Published by
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
By Franz Lidz In April 2013, Jason Collins and I collaborated on his deeply personal essay for Sports Illustrated in which he became the first active male athlete in any of the four major American pro leagues—NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL—to announce he is gay. It was hoped the NBA center's declaration would encourage other gay athletes to go public. But 10 years later only one other active player in those leagues, Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Carl Nassib, has come out. He did so while playing for the Las Vegas Raiders in '21. By disclosing his orientation, Collins, then a 34-year-old free agent, b…
