Turn of Phrase - Top WNBA Draft Pick Is Gay

Brittney Griner - #1 WNBA draft pick

"If I can show that I'm out and I'm fine and everything's okay, then hopefully the younger generation will definitely feel the same way."

- From Brittney Griner, the number one overall pick in Monday's WNBA draft. 

The 6-foot-8 Griner, who led the Baylor Lady Bears to a 40-0 season and the NCAA women's basketball title in 2012, acknowledged her lesbian sexuality this week in a Sports Illustrated interview.

According to Griner, public recognition of her sexual orientation "wasn't too difficult," as she has lived openly and never attempted to hide who she was. It also helps that the trail for professional lesbian athletes has already been blazed by women like Sheryl Swoopes, the three-time gold medalist and first woman ever signed by the WNBA, and by tennis legends Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova. 

Coming out on such a big stage takes guts nonetheless and Griner should be commended for having the mettle to be open about her sexuality. Gay kids across the spectrum need all the support we can muster, and out gay and lesbian role models in professional sports are still pathetically few and far between, particularly among male athletes.

John Amaechi and Glenn Burke

Gay men have played in the big four professional sports in the U.S., but few have ever publicly acknowledged their sexuality and none have done so before retiring from their respective leagues. John Amaechi, who played in the NBA off-and-on for several years between 1995 and 2003, came out in 2007 and was the first NBA player (albeit a retired one) to do so. Similarly, MLB outfielder Glenn Burke, who had a brief career with the LA Dodgers and the Oakland As, came out in 1982 after retiring from baseball at the tender age of 27.

Can you imagine the hullaballoo that would surround a current top NBA draft pick who came out? Better yet, what if RGIII had announced he was gay just after signing with the NFL's Washington Redskins? I'm not expecting such a revelation anytime soon in mens' professional baseball, football, or basketball, but the world is ready. 

Now, we just have to hope there's a young gay male athlete somewhere out there with as big a heart and as much courage as Brittney Griner.

A Phenomenal Show of Sportsmanship

Posted By: Jeff McKown

This isn't the first video clip of a touching act of sportsmanship in a high school basketball game, and I'm sure it won't be the last. Still, you can't see enough good news stories, and these moments of kindness and generosity should be shared and celebrated.

With one simple act, Jonathon Montanez gave a developmentally disabled teenager the gift of a lifetime, and without intending it, he gave the rest of us something lovely to smile about (and maybe weep a little, too).

(Hat tip to Kyle Sheridan for sharing the video clip.)

Why Do We Hate the Miami Heat So Much?

Bosh, Wade, and James
Miami's "Big Three"

A popular theory Miami Heat fans propose about why their team is among the most hated franchises in professional sports is that great talent and success often breed petty jealousy and contempt among the less talented and less successful.

While there may be some elements of truth to this notion, especially as it relates to LeBron James, there is just as much evidence against it.

Consider that the history of sports is rife with athletes we loved precisely because of their unexplainable near supernatural ability to execute flawlessly and dominate their sport. Every great competitor has some detractors, but masterful athletes like Roger Federer, Jack Nicklaus, Walter Payton, Wayne Gretzky, and Michael Jordan are overwhelmingly beloved by fans in their respective sporting arenas. Not so for the Heat.

The Heat's extreme unpopularity among NBA fans is also not due to their "success." After all, there are a dozen teams who have been to the NBA finals more often than Miami, and if winning championships spawned haters around the league, no team would be more despised than the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have won four titles since 1999, and while more than a few NBA fans might say the Spurs team-style of play can be tedious to watch, the team is far more respected than hated.

The real reasons behind the anti-Heat bias among NBA fans are diverse and myriad. To better understand them, let's take a look at something Americans love about sports - the underdog.

- An established older golfer in the twilight of his career shoots three amazing rounds and finds himself in contention for the win on Sunday. We pump our fists wildly when that last putt falls. 
- A young tennis hopeful strings together a handful of wins and finds herself on the sport's biggest stage in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open. We cheer for every winner she hits.
- A small-town college basketball team with modest talent but giant desire topples a perennial basketball behemoth and makes their way into the NCAA "elite eight." We leap from our seats when that last second three-pointer drops.

In almost any sporting contest that doesn't involve our preferred team or favorite player, we almost always pull for the underdog - but, why is that?

• Because underdogs often overcome incredible obstacles just to be in contention.
• Because they earn it. Nothing comes easy for the underdogs.
• Because underdogs don't expect to win, but if they do, they don't feel entitled to it. 
• Because we appreciate athletes who perform at the pinnacle of their capacity. 
• Because it's more rewarding to cheer for less talented players who give their all in a loss, than for naturally gifted players who win with a three-quarter effort. 
• Because while underdogs work hard, it's their willingness to dig deeper than anyone believed possible that sometimes pushes them across the finish line first. 

Those are many of our motivations for loving the underdogs, but does that explain why some many of us harbor such intense dislike for the Miami Heat?

The NBA Season Is Back

Kobe Claus

Yes Kobe, there is a Santa.

The NBA announced that a tentative deal has been reached between players and owners, and that a slightly shortened basketball season should begin on Christmas Day.

The season is scheduled to include 66 regular season games, which is 16 less than the normal 82 game season, but still enough to ensure that basketball will feel like it goes on indefinitely.

Ummm...yay?