Back in the day, gays were stereotyped. If you were a florist, interior decorator or in the arts, you were presumed gay. Some camouflaged themselves in more clandestine careers like priest, sailor or cowboy. The advantage of the latter was being an unmarried male yet above and beyond suspicion. Besides, dedicating one’s life to God, country or cows also meant smart wardrobe like brocade vestments, Crackerjacks or chaps—all with amazing hats to match. Today, given the strides we’ve made, anything goes, almost. One holdout—professional sports—manages to maintain a defensive line.
Of course, there have always been gay players in our national athletic leagues but most remained closeted. Lesbian athletes fared a tad better. But then, tennis isn’t football and women’s roller derby—with all those elbows to the face—probably offer straight men, especially married ones, a vicarious thrill. But, last year’s uproar over out and proud NFL draft pick, Michael Sam, showed us where we stand. Depending on whom you ask, Sam’s being gay may or may not have resulted in his fall from grace but it certainly didn’t help.
Locally, our Green Bay Packers have had their share of gay players. David Kopay and Esera Tuaolo came out, but only after their retirements. More recently, Aaron Rodgers was the object of wishful thinking. When his live-in personal assistant, Kevin Lanflisi, seemingly outed him, there were great expectations for LGBT progress. Clay Matthews, perhaps in anticipation that things would come to a head, declared sexual orientation didn't matter in the GB locker room. But, the bachelor cum quarterback protested, a lot, maybe too much, insisting he “really really liked women.” It appeared rumors of Rodgers’ disguise were premature. Save for an occasional snarky tweet, the alleged ex has faded away, perhaps with a gag order and some cash. So much for fantasy football. Fans sighed relief, others disbelief, but the Packer played on. Since the Lanflisi spat, Rodgers has had a spate of girlfriends. Now there’s speculation he’ll soon be engaged to the current one, Olivia Munn. She’s not shy either. According to her, they have lots of sex. Last December, the pundits noted Rodgers was playing despite having the flu. I’m sure fans were duly sympathetic but really wondered if he and Olivia had sex that morning.
Meanwhile, baseball season is in the offing. I knew of a gay Pittsburgh Pirate. In fact, the former owner of the Pirates, Kevin McClatchy, is gay. Certainly, gay players in professional sports aren’t limited to Packers and Pirates. They’re everywhere. When NBA player Jason Collins came out in 2013, Brewer Ryan Braun said he’d embrace gay baseball players. Well, the idea of them, anyway. One of these days a Brewer may be out and about. Be he a pitcher or a catcher, or any other position for that matter, I hope he’ll have the courage to take us all out to the ball game. And I just can’t wait for his Bobblehead Day at Miller Park.
