When Pigs Fly

We've all heard the phrase, "I'll believe that when pigs fly." (If you haven't heard it you live under a rock and I don't know how you're reading this blog.) Well, that's how many people felt about there ever being an openly gay professional athlete continue to play after coming out.

Jason Collins, who played for the Celtics this past season, came out today and became the first U.S. athlete in a major professional sport to do so. Many athletes have come out after they have retired from the sport, however Collins is planning on continuing his basketball career. 

When asked why he chose to come out now, Collins said he was partly inspired by the events that recently took place in Boston. Adding, "Things can change in an instant, so why not live truthfully?"

"I've endured years of misery and gone to enormous lengths to live a lie. I was certain that my world would fall apart if anyone knew," he writes. "And yet when I acknowledged my sexuality I felt whole for the first time. I still had the same sense of humor, I still had the same mannerisms and my friends still had my back."

 I wrote a blog awhile ago about the potential of an athlete coming out soon and how many felt the league would be accepting. With the responses I've seen so far today, I'm glad to say my previous blog was correct. Tweets from several other athletes have said things such as, "Props to Jason Collins" and "Congratulations on your courage." It will be interesting to see if others feel inspired by Collins' courage and come out in the near future.