Jane McManus on the potential for an out gay player in the NFL

From ESPN-W (why is a story on gay men in the women's section...?):

The setup is deceptively simple, as linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo sits in a cavernous room, wearing his purple Baltimore Ravens jersey. With a golden spotlight on his face, he delivers a few short but powerful lines, captured by a single close-up camera.

"Gay and lesbian couples want to marry for similar reasons as we all do: love and commitment," Ayanbadejo said. "It's time to allow them the opportunity to build a family though marriage. It's a matter of fairness."

With that video to support a marriage equity proposition in Maryland, Ayanbadejo touched the third rail in a sport that markets masculinity -- the National Football League. Sports message boards erupted with questions about Ayanbadejo's sexuality, and lashed insults at the linebacker.

"It's not anything I'm afraid of," Ayanbadejo said. "If I have to put a cause on my back, I'm happy to do that."

Merely supporting homosexuals who want the right to get married is a bold act from the perch of the NFL, so imagine the response if a player announced he were gay. There have been men and women athletes who have come out, such as Sheryl Swoopes and Greg Louganis, but not a male player in one of the professional American sports leagues such as Major League Baseball, The National Football League or the National Basketball Association.

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