First Openly-Gay Major League Baseball Player

[jadyqg12511]

He has a wife

[robbabaron]

Isn't enough the SF Giants won the pennant?

[SeanChapin1]

@robbabaron, the greatest change toward achieving LGBT acceptance and equality in professional team sports would result from a professional player coming out of the closet.

[RRNYC1998]

Gays shoo

[SeanChapin1]

@RRNYC1998, sorry?

[RRNYC1998]

@SeanChapin1 I meant gays should stop bugging straights.

[SeanChapin1]

@RRNYC1998, I don't understand how gay people are "bugging" straight people?

[twinkie13st]

Is this a real story why weren't there any real pictures or video? Huh.

[SeanChapin1]

@twinkie13st, this is not a real story. The slide at 2:56 states that "this story parallels a true event when Jackie Robinson became the first black Major League Baseball player in 1947," and it wasn't meant to be misleading toward suggesting that the story was true.

[imekapoios]

many gays like more the sports coz they want to have good bodies like me

[SeanChapin1]

@imekapoios, I'm a gay man, and I love sports for the same reasons as straight people.

[dudeman5790]

trying to prove a negative nice one. homosexuals have and will never face the kind of struggle that blacks did and I'm frankly sick that you tried to compare Jackie Robinson's struggles with the struggles of a fictional gay character.

[SeanChapin1]

@dudeman5790, I believe that the struggle between an openly-gay player today and an African-American player decades ago have both differences and similarities, one common similarity being that both groups were/are oppressed in the professional sports world. I'm disappointed those who seem to choose not to open their minds towards the realm of possibility that a professional gay sports player would face in a very, very largely homophobic sports environment.

[fressen]

@dudeman5790 Who cares?!  Life is full of disappointments, then you die.

[dudeman5790]

@fressen little pointer here, if you reply to a comment more than a few months old, no one will like you.

[moxucd]

I assume you have lots of gay friends. How many are even interested in playing ball? Because just about all my straight guy friends would consider playing in the MLB their dream job, and all they ever did when younger was play ball. All my gay guy friends consider acting, singing or fashion designer their dream job, and their hobbies when younger reflected that. If so few gays are playing baseball as kids, then the chances of one getting to the highest level that much less. (contd)

[moxucd]

Anyway, sorry 'bout the long, winding posts. I just think it's unfair to blame MLB (one of the most tolerant organizations on the planet) and jocks in general for keeping gays down. Us athletes are welcoming to all (only ability and personality matter to us). I think the truth is gays just haven't had the same level interest in partaking in our passions. There are many homophobic circles out there still, like conservative Christians, but sports isn't one of them. Thanks for reading.

[imekapoios]

im different ;)

[moxucd]

I honestly don't think sports is homophobic and I don't think an openly gay player would face what you portray. I'm a jock-type, and my friends and I are all serious athletes (baseball, basketball, football) and while we may derisively call someone "gay" none of us would have any problems whatsoever with a gay teammate. Gays are less interested in sports. It's hard enough to get to MLB, NFL, NBA, etc. When not many gays play in high school, it's possible none of them make it to the show.

[SeanChapin1]

moxucd, if that were the case, and if 1 in 10 are LGBT, then we would have openly-gay baseball players on almost every team in Major League Baseball, but we don't. Last month, lots of fans watching the Chicago White Sox play against hometown rivals Chicago Cubs were wearing a very homophobic t-shirt comparing Cubs fans pejoratively to gay people and demeaning LGBT people in the process. There are numerous gay people interested in sports, and I can't believe that none in MLB are gay.

[moxucd]

Hey Sean, my point is just because 1-in-10 in the general population is LGBT doesn't mean 1-in-10 in all walks of life are LGBT. (I mean, are you saying 9-in-10 male fashion designers are straight?) I believe it's much more likely there isn't a gay guy in MLB than there is a closet one afraid to come out. The jock culture (of which I consider myself part of) may say pejorative things (as you put it) but we as tolerant of gays (I'm go further and say we embrace) is any culture out there. (cont'd)

[moxucd]

One quick thing on the saying offensive stuff. Jocks are equal opportunity offenders, but just because we say "pejorative" things doesn't mean anything. For us, calling someone "gay" for doing something effeminate (or acting sensitive) is no different than derisively calling someone "Asian" for being a bad driver (I am Asian), "white" for not being able to jump, or a "girl" for being dramatic. Doesn't mean we have problems with someone being gay, Asian, white or a girl.

[moxucd]

Anyway, to back up my original point. I didn't play baseball in high school, but many of my best friends have. (Many played past high school, but I'll discuss here because it's the highest level someone can just sign up and play if they want). All of the baseball playing friends I've talked to about this (and, yes, this has been talked about) had a combined zero gay teammates in high school. I'll assuming there are gay high school players out there, but there percentage has to be microscopic.

[moxucd]

So if so few high school players are gay, it's a realistic possibility (even probability) that every one of them are weeded out (because of ability, not sexual preference) by the time they get past college and four levels of minor leagues. (contd)

[sedrictony]

Sean, nice intent, but it's JACKIE ROBINSON, not ROBERTSON!

[SeanChapin1]

sedrictony, I changed the names of the players and team names from the actual story of Jackie Robinson's first year in the Major Leagues in telling this story (that's why I said "The story is almost word-for-word a re-telling" in the video description to the right of the video window, the key word being "almost").

[ashketchumpikachu]

the manger of the brooklyn dodgers is dead u idiot he died in 1979. and is still dead in 2009

[SeanChapin1]

Grimeasshole, judging solely based on the nature of your comment as well as your incredibly mean-spirited personal email to me, you appear to be an dangerously angry person and an apparent threat to homosexual people, and I strongly suggest for you to get some help in order to resolve these intense feelings you harbor. I personally don't appreciate the hate mail and intended distress that you wish to inflict upon me. It's unbecoming, especially for someone who has more rights than others.

[BonnieHalfElven]

While I understand the reason for your video, I don't think it's right to pressure anyone into coming out if they don't want to.

You don't walk in their shoes.

I imagine that for this to really have the desired effect, it will have to be someone who is so valuable and talented as a player that their teammates and their sport will almost be forced to concede that sexual orientation does not matter.

[SeanChapin1]

I do understand that it can be a tremendous lot to ask for someone to come out in a particularly adverse environment, especially the world of professional sports. That said, if there are any players who have given it some serious thought, I do hope that a video like mine could provide enough inspiration for one or more of them to make the leap and come out. Such change to sports culture in the USA is needed, especially when being gay in sports isn't nearly such a big deal in other countries.

[BonnieHalfElven]

Being gay at all isn't nearly such a big deal in other countries.

[LaReinaDelBarrio]

You haven't heard about the human rights abuses and murders of gays in Jamaica, Iran, and many other countries Bonnie...

[SeanChapin1]

LaReinaDelBarrio, I'm thinking that Bonnie was probably referring to a number of countries where being gay is more accepted than in America, but you're definitely right that there are additionally other countries that treat gay people utterly horribly bad. The Declaration of Gay Rights presented to the UN in late 2008 illustrates differences in treatment of gay people pretty well (I did a video of it that you can find by searching for UN Gay Rights Declaration)

[BonnieHalfElven]

I have. I should have said "some" other countries. My bad.

[SeanChapin1]

From what I read, it's a different environment outside of America. There was a great rugby player from Australia in the 90's named Ian Roberts who was openly gay, and his home team and fans didn't care. I hope the USA gets to that point soon enough.

[SeanChapin1]

You're definitely right that Burke and Bean were both openly-gay mlb players, though I don't know if they came out during or after their careers (I'm assuming after)...hopefully someone will come out while they're still in the leagues. Thanks for the comment!

[ble86n]

Sean, this is a great video!

Well done : )