This will be the major story on sports talk radio today for sure, and elsewhere: 12-year NBA veteran Jason Collins has announced that he is gay:
I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay.
I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation. I wish I wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, "I'm different." If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand.
My journey of self-discovery and self-acknowledgement began in my hometown of Los Angeles and has taken me through two state high school championships, the NCAA Final Four and the Elite Eight, and nine playoffs in 12 NBA seasons.
It's a touching story and I urge you to read all of it. In a sad way it's sad that even now it takes a very brave man to make this announcement, but I sure am glad he did. While Collins isn't a star like Jackie Robinson was when he broke baseball's color line, Collins' first step will hopefully be all that other athletes need to be honest to themselves and their fans.