I woke up today to see Jason Collins publicly came out of the closet. As I love to put it these days, he's decided to tell us what he's known for a while so it's more freeing for him to not have to live a secret.
I've seen Collins as a hooper since 1997 when I was in 8th grade and I was fascinated by him and his brother Jarron at Harvard-Westlake High School. Two twins were McDonald's All-Americans and heading to Stanford, where they helped torment UCLA during my high school years.
Jason got off to a better start in the NBA but both he and his brother had solid careers over the past decade. Nothing spectacular but anytime you have put a decade's worth of time in the NBA, you've accomplished your dream.
His announcement today simply means one thing. Our climate is better suited for a gay male athlete to come out. There are many straight allies in the press and more in the locker rooms who have openly said they'll support a gay athlete. Some may still be uncomfortable with it and that's okay. The only way you become comfortable is realizing it's around you and opening your mind regardless if you agree or not.
