Whether I am coaching high school, college or in the pros I hope my players can always be themselves. In many cases, the opportunity never comes. Hopefully he is strong enough to survive until he is ready to reveal his true self. He will go home at night and question who he really is. His secret will consume him and always be in the back of his mind. When school opens he will head to the field and perform nowhere near his potential. Somewhere in America today a young, gay closeted athlete read your comments and decided to stay in the closet.
#Porn gay forced coach professional#
I understand that being a professional carries very different responsibilities. All have been embraced by their team.Īs a coach I always consider myself an educator and someone who is preparing my players for adulthood. Every athlete that I have spoken with has had more success in their sport after being able to be themselves. My team would flourish and the benefits would be fruitful. I would love nothing more than for each player to enter the gym with clear minds and focus on the task at hand. The charade has to be exhausting, yet we would expect him to perform on the field or court just like everyone else. Having lived that life I know how draining it can be. The one who talks about women with his teammates and how much he enjoys them, but each night goes home knowing his life is a lie. Imagine the player who is forced to live two lives. If it happens to be a game day, the outcome can be worst. If it is a practice day, one player's poor attitude can cause the entire session to be lackluster. Be it a fight with his girlfriend or problems at home, many times I can pick up on it quickly. In my experiences, I could tell if one of my players is not mentally "right" immediately.
Why would you not want your players to be themselves? If you had a gay player on your team (and I am sure that at some point you have), wouldn't you want him to be in the best physical and mental state? I have coached high school and college for 18 years, but I like to think that I have positively affected many of my student-athletes' lives. Now as a coach I am in a different stratosphere when it comes to success. Anthony Nicodemo comes out as gay Tony Dungy: Yep, I'm still a homophobe