Source: Mark J. Rebilas- USA Today Sports
Honestly, I don’t think that Jason Collins’ coming out will have that much effect on the NBA, or any other professional sport. It’s not like other professional organizations are going to “downgrade” the NBA. If anything, the NBA is going to receive more attention in the news.
For Collins, the “homophobic” players may hesitate when they go to block him. Others might have a little more rage, but I highly doubt that anyone is going to go “beat him up” just because he is gay. He should be treated just like he has been in the past and just like every other player out on the court. If players do become too physically aggressive, then they will receive a suspension anyways.
This big announcement has turned into a “big distraction” for the playoffs according to some fellow NBA players. I don’t know why they should be worried about the announcement. If anything, it should give other players a break from the constant media attention.
Collins on the other hand, may struggle since he is an unrestricted free agent. He is not a top player in the league, and he may struggle to find a team. However, if someone does willingly pick him up, then that team could get a ton of fan support from the gay community.
His team would become bigger in the media, and Collins has already proved to be a hero for the gay community that enjoys sports. If for some reason Collins doesn’t make a team, then he will probably still become a Hollywood Star as well as an activist in the movement for gay marriage.
I know this is a very biased issue in today’s society, but if you are a true NBA fan, you’re not going to stop watching just because one player is gay. It would actually be really cool if the NBA could come out with some sort of gay-pride support, but that probably won’t happen anytime in the near future.
This is a whole culture change for the nation, not just the NBA, and I hope that other players will begin coming out as well. Collins is just the catalyst to begin the movement to accept the fact that gay people can play sports too.
