Word: nfl
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Upon hearing that former NBA player John Amaechi disclosed in his new book that he is gay, Shaquille O'Neal said that if he had a gay teammate, he would "protect him from outsiders." That's a revolutionary reaction compared with the crass comments that greeted NFL player David Kopay in 1975, when he became the first athlete from the four major professional U.S. sports to reveal his homosexuality. Still, the British-bred Amaechi, right, notes that most locker rooms aren't exactly gay friendly. He says some current NBA players have told him they're gay but remain terrified...
While playing for the Washington Redskins, Kopay says, he had an ongoing affair with teammate Jerry Smith--who died of AIDS in 1986. The former heartthrob running back insists that being honest about his sexuality cost him NFL coaching jobs. He has been a buyer at Linoleum City in Hollywood for two decades...
...Samoan Hawaiian used football to escape the "banana ghetto." Singing the national anthem before a Green Bay Packers game inspired the music career he has pursued since he left the NFL in '99. Although he officially came out in 2002, he has been with his partner for a decade, and they have adopted twins...
...Until last night. Having grown up as a Bears fan in pre-Colts Indianapolis - the first NFL game my father ever took me to see was at Soldier Field - I've never been as ardent a fan of Peyton Manning's crew as my younger brother is (or my son, whom I've gladly let my Hoosier relatives turn into a Colts enthusiast). But today I can't help feeling that the balance of urban cachet back home along I-65 has changed to a certain, positive extent. Indianapolis may never be Chicago, but it's certainly no longer...
...fond of the idea of cities using pro sports franchises to validate their self-worth; there are too many Super Bowl champion towns out there whose schools, economies and infrastructures remain mired in the cellar. But in this instance, Indianapolis can probably be excused for seeking affirmation on the NFL stage - if only because the shadow to the north that it's lived under for so long has been such a, well, a bear...