David Kopay is not a name most sports fans would be familiar with. It should be.
Kopay was an NFL running back for five different teams – San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers – for nine seasons between 1964 and 1972. He finished his career with rather modest stats, scoring only three touchdowns and gaining only 876 yards from scrimmage.
But Kopay’s legacy is not measured in yards per carry and broken tackles. It’s based on something much more.
In 1975 – two years after his retirement – Kopay was the first NFL player to publically announce he was a homosexual. While it shocked the NFL community, his announcement came as no surprise to those close to him. He reportedly had an open relationship with former Washington teammate Jerry Smith. He never made his sexuality public during his playing career, however Vince Lombardi – his coach at the time – apparently knew about his situation.
Kopay repeatedly claimed by making his orientation public, it would help gay athletes’ fight to gain mainstream acceptance and respect from all corners of society. He also said the battle for gay player’s rights and respect in the public sphere would take years, not decades.
However the now 68-year-old learnt the hard way that the sporting world was not ready for the gay community.
Immediately following his 1973 retirement, Kopay was considered a hot coaching prospect. After his announcement, interest cooled. Upon the release of his 1977 autobiography, he was not on any NFL or College team’s radar.
Yet even through all the abuse, Kopay continued his fight. And it seems almost four decades later, the moment he dreamed of may have finally arrived.
In the past month, Phoenix Suns President Rick Welts became the first executive in men’s sport to announce he was a homosexual. Then ESPN New York Radio personality Jared Max ‘came out’ live on his show. Sean Avery of the NHL’s New York Rangers – one of the league’s biggest stars – publically spoke out in support of same-sex marriage.
Perhaps comments made by Charles Barkley – NBA Hall-of-Famer and analyst for US Network TNT – are the most significant.
In a radio interview on Washington’s 106.7FM ‘The Fan’ program – one of the highest rating programs in the area – Barkley categorically dismissed claims that male athletes are homophobic and the sporting locker room is not ready for openly gay teammates.
‘First of all, every player has played with gay guys,’ he said, further stating that any player who says he hasn’t is ‘a stone-freakin’ idiot.’
‘It bothers me when I hear these reporters and jocks get on TV and say: “Oh, no guy can come out in a team sport. These guys would go crazy.” First of all, quit telling me what I think. I’d rather have a gay guy who can play than a straight guy who can’t play,’ Barkley said.
The former champion’s comments, combined with the events of the past week, have been so monumental. Some have referred to them as generational.
Cyd Zeigler, editor of Outsports – a website for ‘gay sports fans and athletes’ – went as far as comparing them to the historic events of 1947.
‘What 1947 was to black people in sports, 2011 will be to gay people in sports,’ he said.
Zeigler is of course referring to the historic moment when Jackie Robinson became the first black man to play US Major League Baseball. It was seen as one of the key drivers of the civil rights movement in America.
Currently, there are no openly gay active athletes in any of the four main US sporting leagues – NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL – and no active player in a mainstream Australian sport has ever publically come out. Former AFL Star Jason Akermanis even wrote an article last year, which advised any gay players to not come out in fear of the damage it would cause.
Hopefully any homosexual athlete would look at the events of the last month, and be encouraged to make what will be a monumental announcement, by coming out of the closet.
The fight Kopay – and other gay athletes and advocates are fighting – is not yet over.
The incredibly masculine world of professional sport, that once perceived homosexuality as a weakness, is changing. Athletes and fans, who have accepted homosexuality in mainstream society, are now taking the lead in this change.
Sports fans should be more concerned on whether a player on my team can make a jump-shot or kick a goal from 50 metres, rather than what he does once he leaves the field.
Liam Quinn is a first-year Bachelor of Journalism student at La Trobe University. This piece was originally published on The Roar.
