In today’s world, homosexuals playing professional sports is a huge controversy. People don’t want to come out when playing sports because they are embarrassed. Or they are judged to the point of embarrassment where some may not want to do the one thing they love most, being an athlete.Athletes ted to come out more at the college and professional level because older people are more mature about it. If athletes come out in youth and high school sports, they know that they will get judged and ridiculed so they keep their orientation a secret. My opinion on the situation is that gay athletes should be allowed in locker rooms just like everyone else.

According to CNN, in 2015, David Jenson, a player for the Milwaukee Brewers, announced to the press that he is gay. This news got out to the whole world and people accepted it. He was the first active player to come out while playing in a season. “Talking with my teammates, they gave me the confidence I needed, coming out to them,” Denson told sports writer Tom Haudricourt. Athletes who come out during sports know that there is a lot of pressure on them, especially before they come out because they are trying to hide it from the world due to the potential backlash they face.

In The Huffington Post, Rick Clemens writes that he thinks gay athletes should be allowed in the locker rooms as well. His reasoning is that every man checks out another man, not because of their sexuality, but because of a “competitive, masculine drive.” He was referring to Michael Sam, the first gay athlete drafted into the NFL. In the article “Coach Talk,” it says “In reality, lesbian and gay athletes and coaches in the locker room are probably thinking about the same things that their heterosexual teammates are; whether or not they had a good practice or game, a nagging injury, disappointment about a tough loss, elation about a big win.” I never thought of it that way myself, I thought that homosexuals were always trying to look at the person they have the hots for, many people disagree with that and they think that homosexuals orientation isn’t shown in times like after sporting events.  There is also talk about homosexual athletes being in the same locker room or hotel room as straight athletes, or gays sharing the same locker as other gays. How would this help though? Homosexuals who play sports at a professional level should not in any way shape or form be able to show their sexuality towards other athletes. If this were to happen then a punishment should be issued like being fired or fined, just as it would be in place for any person engaging in unprofessional behavior.

Homosexuals should be able to play sports just as equally as straight athletes. Not allowing them to participate in life fully just because of their orientation is unjust.

Works Cited

Cain, Will. “Opinion: Should Gays Athletes Be in the Locker Room?” CNN. Cable News Network, 03 May 2013. Web. 22 May 2017.

Involved., Tes, and Pat Canadian Association For The Advancement Of Women And Sport And Physical Ac. Chalk Talk: Addressing Concerns about LGBT Athletes and Coaches (n.d.): n. pag. Ddressing Concerns about LGBT Athletes and Coaches in the Locker Room. CAAWS. Web.

Wong, Curtis M. “What Gay Men Are Really Thinking In The Locker Room.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 29 June 2014. Web. 22 May 2017.