Blessing the Blessed

In the past year, high-profile sports figures such as Michael Sam of the NFL and John Amaechi and Jason Collins of the NBA have come out as being athletic and gay. This is significant as the athletic culture has rejected anything gay making it extremely difficult for anyone to come out. As such, a number of athletes have come out after their active involvement in the sport. This is not unlike the inclusion of athletes of color not too long ago. Few people are not aware of Jackie Robinson's story and we have recently celebrated its significance with the movie 42. The sports culture appears to be taking steps similar to the U.S. military when they abandoned "don't ask don't tell" in favor of embracing all who wish to serve our country. The sports culture

Some people, many of them friends of mine, are attempting to minimize the significance of these men and women coming out. For example, this cartoon compares the praise Jason Collins has received for coming out to the criticism Tim Tebow has received for public display of his faith. I understand where some Christians are coming from when they cry "foul". We all want celebrities to be praised for sharing our beliefs. As I am a Christian, I smile when I see Tim Tebow take a knee in the end zone. I loved it when Sammy Sosa of my beloved Chicago Cubs would point towards heaven after a home run.


While I understand the emotion behind such satire, it is not a fair comparison. No openly christian person has ever been excluded from professional sports. I have been involved in sports for several years and I have never known a player or coach afraid of coming out as christian for fear of discrimination or rejection. While I have seen players ridiculed by teammates for standing up for their moral values, this harsh treatment often comes from others of the same faith. For example, one christian athlete might tease another for his or her decision to remain sexually pure until marriage. Christians have been the majority of our country's professional sports arena since its inception. Gays, on the other hand, have only recently found the strength to be open in professional sports. They should be applauded for their bravery and I am grateful our society provides them sufficient support to come out.

I understand the emotions behind those who would have christian athletes keep their faith to themselves. We, as Christians, are to blame for this response. Some people associate Tim Tebow with judgement and pride rather than humility and charity as modeled by the focal point of our faith Jesus Christ. This is unfortunate as Tim Tebow and many other Christians are very compassionate and charitable.

As humans, Christian or not, we take care of and show respect for our fellow man.