Here’s a question to anybody involved with a team in any sport — from the Cardinals to college, from high school to a weekend adult league:
Does your team have a culture and environment in which a gay athlete would feel comfortable coming out of the closet?
If not, why not?
And in what ways could your team, or your kid’s team, be more compassionate and inclusive?
And if you worry that could fracture the locker room, how can we educate players so it wouldn’t?
These are important questions inspired by the historic anniversary at the NFL Draft — it was 10 years ago when an NFL team drafted Mizzou’s Michael Sam, an openly gay football player (whose college teammates knew he was gay and supported him, prior to his public announcement, which came after his college career ended).