We are getting much closer to a gay professional athlete in an American team sport coming out of the closet.
I have no official basis for saying so—just a hunch. But times are genuinely changing—even in the slow-moving world of athletics.
It was announced today that the Chicago Blackhawks will bring the Stanley Cup to Chicago’s gay pride parade this coming Sunday. Why? Well, primarily because it’s the human thing to do, and gays are—despite bushels of demonization from the right—human. More specifically, Brendan Burke, son of Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke, came out of the closet to the hockey world before dying in a car accident earlier this year. The Blackhawks appearing with the Cup is, to a large degree, a tribute to him. A touching, righteous tribute.
Truth is, I have friends on the far right and friends on the far left, and none seem opposed to gay marriage anymore. It’s a dying fight, one waged by so-called “Christians” who lack the righteousness and compassion of the man upon who their religion is based. Even those who don’t technically think the word “marriage” should be applied seem to believe fully in civil unions, which is certainly better than nothing.
So why has is taken so long for professional sports to catch on? Because it’s an isolated segment of society that moves with a turtle-like pace and lathers itself in machiso BS. Slowly, that’s changing. V-e-r-y slowly.
But we’re getting closer—and the Blackhawks’ wise decision is a blessed one.
