It appears from the results of an NBC/USA Today poll that Americans prefer their athletes out of the closet.
Highlights from the poll include:
78% agree that it is OK for gay athletes to participate in sports, even if they are open about their sexuality.
79% agree that Americans are more accepting of gays in sports today than they were twenty years ago.
86% disagree that openly gay athletes should be excluded from playing team sports
We're getting there, folks. It's just taking way too long for us to get it together.
I remember my mad crushes on Martina Navrotilova in my youth. It was such a big deal and a real boost for many of us when she came out. After the betrayal by Billie Jean King when she posed for a magazine cover sporting her wedding ring, we were ready for some honesty in women's sports.
There are still others who would do a great service by shedding the cloak of shame and joining Martina.
There are actually quite a few of them here in Knoxville, Tennessee.
