I spent this past weekend at UMass Amherst for my brother Brian’s college graduation. Since I’m still feeling the effects of trying to party with 21 year olds, I have decided to roll out a Graduation Edition of the Weekend Recap.
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Congratulations to Rick Welts for graduating from the Professional Sports Campus of Stuck in the Closet University (SITCU).
Welts, who is the President and CEO of the Phoenix Suns, met with NBA Commissioner David Stern, Suns PG Steve Nash, Bill Russell, and former WNBA President Val Ackerman before sitting down with the New York Times to reveal that he was gay.
David Stern commented, “I think there’s a good chance the world will find this unremarkable”, but added that this may reflect his hopes more than his actual thoughts.
Nash and Suns Head Coach Alvin Gentry expressed that the news didn’t change anything for them. Gentry called Welts sexual orientation “irrelevant”.
With all due respect to Stern, Nash, and Gentry, they are being remarkably obtuse.
My first exposure to a homosexual man was courtesy of the Real World back in 1994. I didn’t even really understand what it meant when I was 12.
That was 17 years ago.
In those 17 years you know how many men with top positions in sports have graduated from the Professional Sports Campus of SITCU?
One – Rick Welts. He is the only graduate, the only alumni.
The casual stance that Stern, Nash, and Gentry took on Welts’ announcement would lead us to think that coming out is no big deal. They seem to be saying that anyone, any athlete, coach, GM, President, or Owner could do so free from scorn or consequence.
I grew up on Cape Cod, which is decades away from progressive when it comes to things like homosexuality. Yet since I was 12, I have managed, in the small circle that my life has encompassed, to meet and or become friends with, hundreds of men and women who are open about being gay.
Am I expected to believe that in all of men’s sports, there has not been one gay man with a job in that same time?
If what Stern and Co. are saying is truly the case, then the fact that Welts is the first has nothing to do with the culture of professional sports. It is pure coincidence that no one with a prominent position has happened to be gay. Because if they were, coming out would be as simple as announcing a trade, or the hiring of a coach.
Professional Sports is like the Deep South. There is a certain good ole boy element still very much in play. It allows female reporters to be harassed in locker rooms, it allows men like Kobe Bryant to think calling an official a “faggot” is alright, and it prevents men like Rick Welts from being honest about their sexual orientation for fear of how it could affect their careers.
The fact that he has graduated, and is now proudly wearing a SITCU alumni sweatshirt for all to see, is a big deal.
There are plenty of inept people in sports who are terrible at their jobs. They get to sleep with hookers, cheat on their spouses, do drugs, and they don’t even have to lie about it.
Alvin Gentry said that Welts does a “brilliant job”, and is a “great CEO”. So while he shouldn’t have ever felt compelled to hide who he truly is, that is the world that he was living in.
The fact that Welts felt ready to walk across that stage and into the spotlight, in the hopes that he could inspire others to graduate, is admirable.
While it’s not 1994, and it’s not breaking news to anyone that there are in fact homosexuals in the world, the fact that even the good ole boys could start to become a little more tolerant, is a very big deal.
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Congrats to the Boston Red Sox for graduating from the Sub .500 School for The Underachievers.
Congrats to the Yankees for graduating from The College of Proud and Classy Franchises and for their acceptance in a Masters program for Mistreating Veteran Players in Public.
(More on the Sox sweep of the Yankees in the Wednesday’s Baseball coverage)
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Congrats to Kevin Durant for graduating from the Karl Malone University of Putting up Huge Numbers In Meaningless Games, and for continuing his education by enrolling in the Michael Jordan School for Sticking a 39 point Dagger in Your Heart.
Congrats to Chris Bosh for graduating from The See What Happens When You are Allowed to Get Yours University, and for enrolling in his safety school in order to pursue an MBA in I’ll Shut My Mouth Now.
Congrats to Tom Thibodeau for graduating from The Assistant Coach’s College and for completing a PhD program at The How to Get the Most Out of a Young Superstar Institute.
Congrats to Derrick Rose to graduating from Larry Bird College for Taking the Blame When Your Team Struggles, while receiving an honorary degree from The Allen Iverson School for The Impossible to Keep From Scoring.
Congrats to Russell Westbrook for graduating from the Magic Johnson University of Making Everyone on the Court Better. Even if it was just for one game, it was pretty damn impressive.
Congrats to Doc Rivers for dropping out of Denial College, and for graduating from the College of We Made a Bad Trade That Cost Us Our Season and Our Fans Were Right When They Condemned it Months Ago.
—–Corey
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