NBA player Jason Collins recently came out of the closet, becoming the first active openly gay athlete in any major U.S. team sport to do so. I must admit, that was a gutsy move. An A+ for courage. There is a reason why Jason Collins is the first! Gays and team sports have gone together as well as vegans at a beef expo. The locker room hasn’t been friendly to gays.

Yet in this unfolding saga, an intriguing sub-plot has threatened to steal the limelight, that of ESPN’s Chris Broussard. A Christian, he has been lambasted (and there is talk he may lose his job) after airing his views on-air. When asked for comment, he stated that sexual relations are the preserve not of homosexuals or single heterosexuals, but of married heterosexuals. That’s his viewpoint, one that saw knives brandished, turning him into a media martyr. Forget the hypocrisy of leftist media, who implore all for TOLERANCE, yet never accept views divergent to theirs. Broussard has now been labelled everything from a homophobe and a bigot, to intolerant and a coward!

Coward! That struck me, and reminded me of two stories.

Years ago, my older brother labelled me a coward for being a ‘Christian’, never mind that my journey of faith was inspired by him. But apparently I am hiding behind ‘the faith’ because I didn’t want to face life in the so-called ‘real world’. More recently I sat in a class full of mostly Christian men when one of the participants labelled the rest of us, and I quote, “a bunch of sissy, weak-willed, pink-flowered-panty-wearing pansies!” Ouch!

If only that were reality.

In a highly sexually-charged world, being single and trying to live a life of sexual purity is swimming upstream. Conducting life and business with honour and integrity in a world that encourages compromise at every turn requires guts. Honouring leaders and parents who have acted dishonourably. Turning the other cheek to insult and abuse. Choosing to forgive the unforgivable. Being bold enough to share convictions that the world tries to shut down. Now that’s bucking the trend.

Many people have read THE book; actually, all 66 books. And they have had their values, worldview and beliefs informed by them. I have. I suspect Chris Broussard has too. And in today’s world, choosing to live by those values is counter-cultural, counter-intuitive and flies in the face of conventional wisdom. And dare I say, requires a great deal of courage!

Back to Jason Collins.
I don’t want to minimize his effort. It took some stones. As an avid sports fan, I secretly wonder if professional team sports is ready for an openly gay athlete. Will there be taunts? Suspicion? Lewd jokes? Some humiliation? Very possibly so.

Maybe he will derive some comfort from the overwhelming outpouring of support from sporting figures, celebrities, media and politicians alike. From Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade, to Bill Clinton and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson – all have publicly embraced Collins. And within a single hour, he gained over 10,000 new Tweeps, many lavishing him with praise, and became an instant trending topic.

As for poor ol’ Chris. Guillotine instructions. “Place. Head. Here“.
Celebrities aren’t jumping to his defence. I doubt we’ll see him do the Tom Cruise on Oprah‘s couch any time soon, or grace the cover of any publication – outside of ‘Heretics Today‘. (In fact one caustic critic commented “Perhaps Chris should stop writing about basketball and focus (on) drowning witches“). And don’t hold your breath waiting for the supportive phone call from President Obama, a confessed Christian. No! That call already went out. To Jason Collins. Being the lone voice is hard work!

In Western culture, some swim against the tide. Others hike up the mountain in the face of the avalanche.

So much for pink-flowered panties!