It was sobering to see Jason Collins come out as the first openly gay professional athlete in a major American sport. Regardless of your historical perspective, it was a brave thing to do.
Of course, there are always a few ignorant bastards eager to ruin the moment, the most prominent being Mark Jackson, the former NBA point guard and current coach of the Golden State Warriors. Jackson was interviewed yesterday, and, when asked about Collins, said disdainfully that he would “pray for him.”
Jackson is known among basketball fans for the following significant reasons:
1) He is third on the all-time list of NBA assist leaders.
2) As a player, he would constantly do his patented shimmy dance after making a successful play. This was one of the gayer spectacles in all of sports and if Jackson were playing in the Youtube era he may have been forced to be the first player to ever come out.
3) Before becoming the coach of the Warriors, Jackson was an NBA commentator. His signature catch-phrase, used in reference to a player making an outstanding play, was “Momma, there goes that man.” It was always annoying and I never figured out what it meant, but always assumed it was a pop-culture reference that I wasn’t aware of.
After some minimal research, I’ve found this is not the case. Jackson just invented a phrase that sounded gay enough as to not be out of place in a gay porno. My theory is that it arose out of natural circumstances, such as Jackson’s mother walking into her 18 year-old son’s bedroom as he was skipping 5th period to see a dude sprinting out of his window, at which point mediocre television history was made.
4) Jackson is an Evangelical preacher. I’ll spare you the track record on this demo, but, as a group, they’re gayer than Elton John sitting in a gay bar. By himself.
Black Evangelical churches are famously intolerant, and consequently a haven for gay activity. They are actually famous for their D.L. (down low) scene – which is where that term originated. Fun fact.
So, the proof is in the tapioca. I’m not saying anything new here. All religious fundamentalists have something to hide, and in many cases it is homosexuality.
I think Jason Collins is well aware of this. In one of the first interviews following his announcement, he was asked which professional players had contacted him to offer support. The first name he mentioned was Tim Hardaway – the former Warriors point guard.
A few years back, Hardaway said, on record, “I hate gay people… I am homophobic… I don’t think it should be allowed in the world.”
Collins didn’t have to throw Hardaway a bone, clearing his name in a way for no benefit of his own. He’s taking the high road. I doubt Jackson’s comments bother him either. I wouldn’t even doubt he suspects Jackson is on the D.L.
There’s a reason Collins mentioned Hardaway specifically.
Tim Hardaway owned how offensive, hurtful and ignorant his comments here. He promptly sought to educate himself and eventually got involved in gay right issues.
Hardaway is a lesson in how to own your faults and try to better yourself.