been the Jazz years I was thinking of. Either way, he was on a team I didn't like.

Is that an anti gay statement?

 

[Chaplin]

Is that an anti gay statement?

Nah, just an anti-Jazz statement.

 

[SunsTzu]

I had no idea who he is.. Even after looking up his pic it still doesnt ring any bells.. I recall hearing his name before, but just cant place him and Ive been watching the NBA for most of my life.. Just from his name I thought he was white, but see he's black..

The thing that sticks in my mind about Amechi was he was one of the guys the Pistons wanted when they traded Grant Hill to Orlando. Pistons wanted either Amechi or Ben Wallace and on Doc Rivers' recomendation the Magic kept Amechi.

 

[boisesuns]

Nah, just an anti-Jazz statement.

Jazz is awesome. The music genre not the NBA team

 

[fordronken]

I just can't believe there's a reason for people to spend this much time talking about John Amaechi.

 

[Ryanwb]

Vlade Divac needs to come out next, any man who requested to play in two sizes too small shorts must have another motive

 

[LakeShowMan]

Vlade Divac needs to come out next, any man who requested to play in two sizes too small shorts must have another motive

John Stockton?

 

[Gee!]

John Stockton?

Vlade's motive was to lure in Stockon? Wow, things youd have never known..

 

[hsandhu]

Barkley's saying he played with several gay players. Some of them may have been/probably were Suns.

I'm sure a lot of us could probably make an educated guess, including rumors I heard when I was in high school, and I can honestly say it never mattered.

 

[justAndy]

... and Chuckles survived, no fear.
maybe if they just have the hetero showers and seperate homo showers?

 

[Divide Et Impera]

Update:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=afp-basketnbaengamaechi&prov=afp&type=lgns

Gay ex-NBA Englishman Amaechi receives threats

AFP
February 13, 2007
NEW YORK (AFP) - John Amaechi, the British former NBA player who revealed last week that he is gay, said he has received threats since making his homosexuality public.

"I have received e-mails that would make you sick," Amaechi said in promoting his new book. "Man in the Middle", an autobiography of Amaechi's life as a closeted gay man in the NBA, will hit US bookshelves next week.

Amaechi said his mission is less to change NBA attitudes toward gay men than it is to send a message to gay athletes in all sports.


"This was the right thing to do at the right time," Amaechi said.

"I'm not doing this to change the NBA. I'm doing this for the high school (American football) quarterback who is thinking about sticking his head in a noose because he can't come to grips with the fact he's gay.

"What I'm trying to do is create a discourse, open people's minds. Obviously people are going to talk about (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered) people in sport. But there's a more global issue beyond that.

"It's a workplace issue, bearing in mind there are places in this country where people can be fired for being gay. It's a diversity issue."

Amaechi ridiculed NBA commissioner David Stern's notion that the predominently black NBA is a diverse league.

"I like David Stern and we've spent time together talking about these issues, but to suggest a league is diverse when it is 80 percent black and zero percent openly gay - well, that's not diverse," Amaechi said.

Amaechi suggests that NBA players interact with people from similar backgrounds and accept rhetoric on homosexuals rather than seeking their own answers.

"The fears of society are distilled into the small space of the locker room," Amaechi said.

Some NBA players have said they would be fine with gay teammates as long as they did not make advances toward them.

"The narcissism and vanity is remarkable," Amaechi said. "Part of the stereotype I hope to break is that gay men are ready to jump on anything that walks by."

Amaechi said he never faced such locker room issues.

"It was something that never came up for me," Amaechi said. "I always showered and dressed quickly because I didn't want to be interviewed while I was naked."

The 36-year-old Englishman who played five NBA seasons with Orlando, Utah and Cleveland said there are gay players now in the NBA but would not identify them.

"It would be inappropriate to a massive extent to jeopardize somebody else's mental and emotional welfare to prove a point," Amaechi said.

What a quaint, nice, accepting country we have....

 

[LakeShowMan]

Update:
What a quaint, nice, accepting country we have....

Sad, but true.

Bigotry on any level is still bigotry. Unfortunately, attitudes against gay people is a doubled barreled shotgun. You not only have people that hate people based on their lifestyle, race, religion, etc. simply because it is different. Then you also have edicts from almost every religio that being homosexual is an afront to their god.

Over time hopefully some of those peoples minds (or more likely their children's minds) will become more accepting. Sadly enough though, the religious stance will almost certainly never change.

Humankind still has quite a long way to go, not sure if it will ever get there.

**Edited to be more clear.**

 

[elindholm]

Actually, one of the hardest things to accept is intolerance, but the truly accepting are able to make accommodations. The strength of the "freedom" in this country, at least by traditional theory, comes from the right to hold unpopular positions, including ones that can be characterized as bigoted or prejudiced. Realize that if you cannot tolerate someone else's bigoted opinion, you have become intolerant yourself.

 

[Mulli]

Perhaps he should have 1) seen this coming, and 2) considered not writing a book that calls out specific individuals (I have not read the book.)

I would think someone could write a book about being gay in the NBA without the name-calling. Wouldn't sell as many books though.

 

[Chaz]

"There are two kinds of people I can't stand in this world. People who are intolerant of other people's cultures, and the Dutch."