NBA player Jason Collins’s decision to come out as gay is getting plenty of reaction, and most of it is positive. Although, at times, social media postings have been less than kind.
“I could care less," said Kevin Reed of University City. “I wish nothing but good things for him and his family. It’s none of my business.”
Reed made his comments at Player’s Sports Bar in Kearny Mesa as television monitors mounted on walls broadcast reaction to the story.
“It’s a non-issue,” said Gary Plummer, a former NFL player who played for the Chargers and now lives in San Diego.
“The only thing that really matters to teammates is, can you play on game day? End of story," Plummer said.
While most reaction is overwhelmingly positive, many comments on social media have been negative.
One person wrote a response to a story posted on the NBC 7 Facebook page that read, in part, “we don’t need this gay stuff in our sports.”
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San Diego sports psychologist Michael Lardon, MD, called Collins’ decision brave. Because the player is a free agent available to sign with any team, Lardon wonders how it will impact his marketability.
“He has got to know that he’s going to incur all sorts of prejudice. There are going to be a lot of people that support him, but there are going to be a lot of people that are going to be very uncomfortable,” said Lardon.
