For gay athletes, what comes after coming out?
— -- This story is part of ESPN's ongoing series exploring what it means to be an openly gay athlete in the post-acceptance world. Look for stories on Derrick Gordon, Megan Rapinoe, Chris Mosier and others in ESPN The Magazine's Being Out Issue, on newsstands Oct. 30. Subscribe today!
NOT SO LONG ago, it seemed as if it was finally happening, that the revolution of athletes coming out of the closet had arrived and was passing, all within a few short years.
Robbie Rogers had come out and played in MLS. College hoops star Brittney Griner had come out and played in the WNBA. Veteran NBA big man Jason Collins had come out and joined the Nets for their playoff run. Defensive prospect Michael Sam had come out before the NFL draft and been selected by the Rams.
It looked as if we as a society were ready to take a quick leap from having no out gay athletes in major team sports to considering it ordinary. That what had been a thing might suddenly become no big thing.
Except that we haven't seen that. There was no wave of pro athletes coming out. Instead of seeing Michael Sam's sack dance on the gridiron, we saw him on Dancing With the Stars. Now Sam is most famous for something he didn't get to do. And we haven't seen anybody come out in the major pro leagues since. What was a thing is still a thing, which leaves us with a big question: Who hit the pause button?
"For the most part, the gay revolution is over, and now we're in the gay evolution," says Hollywood PR guru Howard Bragman. "And evolutions move slower than revolutions."
Bragman is in a position to know. He's helped steer Collins, Sam, former NFL player Esera Tuaolo, former NBA player John Amaechi, former WNBA player Sheryl Swoopes and others through their public coming outs. His observation is a reminder that we haven't yet reached the end of the beginning and that what's to come is the hard work of forging not just acceptance or understanding but actual integration.
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