The notable athletes weighing in on what it would like to play with a gay teammate trend has spilled over to other sports. Most recently Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was asked about what it would be like to have an openly gay teammate.
From the Boston Herald’s Steve Buckley:
"Ortiz, speaking yesterday about having an openly gay teammate, said that his mother, Angela, taught him a valuable lesson about acceptance. He talked of having a childhood friend, who, he said, “we all knew, when he was 13, that he was gay. And he was always talking to my mother, telling her everything. They were close. And it was my mother who taught me to love people for who they are. That’s what she told me.”These words from Ortiz, perhaps the most popular player in Major League Baseball, were delivered just one morning after Jason Collins of the Brooklyn Nets broke the “gay barrier” by becoming the first out athlete to play in any of the four North American major sports leagues."
Ortiz wasn’t finished and had some other interesting “Ortiz-like” comments.
“It’s something you’re born with and everybody needs to accept that. Hey, look, the way I see things, I love people the way they are. Especially if you are honest with yourself. You know what I’m saying?
“It’s the (expletive) 21st century man. Get over it.”
It is the 21st century and it is coming. The NBA saw its first openly gay player take the court and the NFL is poised to have its first openly gay player.