Four British track athletes have posed nude for an ad campaign by Alfa Romeo to raise money for heart research. Said sprinter Harry Aikines-Aryeete (full photo below): “I’ve actually been in a few photo shoots before but nothing to this degree. This is the most revealing I’ve been for a shoot and it really was [...]
Posts under ‘Athletes Being Cool’
Phillies to say “It Gets Better” (finally)
In the end, it seems DeSean Jackson’s stupidity helped do some good after all. I was pleased to see that MLB teams began to create their own “It Gets Better” videos to help combat bullying. The San Francisco Giants were the first to complete theirs, followed by the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox. In [...]
French rugby player Alexis Palisson poses for cover of gay magazine
Add Alexis Palisson to the list of gay-friendly rugby players. The 23-year-old French star poses for the July-August cover of the gay magazine TETU. There is also a making of video (below) that is typically French in its bizarreness. The article is in French, but an online translation finds Palisson being cool with gay fans [...]
Chivas USA’s Justin Braun and Michael Lahoud become first pro teammates in NOH8 campaign
In recognition of the team’s Equality Night on July 23, Chivas USA players Justin Braun and Michael Lahoud are the first professional teammates to appear in the NOH8 campaign together. They join teammate and goalie Dan Kennedy in publicly opposing homophobia. Chivas USA is one of two Major League Soccer teams based in Los Angeles. [...]
Video: Ben Cohen, Dave Kopay panel discussing homophobia in sports
Rugby star Ben Cohen, who has just retired to focus full-time combating homophobia in sports, finished his U.S. tour where he spoke on his new StandUp foundation at several stops. One was at the University of Washington where he was joined on a panel by Dave Kopay, the former NFL player who came out as [...]
Video: Straight players tell why they like playing in the DC gay flag football league
Here is an “It Gets Better” video with a twist: Straight players telling why they enjoy playing in a gay-oriented league. The players are with the DC Gay Flag Football League. Their stories dovetail with my experience here in LA with our flag football league. This season, about a third of the players are straight [...]
Video: Rugby’s Ben Cohen talks about his foundation to stop homophobia in sports
We have written a lot about rugby player Ben Cohen, who has now retired and started his StandUp foundation. His goal is to fight homophobia, specifically in sports. Cohen sat down last week with Thomas Roberts on MSNBC to discuss his recent tour of the U.S. and what he hopes to accomplish. Roberts, himself openly [...]
Steve Nash: Having an openly gay NBA player would be no big deal
In the distractions of the holiday weekend, I totally missed this Q&A in the weekend New York Times, where Phoenix Suns star Steve Nash discussed, among other things, gays in the sport. Here is one answer that caught my eye: Q. Is the N.B.A. ready for an openly gay player? Share on Facebook
British swimmers get naked for cancer awareness
Swimmers James Goddard, Ross Davenport and Grant Turner were among 28 British celebrities to pose naked for Cosmo UK in a June centerfold spread designed to raise awareness of male cancers like prostate and testicular cancer through the Everyman campaign. Said Davenport: “I feel so comfortable in my swimming trunks but, without that thin layer [...]
Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns is latest pro athlete to support gay marriage
Two-time NBA League MVP Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns is the latest professional athlete to lend his support to marriage equality (video after the jump). Hi, I’m Steve Nash. I spend my summers in New York, and I love playing at the Garden. A growing number of professional athletes are speaking out in support [...]
Baltimore Raven Donte Stallworth tweets support for gay marriage
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Donte Stallworth has joined his teammate Brendon Ayanbadejo in openly supporting gay equality. In addition to giving a positive shout out to CNN’s Don Lemon, who came out this week, Stallworth took to Twitter to share his welcoming perspective: Share on Facebook
Will Sheridan: Level of response to his coming out story has been ‘unreal’
I had a chance to talk today with Will Sheridan, the former Villanova basketball player who came out publicly this week in an ESPN.com article. We spoke for more than an hour and he was engaging, articulate, funny and passionate. I have written a Q&A where he touches on a variety of topics relating to [...]
Charles Barkley: ‘I’d rather have a gay guy who can play than a straight guy who can’t play’
Charles Barkley gives an awesome interview to Mike Wise of the Washington Post, reacting to the news that Phoenix Suns President Rick Welts is gay. Barkley said he has played with gay players while he was in the NBA and their presence had zero negative impact. All he cared about was whether a guy could [...]
Video: Grant Hill, Jared Dudley PSA for GLSEN
GLSEN and the NBA have released their Think B4 You Speak PSA featuring Phoenix Suns Grant Hill and Jared Dudley. It’s fun, hip, light and seems to strike the perfect tone for reaching teenagers. Plus, instead of couching the issue inside the broader issue of bullying or name-calling, it speaks directly about homophobia. Very cool [...]
Rugby player Ben Cohen in U.S. to drum up support for gays in sports
We’ve written about the very gay-friendly rugby player Ben Cohen for years, and now that his career is over, it’s great to see him devote his energies into making sports a safe haven for gays and lesbians. He is now touring the U.S., visiting four cities that have gay-oriented rugby teams. Our friend John Branch [...]