Outsports got some prominent featuring on today’s Dan Patrick radio show. He had me on for about 15 minutes to talk about NBC not mentioning Mitcham’ sexuality. I found DP very engaging (duh) and thoughtful on the topic. The discussion went on for another 20 to 30 minutes after I got off the phone between DP and a couple other guys on the show, as well as callers. Their conversation further strengthened my fear that many people in sports media just don’t know what to do with gay sports stories. DP was wary of getting the story right, which was thoughtful and professional; my beef wasn’t with him. The other guys, on the other hand, were against mentioning the gay aspect of the story at all and missed the journalistic angle of the story. As I’ve said, many people in sports journalism aren’t journalists; they’re just fans with a voice.
[Link to the audio, after the jump.]
I encourage everyone to take a listen. It starts maybe a third of the way through the recording. I think it really gives some great insight into the issues behind the struggle we face getting the sports media to cover the story, not necessarily because of homophobia, but a lack of recognition that gay athletes succeeding are, in today’s culture, a story. My thanks go to DP for tackling the subject; he gets it. The other two guys, who argued that Mitcham’s sexuality isn’t a story, show how much education we still have to do.
By Cyd Zeigler jr.
7 responses so far ↓
1 Scott T. // Aug 28, 2008 at 6:56 am
Can you get a transcript? I hate golf so listening to Dan Patrick talk abut it isn’t going to happen.
2 bluedog // Aug 28, 2008 at 8:30 am
i have to say that i didn’t get the same impression after listening to the audio. seems to me that the other guys on the show were saying that being gay shouldn’t matter - it is not something that keeps you from being a great athlete. when it comes to educating the media and the public, i think we have a lot more to worry about then this.
3 Jonathan // Aug 28, 2008 at 1:00 pm
The guys that followed you really did not have a clue! They missed the point completely. Matthew’s relationship with Lachlan was part of his road to recovery - and this incredile Olympic win.
4 alasdair // Aug 28, 2008 at 5:52 pm
I have to disagree with Bluedog. There can be no doubt that bigotry, bullying and fear keep many young athletes from realizing their potential as great athletes. And probably keep many young gays and lesbians from athletics altogether. I am deeply inspired by the young athletes who are, as they approach or pass 18 years of age, coming out to their team mates and others in their lives, but there remains the troubling issue of the intense situtations faced by younger gay and lesbian teens.
5 Cameron // Aug 29, 2008 at 3:51 am
Which one do I choose? Theres a heap of them there….
6 Steve // Sep 1, 2008 at 1:27 pm
“Outsports got some prominent featuring on today’s Dan Patrick radio show.” Ugh.
Part of being a journalist, as opposed to just being “fans with a voice”, is proper grammar.
7 rick // Sep 21, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Umm, way late here….but you’re nuts kiddo. Just because a person is gay and succeeds in athletics doesn’t mean the story is about that person being gay.The story is about sports. The fundamental problem with homosexuals of both genders is their constant reliance on using a megaphone for coverage. It doesn’t look real good when an athlete praises God before all else when doing an interview after a game in which he/she performed great, and it looks even worse when a gay person does it.How would you feel if a straight athlete did the same thing? Chastised Dan Patrick and the media for not discussing the relevance of straight athletes and their performances?
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