Why the 'Mans Mans' Game is an Insult to Men

This movie is about Rene Portland – she was a basketball coach at Penn State University who discriminated against her lesbian players based on their sexual orientation. She coached at Penn state for over 25 years, during which time she pushed a homophobic agenda as a selling point for Penn state women’s basketball. There were harsh consequences for players who broke her training rules, including suspension from the team. No one stood up to her regarding these issues for years until Jennifer Harris did. They would have scholarships revoked, and she assured them that they would never play basketball again because she would make it impossible to transfer. She threatened telling the University, media, and their parents. Therefore, these women lived their lives in secret or were forced to quit the team or risk facing a death sentence in a sense. All of this makes sport a scary place for LGBT athletes. Additionally, the NFL article calls a player coming out a "milestone event in American pro sports." I question how in 2014 this issue is still so highly controversial, but seeing coaches like Rene Portland make it a little more clear. 

However, I think the world is ready for more high level players to be open about their sexual preference.  Mizzou grad and NFL prospect Michael Sam recently came out as being openly gay and received an outpouring of support from coaches, teammates, NFL players, students at his school, and even recieved a tweet from president obama! I really think that the world needs this, and people are ready for it!

To make a more inclusive culture in American sport I think we need more pioneers like Michael Sam or Robbie Rodgers -- top notch athletes in their sport -- to be open and proud about their sexual preferences. The more people that come out, the more normalized it will be in our society, until hopefully many years down the road it is a non-issue. I believe that having pioneers like Michael Sam is so important because it will begin to show that homosexuality has no effect on athletic performance, can still foster an environment of comradarie among teammates, and will hopefully be a safer place for all athletes.