Jimnez 1 Genesis Jimnez Professor Loreen Bessire English 1010-099 30 April 2014 Openly Gay Athletes Playing Professionally:

An Annotated Bibliography Not everyone is a huge sports fanatic or even remotely interested in sports. I know people who dont know the difference between a mallet (polo) and a crosse (polo). So when an issue that surrounds the sports industry arises, does it carry any importance to those who dont follow sports? I say that even if someone isnt very interested in sports, the issue that surrounds openly gay athletes in sports is a social issue that deserves to be addressed by the larger public. There are those who will say that the major leagues are not ready for gay athletes to compete just yet and that there has not been enough change as a society to willingly accept a gay player as just as a sports player. The question arises then, Why would an aspect of someones personal life like their sexual orientation dictate whether they should play or not? Surely it is their ability to perform and be physically competent to partake in the sport they are participating in that should be in question. It seems like it is the same civil rights battle being fought over and over. Just how much longer will society dishearten another person, a human being to from doing something that they want simply because of difference they pose. How many of these civil rights battles must we fight, as a society before we realize that boxing people in or making them conform to the majority is morally unjust? Openly gay players should have the same right just as any other heterosexual player in any sport of their choosing. This current debate is very important when talking about equality across the board especially when it comes to something that is suppose to unite various people from different backgrounds together.

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Barro, Josh. Gay Athletes Should Come Out Of The Closet Already. BloombergView.com. 29 Apr. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2014 In this article, Gay Athletes Should Come Out Already, Josh Barro relates NBA player Jason Collins coming out to the military and notes that the system or attitude can not be changed by orders from above and that gay athletes are going to have to make themselves known. Barro goes on to say that defining Collins as brave for coming out is displace and that there are many who come out not having the financial or social statuses as Collinsthose people are brave. Barro finishes saying that although Collins coming out is great, it really is about those that remain closeted having a duty to set an example to others. Josh Barro is a lead writer for the Ticker in Bloomberg Views Blog. Bloomberg is a news organization that delivers business and financial information. They also provide news and insight from around the world as well. Barro uses reason and logic to get the reader to focus on NBA Player Jason Collins willingness to come out but the fact that he needed to come out as a certain duty to his fellow gay members. Barros strongest suit is using empathy when he compares young gays who come out with out any support available to them, than that of a bignamed, super-star athlete. Barros ability to reach millions around the world through the help of Bloombergview.com allows him to be an influential voice among the social and political issues. I will be using this article to present a different point of view of whether gay athletes should be allowed to play. This is a different analysis on the topic that will shed light on certain responsibilities that public figures have, otherwise not thought of up until this point. I am positive that through this article I will be giving readers a different perspective to form a more

Jimnez 3 rounded opinion on the subject at hand versus just looking at it as black and white, a yes or no issue.

Brekke, Kira. Openly Gay College Athletes Explain What Its Like To Come Out To Their Team. Interview with Matthew Dooley and Eric Lueshen. By Ricki Camilleri. HuffPost Live. Huffington Post. 17 Apr. 2014 Web. 19 Apr. 2014 In an interview, "Openly Gay College Athletes Explain What Its Like To Come Out To Their Team, Kira Brekke asks if perhaps being openly gay is becoming easier for student athletes. Stating that tennis player Matthew Dooley and football player Eric Lueshen have been welcomingly received by their teammates, strengthening their bond and mutual respect between each other. Throughout the interview both players share their experience about coming out to their teammates, expressing both emotions of nervousness and gratitude. Kira Brekke is a writer for The Huffington Post and a recent graduate from the University of Southern California. She studied Broadcast and Digital Journalism, and Human Rights with an emphasis in LGBT studies. Her strongest persuasive point are her direct quotes from athletes sharing their experience showing an openness that they have felt from their fellow teammates and colleagues. Brekke also hints at perhaps college sports accepting gays into sports, appealing to the readers sensitivity. I will use this article to point out that although many believe there are strong stigmas that a gay athlete will have to break through, many gay college athletes have been acceptedproving that people are much more open to having gays play alongside straight players.

Jimnez 4 Coates, Ta-Nehisi. The NFL Will Never be Ready For An Openly Gay Player. The Atlantic Entertainment. TheAtlantic.com. 10 Feb. 2014. Web. 21 Apr. 2014 In the article, The NFL Will Never be Ready For An Openly Gay Player, Ta-Hehisi Coates explains that Michael Sam, an NFL prospect that came out recently plays a different role than those who have announced their sexuality. Where previous athletes wait until their retirement, much after they have established their careers to let the public know about their orientationSam decided to come out before having a foot in the door into his career. Coates and many others believe that it was a questionable move on Sams part. Ta-Nehisi Coates is one of the national correspondents at The Atlantic. He writes about, politics, culture, and social issues. He is also the author of the memoir, The Beautiful Struggle. He uses logic to prove that the NFL is not ready to have a gay player among them. Using quotes from other football players that speak on their uncomfortable emotions of having to shower with a gay teammate, Coates reassures readers that having an openly gay players will cause rifts between players and that it would disrupt the overall cohesion and effectiveness of the team. I am positive that including this article in my position paper will be useful in showing the more resistant and opposing point of view of those who do not support openly gay athletes. It will also allow me to give a balanced and unbiased perspective to readers while also allowing me to respond later on in my position paper in a counter argument.

Rupert, Maya. Jason Collins Makes Amazing Happen. HuffPost Gay Voices. Huffingtonpost.com. 29 Apr. 2013. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. In, Jason Collins Makes Amazing Happen, Maya Rupert correlates Jason Collins coming out to a 1958 Lakers basketball game in Charleston, West Virginia and the importance

Jimnez 5 that each event carried. The 1958 Lakers team had only three black players at the time when they were scheduled to play in Charleston. Because of the immense discrimination the team face while in the city, Eglin Baylor refused to play on the big night. Rupert says that these two events are not just about facing adversity but equal dignity across the board and this is why Collins coming out is an important step to achieving that equality. Maya Rupert, is the Policy Director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights and is a writer for The Huffington Post. She has also written for the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. She attained her B.A. from the University of California Santa Barbara in 2003. Ruperts strongest persuasive factor is her pathos. She uses a sense of pride that she instills in her article by giving a brief back-story of race and discrimination. Ruperts position with NCLR and being recognized as one of the most influential African-American leaders in the country provides her with a large and diverse audience. This selected article points out how important it is for gay athletes to come out and its impact on society. I will use this article to persuade readers that accepting gay athletes in sports is beneficial to many. By showing how it relates to equality on a larger scale, I will be able to present a solid argument against those who are opposed to openly gay athletes.

Von Drehle, David. How Gay Marriage Won. TIME. 28 Mar. 2013. Web. 10 Apr. 2014 In, How Gay Marriage Won, David Von Drehle discusses a very important time in American history. Von Drehle retells the events that led up to the Supreme Court ruling on samesex marriages. He interjects that while the majority of the public are in support of same-sex marriage, the fight to keep marriage between a man and a woman is also on the rise. Von Drehle goes on to pointing out that there will be a political and social battle between liberals and

Jimnez 6 conservatives but that ten years down the road, if not sooner, that fight will be completely one sided with the large majority in favor of gay marriage. David Von Drehle has written four books including, Triangle: The Fire That Changed America and Abraham Lincoln and Americas Most Perilous Year, published in 2012. He has been an editor-at-large for TIME, covering politics, the Supreme Court and breaking news since 2007. Von Drehles time and experience reporting on events such as Supreme Court rulings give him the credible expertise on matters like same-sex marriage. He uses an immense amount of fact to properly inform the reader of the current issue, staying away from personal opinion and objectives. TIME is a very well recognized magazine that covers a broad spectrum of news, pop culture and world events. Having an article on same-sex marriages in this publication notes its importance and its very progressive process. This source is of extreme importance to my persuading my readers in my position paper. With this lengthy article I will be able to provide proof to my readers that public view on samesex relationships is drastically changing. By showing how opinions have changed in society I will be able to tie in just how important it is to have equality in social aspects of life but also in the sports industry as well. This will also allow me to address the naysayers who believe that society has not changed or accepted gays enough for their to be an equal view on openly gay athletes participating in todays sporting events.

Through the research I have done on whether openly gay athletes should be able to play, I have realized the importance of having to cross that equality bridge that it is. Through the various articles that I have read, my positon on the issue at hand has been further cemented as a belief. I am confidant in being able to persuade others to side with my anaylsys on the topic by

Jimnez 7 showing them evidence that is both factual and emotional. I plan on focusing on the issue of having an openly gay player distracts the real topic at hand. And that is, everyone should have an equal opportunity when it comes to playing sports. The question now is how long will players have to endure the stigmas that sports force on them to stay hidden about who they truly are.