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A NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYER RECENTLY BECAME THE FIRST ACTIVE ATHLETE IN A MAJOR
U.S. PRO TEAM SPORT TO REVEAL HE IS GAY. THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT BY CENTER JASON COLLINS OF
THE NBA'S WASHINGTON WIZARDS MADE HEADLINES. I'M JOINED FOR MORE BY VOA'S SONNY YOUNG,
FROM VOA'S SONNY SIDE OF SPORTS. SONNY, HOW ARE YOU DOING?
VERY WELL, IMRAN, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME ON THE PROGRAM.
THANK YOU FOR COMING. TELL ME SOMETHING. THIS GUY IS 34 YEARS OLD, PLAYED COLLEGE BALL AT
STANFORD, AND NOW, AFTER HIS CAREER IS KIND OF DONE, HE REVEALS THIS. WHAT'S GOING ON?
TIMING-WISE, IMRAN, HE IS NOT IN THE PRIME OF HIS CAREER, THERE'S A LOT OF DOUBTS WHETHER
HE WILL EVEN PLAY IN THE NBA NEXT SEASON. HE'S CURRENTLY A FREE AGENT. SOME PEOPLE I'VE
SPOKEN WITH HAVE SAID HE'S NOT A "MARQUEE PLAYER" BY ANY MEANS; HAD THIS BEEN A STAR
PLAYER COMING OUT, IT MIGHT HAVE MORE IMPACT. THAT SAID, HE IS THE FIRST OPENLY GAY IN A
MAJOR PROFESSIONAL SPORTS LEAGUE, ON THE MALE SIDE -- THERE HAVE BEEN WNBA PLAYERS, AS WELL
AS WOMEN'S SOCCER PLAYERS, WHO HAVE COME OUT AND SAID THEY'RE LESBIANS.
BUT IN TERMS OF BRANDING AND SPONSORS, THAT WOULDN'T BE A BIG DEAL? OR WOULD IT BE?
I THINK HE'LL PROBABLY GET SOME SUPPORT FROM AMERICAN SPONSORS. OVERSEAS, I DON'T KNOW.
THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO ASK ... WE KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE U.S., BUT HOW IS THE RESPONSE
IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD?
I POSTED THIS STORY ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE, AND WITHIN A FEW MINUTES, I RECEIVED SEVERAL HOMOPHOBIC
COMMENTS, CRITICIZING JASON COLLINS. I THINK IN SOME CULTURES OVERSEAS, HE IS NOT BEING
ACCEPTED FOR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.
AND WHAT ABOUT HIS TEAMMATES? OTHER PLAYERS IN THE NBA?
THEY HAVE BEEN WIDELY SUPPORTIVE. THE NBA COMMISSIONER DAVID STERN HAS APPLAUDED JASON
COLLINS. HIS OWN BROTHER, HIS TWIN BROTHER WHO PLAYED I THINK 10 SEASONS IN THE NBA,
WAS VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THE FACT THAT HIS BROTHER CAME OUT. AND MANY OF THE PLAYERS
HE PLAYED WITH IN THE LEAGUE, I'VE SEEN VERY FEW NEGATIVE COMMENTS.
IS IT A BIG DEAL, BY THE WAY?
FROM THE MALE ASPECT, IT IS. AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THERE HAVE BEEN FEMALE ATHLETES IN
THE UNITED STATES WHO HAVE COME OUT. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT FIRST CAME OUT ON THE COVER OF
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED MAGAZINE, WHICH IS ONE OF THE BIG WEEKLIES HERE IN THE USA. VERY
WIDE CIRCULATION. AND THAT SORT OF BOOSTED THE IMPACT OF THE STORY.
QUICKLY, IN 10 SECONDS, IF YOU CAN -- IS HE GOING TO PLAY AGAIN?
I WOULD SAY NO. MY GUESS IS HE'S A FRINGE PLAYER, I DON'T THINK HE REALLY HAS AT THIS
STAGE OF HIS CAREER WHAT IT TAKES TO CONTINUE HIS CAREER.
WELL THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US, AND FOR TALKING ABOUT THIS. WE'LL BE KEEPING AN
EYE ON THIS. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THANK YOU IMRAN.
WE'RE TAKING A BREAK NOW. COMING UP, SOME AMAZING IMAGES FROM OUR VOA PHOTO CONTEST.
YOU'RE WATCHING ON ASSIGNMENT.