Cyd and I will be in Cologne for the 2010 Gay Games, so posting on the Jock Talk blog will be light save for breaking stories (or more jocks posting penis pictures). We will be busy in Cologne, producing stories, photos and videos on our Gay Games blog, so check it out.
Best soccer goal celebration ever
The gone fishing celebration by Stjarnan in Iceland. Brilliant and well-conceived:
Deadspin has video of the same team with other celebrations.
Martellus Bennett has his penis exposed
From the ongoing annals of jocks exposing themselves, comes the heartwarming story of Dallas Cowbots tight end Martellus Bennett. From Media Takeout:
NFL baller, and Dallas Cowboy, Martellus Bennett apparently has been doing his girlfriend dirty. So she is getting him back the only way she can . . . by releasing NEKKID PICS of himself that he gave to her. Continue reading →
More ‘horrible to come out in sports’ chatter
This one comes from the Stanford Daily, I’m afraid. One of their writers, Tom Taylor, has no idea what he’s writing about. None. He even gets some basic statistics wrong (he says there are 100 players on each NFL team, and he says there are about 100 openly gay professional athletes in the world) before diving into his thoughts on why talking about the sexual orientation of athletes has no place in sports. Part of his infinite wisdom launches into an explanation of why it would be so horribly difficult for a pro athlete to come out:
When anyone’s personal life is dragged through the press, it must be tough for them to stay focused on work. For an athlete it is doubly difficult, because this creates a feedback loop where a drop in form due to this distraction only serves to intensify the media pressure. Continue reading →
Weekend Hot Jock: Decathlete Tom Reynolds
Tom Reynolds is a decathlete from Northern Ireland who also models on the side. Reynolds, 25, stands about 5-11 and weighs 178 pounds.
A big thanks to Trackpic, who sent us these photos he took of Reynolds at a meet in Finland. Continue reading →
New Zealand school must pay fired gay coach
A New Zealand school that fired a coach for being gay must now pay him undisclosed compensation, according to the Associated Press. Middleton Grange School in Christchurch fired the girls netball coach, whose name was withheld, when they discovered he is gay. The board of trustees must also attend a human rights awareness class. The coach has since found another coaching job.
It’s a reminder that no matter how gay-friendly a culture can seem on the outside, all it takes is a couple people to make life difficult for a gay person. Thankfully the more welcoming heads prevailed.
Hudson Taylor: Why do you fight for gay rights?
Hudson Taylor
When I profiled University of Maryland wrestler Hudson Taylor and his fight for gay rights in February, he was overwhelmed by the reaction he received. Having a champion straight athlete make a public stand on such as issue struck a chord with a lot of people. From the 400 e-mails and countless stories he heard, Taylor was inspired (with prompting from his sister) to start asking people why they fight for gay rights.
From that came a blog, Why Do You Fight?, which has a simple premise: People are asked “why do you fight for equality?” The anonymous posts from both gay and straight people, some long and others just a sentence, have an inspiring and moving effect. Some examples: Continue reading →
Will Bragman bring an athlete out on TV?
With the announcement today that Hollywood publicist Howard Bragman is developing a show with A&E about celebrities coming out of the closet, I’m left wondering if athletes might be a part of that. Howard has helped many celebrities and singers come out, but he has also virtually cornered the market on athletes coming out over the last 10 years, guiding Esera Tuaolo, Sheryl Swoopes, John Amaechi and Rosie Jones. He’s also repped Martina Navratilova. It’ll be interesting to see what role sports and athletes have on his new show.
The case against Gay Games drug testing
Many competing at the Gay Games in Cologne starting next weekend could get a shock when they are asked to submit to a random drug test. Former FGG president Gene Dermody was once an advocate of drug testing. Now he explains in depth why random drug testing for events like the Game Games is neither fair nor cost-effective.
Read Gene’s compelling column here.
Jason Akermanis dumped from Aussie football
Jason Akermanis, the controversial Australian Football League player who created a storm of controversy by telling gay players to stay in the closet, had his contract terminated by the Western Bulldogs six weeks before the end of the season.
“He hasn’t earnt the trust of the group,” a source told The Age. “It’s a pattern of behaviour. You can’t put it down to one thing. It has just gone on for so long. And we don’t want it to keep going.” … Continue reading →
The Michael Irvin Show moves to Miami
One of the gay-friendliest shows on sports radio is back, as The Michael Irvin Show starts Monday, July 26, on Miami’s 560 WQAM. The show will run noon-3pmET. The show will stream online at WQAM.com. Irvin spent his college career wearing No. 47 for the University of Miami.
We’re working out the details, but it looks like I’ll again have a weekly segment talking about the latest in sports news (gay and otherwise) on Wednesdays at 2pmET…starting with updates on the Gay Games from Germany. I’ve been doing shows with Irvin’s partner, Kevin Kiley, for years in the Midwest, Los Angeles, Dallas and now Miami. The first time I’m on the show always draws out “why are you having a fag on your show” calls. Even in L.A. Looking forward to seeing the first reaction of South Florida residents.
Marcellus Wiley: NFL has no tolerance for gays
Former NFL defensive end turned ESPN commentator Marcellus Wiley was asked about an out player in the NFL by the Huffington Post. Wiley said he was Esera Tuaolo’s teammate and that the guys joked with Tuaolo about him being gay (before he came out). And as we hear over and over and over and over and over, Wiley’s fine with it…but he thinks everyone else isn’t.
It would really be tough for a gay guy in the NFL, for the locker room to understand him as a homosexual — I’m not saying it’s impossible to pull off, but I’m saying right now the fear of coming out of the closet and more so coming out in the locker room would really be too tremendous to overcome. It’s unfortunate because it shouldn’t be that way.
Advocate On-Air previews the Gay Games
Re-posted with correct video. Sorry for the previous tech issue.
The latest installment of Advocate On Air focuses on the Gay Games in Cologne, which open July 31. The piece chronicles some of the history of the Games, and they talk with competitors in various sports, including water polo’s Mike Crosby whom I first profiled for Genre magazine in 2003 (with one of the hottest magazine covers I’ve ever seen).
Video after the jump. Continue reading →
Behind the German gay World Cup story
Gary N. Reese has reported over the years on the issues of sports and sexuality for many publications, including The New York Time and the Village Voice, among others. Fluent in German, he is a soccer fanatic and an avid cyclist. He wrote this piece in reaction to the allegations over gays on the German World Cup team.
By Gary N. Reese
It started like a fairy tale — a young, handsome team chasing glory with a joyous, dynamic style of play. The team was remarkably diverse, its ethnic background drawn from eight different countries on four continents. Furthermore, its solidarity appeared rooted in its diversity.
“Wir sind ein Team!” was the motto of the Mannschaft, Germany’s national team carrying the hopes of a soccer-crazy country into the World Cup. Continue reading →
Breaking: More on Gay Games Cleveland
Updated July 19: City of Cleveland has sent a letter to Cleveland Synergy Foundation halting funding of the Gay Games organizing committee. Cleveland Synergy then sent a statement regarding the FGG possibly pulling their Gay Games license.
Also, Roger Brigham of the Bay Area Reporter has a great update, including the resignation of a Cleveland government staffer from the board of Cleveland Synergy Foundation. He also offers some great insight into the likely behind-the-scenes process taking place now.
